Jul 7th    
The Armstrong Lie**   

(US 2013)                

The self-confessed fall from grace of cyclist Lance Armstrong, who overcame cancer to win the Tour de France 7 times, only to eventually admit to cheating by using banned substances.
Originally starting out as a documentary entitled The Road Back intending to chart Armstrong's comeback, then unexpectedly turning toxic, this revealing although not very subtle account of a hero hiding in plain sight (topical with the current Tour de France as well as the recent case of Rolf Harris), drags on for a while and occasionally only grudgingly admits to its central figure's moments of pure heroism, with a limited range of interview subjects used to emphasise the director's viewpoint, but its story could hardly be more potent, and Armstrong comes across as a supreme but also determined egotist.

Written, Directed and Narrated by: Alex Gibney.
Producers: Frank Marshall, Matt Tolmach, Alex Gibney.
Featuring Lance Armstrong, Frankie Andreu, Betsy Andreu, George Hincapie, Michele Ferrari, and others.
Photography: Maryse Alberti.
Music: David Kahne.