I like documentaries, so this was an easy pick for me. I also seem to like documentaries about sports and people, so I guess that further explains this pick. I guess over time, it's becoming a little bit more predictable to me which types of films I'll gravitate towards.
This film is about drug testing, the 100-metre sprint event form the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and the athletes (and other stakeholders) involved in the race. Filmmaker, Daniel Gordon, was able to get in contact with every single man who ran that race and find out their perspective of things.
Since I didn't follow the whole story from that event and I definitely don't know much about track and field and substances used to support these athletes, I think I went into this film with a pretty open mind and of course, you could argue that the filmmaker's story is biased, but I definitely left the film thinking about so many issues that were brought up in the film. The film is skewed in sympathy towards Ben Johnson and leaves you quite skeptical of Carl Lewis.
Those who are interested in what's currently happening with Lance Armstrong, may also be interested in this film. And also with the allegations of the Chinese swimmer from the 2012 London Olympics too.
The film itself was good. It didn't blow me away, but it was a solid, yet run of the mill documentary. I don't think I would pay to see it on the big screen, but it's perfect for a TV special. In fact, since ESPN is behind it, I'm sure it will appear on TV at some point.
Watch it if you get a chance.
- picture courtesy of www.tiff.net
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