The Armstrong Lie

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Armstrong Lie!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st May 2026

Continuing on with my fascination with documentaries that started in one place only to end up somewhere different, we come to this: A documentary on notorious cyclist/drug cheat Lance Armstrong.
In 2009, documentarian Alex Gibney was working on a documentary on Armstrong but the project was brought to a halt due to his exposure as a dope cheat. However such footage did end up being used years later in this documentary - alongside new material Gibney shot with Armstrong in the wake of the collapse of both his career and reputation.

There are two narratives working here but both ultimately build a portrait of Armstrong. And it isn't a pretty one: A lack of a father in his life. A determination to win. A belief that losing is a fate worse than death. A resilience that walks hand in hand with malignity. A grip on the myth he created that is held like his life depended on it. 
Certainly the story - going from beating cancer to winning the most demanding sporting challenge in the world multiple times - is a strong one but this is still a glimpse into the mind of a villain: It's someone who wants to triumph and refuses to care about the damage wrought to get there. And perhaps that's where the strength of the documentary lies: That such villains exist in the world and that one is someone who got to the top through an astonishingly crafted deception. 

It may not make for a pretty viewing experience but it is a fascinating one.