---
title: "The Armstrong Lie"
year: 2013
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-armstrong-lie"
fi1m_id: "the-armstrong-lie"
imdb_id: "tt1638364"
tmdb_id: 214083
wikidata_id: "Q15052280"
fi1m_score: 75
critics_score: 73
critics_reviews: 21
published: "2026-10-01T22:47:18.009048+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-01T22:47:30.147850+00:00"
region: "TH"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Armstrong Lie (2013)

Directed by Alex Gibney · 2h 04m · Documentary

## Identity

The Armstrong Lie

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-armstrong-lie
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-armstrong-lie
- **IMDb ID:** tt1638364
- **TMDB ID:** 214083
- **Wikidata ID:** Q15052280
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1638364/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/214083, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15052280

**Fi1m score: 75** · Critics 73 from 21 reviews

*In a sentence:* Lance Armstrong can make a denial sound like a complaint about the question

> Alex Gibney’s documentary makes gripping use of his access to Lance Armstrong, especially when self-assured denials meet accounts of intimidation. Repetition blunts the questioning, but the cycling footage and uncomfortable scrutiny of the filmmaker’s own involvement make it worth watching.

## Synopsis

In footage of his 2009 cycling comeback, Lance Armstrong is the subject of a documentary intended to celebrate his return. Director and narrator Alex Gibney revisits that material while examining the doping and deception surrounding its central figure. The cyclist wants his version of events accepted; the film sets his denials beside accounts of the hostility faced by those who challenge him. Betsy Andreu and Frankie Andreu appear as themselves as race footage and interviews widen the story beyond the cyclist. The camera has access to him, but its closeness also raises questions about the story it was helping him tell.

## Review

*The Armstrong Lie* is a good documentary with an awkward advantage: its director was already close to the story he needed to reconsider. Alex Gibney had filmed Lance Armstrong’s 2009 comeback for what began as a celebration. That earlier purpose matters, because the footage lets us see the attraction of a sporting story built around one commanding personality. We recommend it for that access and for its account of how deception is defended. The questioning does become repetitive.

Maryse Alberti’s cinematography gives the cycling footage an immediacy that explains some of the filmmaker’s enthusiasm. Those passages are exciting to watch, even within a film asking us to reconsider our admiration for its subject. The physical achievement remains visible, which is important: simply making him look ridiculous would spare us the harder business of understanding why people wanted to believe him. The race footage also gives the film a welcome break from interviews about what was said and what was concealed.

The archive interview with Oprah Winfrey is particularly uncomfortable: Lance Armstrong remains a commanding presence even while his account is being examined. In the earlier footage of his denials, he looks like someone who expects his confidence to settle the matter. We were angry at the accounts of intimidation directed towards people who challenged him. Set beside that composure, their experiences make the deception feel nastier than a breach of sporting rules. Alex Gibney is persuasive when he keeps attention on the damage done to other people.

Andy Grieve, Tim Squyres and Lindy Jankura have the difficult editing job of bringing earlier footage into an investigation that changes how we understand it. Their combination of interviews and cycling holds the attention, and the explanations of doping give the accusations useful substance. The account of the sport around him also prevents this from becoming a simple exercise in blaming one man for everything. Yet repeated evasions start to yield little further insight. At 124 minutes, the film gives us more opportunities to recognise his behaviour than we need.

Alex Gibney’s presence as narrator is necessary, because his own involvement needs examining. A filmmaker granted this sort of access has something to explain when the flattering account he began turns into an inquiry into dishonesty. We welcome his acknowledgement that he helped promote the comeback story, though the narration sometimes tells us what to make of material that has already made its point. There is room for more searching self-questioning here, particularly about the pleasures of getting close to a persuasive subject.

David Kahne’s music leaves little impression beside the interviews and the racing. It supplies accompaniment without making the difficult passages more affecting, and we would not miss much of it. More useful is the film’s willingness to put doping within the culture of professional cycling. A sporting documentary can settle for exposing a cheat; this one spends enough time on the surrounding pressures to make that explanation look inadequate.

None of this quite gets us inside Lance Armstrong’s thinking, and the film occasionally mistakes another encounter with him for another discovery. Still, access to someone so practised at defending himself has value when the footage gives us grounds to question what he says. The accounts of hostility towards his critics provide the strongest reason to stay with it. Watch it for those accounts and the race footage, with patience for questions that keep producing much the same response.

*Fi1m score 75, published 1 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find The Armstrong Lie compelling and informative, with praise centred on Gibney’s access to Armstrong, the cycling footage and the examination of deception within professional sport. The interviews and race material make the story engrossing even for reviewers who find few fresh revelations. Several reviews value the attention to intimidation and institutional corruption, placing Armstrong’s conduct in a wider cycling culture rather than treating him as an isolated cheat.

