We’ve seen a slew of movies about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the fictionalized ones simply haven’t connected with the public. Even last year’s Oscar winning The Hurt Locker couldn’t manage to pull in large numbers at the box office.
What’s unique about The Tillman Story is that it puts a face on the war, and consequently humanizes it. You can’t casually dismiss the story of Pat Tillman and his amazing family. This is not a fiction movie, this is as real as it gets. And it is ugly.
Pat Tillman was charismatic student-athlete who attended Arizona State University on a football scholarship, and later played in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals. He gave up that career when he, along with his younger brother Kevin, enlisted in the Army shortly after 9/11.
The two eventually became Army Rangers, and Pat did a tour in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was during his second tour, in Afghanistan, that Tillman’s life was cut short.
Initially Tillman was painted as a hero who died valiantly trying to save his fellow soldiers during a Taliban ambush. Tillman was praised and awarded the Silver Star posthumously. However, things did not add up to Tillman’s family. They realized that there was much more to the story.
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