Barry Sanders has long been one of the most enigmatic figures in NFL history. After a decade of being one of the all-time great running backs, he up and vanished (retired) while still at his peak with no explanation given as to why. In Bye Bye Barry, the filmmakers examine Barry's life and personality in greater detail to try and understand his decision-making process.

The reason Bye Bye Barry is such a masterpiece documentary is because it is essentially two things in one 90-minute runtime:

First, it is a nostalgic look back at an iconic football talent. All the clips of Sanders making defenders look foolish trying to tackle him are incredible to behold and often narrated by the likes of Madden and Summerall or other great NFL voices. It all adds up to a reminder of Barry's utter greatness and how clearly he was one of the best to ever ply the RB trade.

Secondly, this doc is a really effective character study of Barry Sanders the individual. In a sport where ego and bravado often define the great talents, Sanders was the polar opposite. He cared little (actively rejected, in fact) the trappings of fame that came with NFL superstardom. He never celebrated on the field and hardly showed so much as a glint of emotion. As the filmmakers say here, he 100% let his play do his talking for him--and it largely was enough.

For a little while after watching, I didn't have Bye Bye Barry at 10/10 stars. The reason? Because as a viewer, you'll be waiting for that crack of emotion from Barry--and it simply never comes. This might leave you feeling a little disappointed. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was perfect--because that's just Barry. He has such a conviction towards his ideals that he simply will not break just for the cameras. Not an approach that can (or maybe even should) be taken by everyone, but admirable in its earnestness.

Add all that up and this Amazon product is top-level documentary work. You may still not understand exactly why Barry rode off into the sunset so early, but you'll clearly understand that for those who knew him it was no surprise. Just "Barry being Barry".

This was a pretty good documentary and it's great to hear directly from the man himself about why he retired and why he did it the way he did.

One of the only things that bothered me is how they kept speaking as if he had many good years left to play at that level, but he was 31 when he retired. Anybody who knows anything about professional football knows that a running back who turns 31 is nearing the end of his career. This is especially true of quick, shifty guys like Barry Sanders.

Do I know that he wouldn't have been the exception to the rule, able to keep taking rushing titles after his 35th birthday? Of course not, he was a tremendous athlete. We can never know.

It was still a very enjoyable documentary, and is a must-see for any fans of Barry Sanders, the Lions, and the NFL.

I'm a diehard NFL fan, I watch every game on TV, and I grew up in the golden era of running backs with Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders. I've always considered Sanders the best running back in NFL history. I HATED the fact that he retired early and always questioned why. I had heard rumors, and this movie basically verified them. The reveal was not revolutionary but did clean some things up. The true reason to watch the film is to revive the feeling I had when I watched Sanders in the first place. His brilliance on the field is and always will be unmatched. He could make a 1-yard loss look like the best play ever. A very good movie for football fans to savor.