Reservations concern repetition, occasionally confusing chronology and how far the film explains Armstrong’s motives. Critics also differ over Gibney’s personal involvement: The AV Club praises his acknowledgement of helping promote the comeback myth, while Slant Magazine finds his self-scrutiny incomplete and his narration heavy-handed. The spread is broadly favourable but includes a sharp dissent from The Wrap, which finds the documentary too detached to probe Armstrong’s deception or confront his lack of remorse.

## Straight answers

**Is The Armstrong Lie worth watching?**

*The Armstrong Lie* is worth watching for its revealing access to Lance Armstrong and its account of how deception is defended; we score it 75 out of 100. We recommend it to viewers interested in sporting dishonesty and the filmmaker’s own involvement, though repeated evasions make its 124 minutes feel longer than necessary.

**How long is The Armstrong Lie, and what is it rated?**

*The Armstrong Lie* runs 2h 04m. It is a documentary film.

**Where can I watch The Armstrong Lie in Thailand?**

*The Armstrong Lie* is available to rent from Apple TV from ฿99.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Armstrong Lie, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Armstrong Lie* carries a UK 15 certificate, making it unsuitable for children under 15, and its accounts of intimidation are disturbing. We find the hostility towards people who challenge Armstrong more troubling than the sporting deception itself; that makes it better suited to older teenagers and adults comfortable with an uncomfortable factual investigation.

**How does The Armstrong Lie compare to Senna?**

*The Armstrong Lie* is more searching about its subject than [*Senna*](https://film.one/film/senna), though we find *Senna* more gripping as a racing documentary. Both use race footage to explain their subjects’ appeal, but Gibney examines deception and his own involvement, while Kapadia’s devotion limits the scrutiny; choose *The Armstrong Lie* for questioning, with patience for repetition.

**What should I watch after The Armstrong Lie?**

After *The Armstrong Lie*, try [*Senna*](https://film.one/film/senna) (2010, Fi1m 84): Another sporting documentary whose racing footage makes the attraction of its subject clear. Then [*Collective*](https://film.one/film/collective) (2019, Fi1m 88): Reporters follow a scandal beyond individual wrongdoing into the institutions protecting it; and [*Touching the Void*](https://film.one/film/touching-the-void) (2003, Fi1m 87): For the physical danger and disputed decisions beneath a sporting survival story.

