Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist

2013

1h 30m

Documentary

Biography

List

84%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker James Erskine documents Marco Pantani's battle with addiction after winning Tour de France and Giro d'Italia in 1998 until his death from cocaine poisoning six years later.

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Audience Member

A thorough documentary about Italy's great Marco Pantani. Which really portrays the pressure on every professional cyclist to reach success at any cost. After seeing this film, it's clear how every cyclist in this era has been exposed and pressured to perform and often times encouraged to dope so they may gain an advantage....As it turned out nearly everyone was doping and by participating in doping, you were really only attempting to compete on a level playing field. So ultimately even though the entire system of pro cycling was corrupt, it was the cyclists who were the real victims of the game.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

7/18/15 Netflix An absorbing doc about a super human bike racer that proved all too human. His fall from grace was more dramatic and disastrous than Lance Armstrong's, probably because of the popularity of bike racing in Europe. The film maker gives a sympathetic and fair assessment of Pantanis life, one started out so wonderfully and ended so tragically.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Audience Member

"There's someting about cycling. It's a sport for loners." Heartbreaking. Beautifully made, with those sunflowers as silent witnesses to what is going on in this sadly corrupted sport. This one is now right up there with my favourite documentaries of all time: 'Dreams of a Life', 'Touching the Void' and 'Finding Vivian Maier'. I'm so happy that the Italian speakers weren't silenced with an English voiceover.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

Es entretenido el documental, pero solo sirve para confirmar que el ciclismo hace muchos años que es un deporte corrupto. Es imposible no dudar cuando todas las grandes estrellas, todos los ídolos, han caído víctimas de la EPO y otros productos. Se perdió la batalla.... igual que Pantani.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

One of the best sport documentary films I have seen. Up there with Senna & TT Closer to the Edge. With limited interest in cycling and no knowledge of this guy or 'his story' found this absolutely captivating. Have no bought the DVD! A must watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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Audience Member

A by the numbers documentary that is solidly put together but belongs more on the TV rather than the cinema.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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James Erskine

Director

Greg LeMond

Self

Bradley Wiggins

Self

Evgeni Berzin

Self

Piotr Ugrumov

Self

Matt Rendell

Self

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Back on Board: Greg Louganis

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Being Evel

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Mr Calzaghe

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Champs

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Dave Calhoun

Time Out

An efficient, sprightly sports doc about the rise and fall of 1990s cycling superstar Marco Pantani.

Rated: 3/5

May 19, 2014

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

You're left with the impression that the charismatic Pantani was more sinned against than sinning.

Rated: 3/5

May 18, 2014

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Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

This may be a romanticised account but it makes a persuasive case for its subject and makes us understand why, before his fall from grace, he was so adored by every rung of Italian society.

Rated: 4/5

May 16, 2014

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Michael J. Casey

Boulder Weekly

Ride fast, die young.

Aug 19, 2019

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Ben Nicholson

CineVue

The racing itself is cut together with flare and energy, providing riveting excitement even when outcomes are already well-known.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 21, 2019

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

It's hard to go too far wrong with a documentary on Italian cycling sensation, Marco Pantani, when the sheer raw materials are so compelling.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 18, 2018

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Synopsis

Filmmaker James Erskine documents Marco Pantani's battle with addiction after winning Tour de France and Giro d'Italia in 1998 until his death from cocaine poisoning six years later.

Director: James Erskine
Producer: Nick Batzias, Paul Wiegard
Screenwriter: James Erskine, Ollie Parsons
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 2, 2016
Runtime: 1h 30m