### Reviews we read (21)

- **Variety**, Justin Chang (85/100, inferred): Chang finds the documentary authoritative, fascinating, and penetrating in its examination of Armstrong and the culture around him. He particularly praises Gibney’s scientific research and the film’s vivid, well-edited cycling footage. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/film/markets-festivals/the-armstrong-lie-review-venice-1200596005/)
- **IndieWire**, Eric Kohn (B+): Kohn finds the documentary compelling and nuanced, though not fully revelatory. He praises Gibney’s careful analysis of Armstrong’s rise and fall and the psychology behind his fabrications. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-why-lance-armstrong-needs-to-watch-the-armstrong-lie-33138/)
- **Little White Lies**, Emma Simmonds (4/4/3): Simmonds finds the film compelling and worthwhile, though it does not fully illuminate Armstrong. She praises the force of the Oprah interview footage and the film’s scrutiny of his deception. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-armstrong-lie)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (80/100, inferred): Turan finds the documentary engrossing and more revealing than expected, bringing it close to explaining Armstrong’s complicated story. He praises its integration of earlier footage and interviews that place Armstrong’s doping and deception in cycling’s broader culture. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-armstrong-lie-review-story.html)
- **Radio Times**, Jeremy Aspinall (4/5): Aspinall calls the documentary a breathtaking portrait of Lance Armstrong. He particularly praises Gibney’s unprecedented access to the famously abrasive cyclist. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-3gxxvn/the-armstrong-lie/)
- **Time Out**, Cath Clarke (4/5): The review presents the documentary as revealing why Armstrong’s enemies despise him. It singles out its account of the hostility surrounding his doping and deception. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-armstrong-lie)
- **Total Film**, Kevin Harley (4/5): The review finds the documentary compelling, though Armstrong’s repeated evasions make parts of it repetitive. It praises the intimate race footage and the magnetic spectacle of Armstrong’s self-assured denials and confession. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-armstrong-lie-review/)
- **The AV Club**, Ben Kenigsberg (B): Kenigsberg finds the film informative but short of fresh revelations and deeper detail on the doping scheme. He especially praises Gibney’s willingness to acknowledge his own role in promoting Armstrong’s comeback myth. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-armstrong-lie-1798178591)
- **Vulture**, David Edelstein (75/100, inferred): Edelstein finds the documentary engrossing and fascinating, despite its pervasive creepiness and occasionally confusing chronology. He praises its close study of Armstrong’s deception and its illuminating account of doping in professional cycling. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2013/11/movie-review-the-armstrong-lie.html)
- **Evening Standard** (70/100, inferred): The review finds the documentary compelling while warning against confusing power with virtue. It praises Gibney’s examination of Armstrong’s intimidation tactics and the corrupt system that enabled him. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-armstrong-lie-alex-gibneys-documentary-shows-psychotically-righteous-lance-armstrong-at-his-charming-best-and-worst-9098225.html)
- **The Guardian**, Chris Michael (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the documentary compelling and probing, though its account of Armstrong’s 2009 comeback remains somewhat murky. He praises its behind-the-scenes footage and its examination of the power and intimidation surrounding Armstrong’s story. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/11/lance-armstrong-alex-gibney-armstrong-lie-review-toronto)
- **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be verified. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-armstrong-lie-2013)
- **Screen Daily**, Lee Marshall (64/100, inferred): The review’s verdict is unavailable because the article text is behind a paywall. The accessible page does not reveal what the critic singled out for praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-armstrong-lie/5059988.article)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (64/100, inferred): The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the accessible text. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/movies/the-armstrong-lie-from-alex-gibney.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Kenji Fujishima (2.5/4): Fujishima finds the documentary informative but divided between its original celebratory premise and its later indictment of Armstrong. He praises its exhaustive detail while faulting Gibney’s heavy-handed narration and incomplete self-implication. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-armstrong-lie/)
- **Empire**, David Hughes (55/100, inferred): Hughes finds the documentary tough and forensic, but says it soft-pedals Armstrong’s betrayal of fans. He praises its complex account of moral relativism and institutional corruption. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/armstrong-lie-review/)
- **Eye for Film**, Owen Van Spall (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it a confidently assembled, gripping piece of reportage and praises Gibney’s documentary work. He singles out its brisk pacing, captivating interviews, and superb cycling footage. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-armstrong-lie-2013-film-review-by-owen-van-spall)
- **Digital Spy**, Emma Dibdin (4/5): Dibdin finds the documentary a lean, searing portrait of human frailty, despite a slightly baggy middle. She praises Gibney’s personal involvement, which makes Armstrong’s deception and its impact on betrayed fans especially vivid. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a546343/the-armstrong-lie-review-lance-armstrong-explored-in-searing-documentary/)
- **Den of Geek**, Rob Leane (4 out of 5): The critic calls the documentary vital viewing despite its forgettable score and repetitive stretches. They praise its close analysis of Armstrong’s psyche and Gibney’s candid personal perspective. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-armstrong-lie-dvd-review/)
- **Paste**, Tim Grierson (7.8/10): Grierson finds the documentary grimly fascinating rather than gratifyingly vindictive, and sees Armstrong as compelling but unrepentant. He praises its focus on the people whose lives Armstrong damaged by defending the truth. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-armstrong-lie)
- **The Wrap** (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the documentary too detached to offer meaningful insight into Armstrong’s deception. They single out its failure to probe his motives and its reluctance to judge his lack of remorse. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/armstrong-lie-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Alex Gibney
- **Director:** Alex Gibney
- **Writer:** Alex Gibney
- **Cinematography:** Maryse Alberti
- **Editor:** Andy Grieve, Tim Squyres, Lindy Jankura
- **Music:** David Kahne
- **Producer:** Matt Tolmach, Alex Gibney, Frank Marshall
- **Cast:** Lance Armstrong as Self; Betsy Andreu as Self; Frankie Andreu as Self; Reed Albergotti as Self; Johan Bruyneel as Self; Daniel Coyle as Self; Michele Ferrari as Self; Michael Bloomberg as Self (archive footage)
- **Runtime:** 2h 04m
- **First release (Canada):** 8 September 2013
- **Genres:** Documentary
- **Box office:** $383,294
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocyRpcTAwyI

## Where to watch in Thailand

- Apple TV: rent ฿99.00, hd
- Apple TV: buy ฿329.00, hd

*Checked 2026-10-01.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RS, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Senna* (2010), Fi1m 84: Another sporting documentary whose racing footage makes the attraction of its subject clear. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/senna.md)
- *F for Fake* (1973): A playful examination of fraud that keeps the storyteller’s reliability in question.
- *Collective* (2019), Fi1m 88: Reporters follow a scandal beyond individual wrongdoing into the institutions protecting it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/collective.md)
- *The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters* (2007): Competitive obsession and disputed achievement, with smaller prizes and comparably stubborn egos.
- *Touching the Void* (2003), Fi1m 87: For the physical danger and disputed decisions beneath a sporting survival story. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/touching-the-void.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-armstrong-lie