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Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Fantastic!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

As a sports fan, this movie involving one of the darkest scandals in its history was something I had to see. Having watch it, I can say I enjoyed it but felt as though it could have been better and the story could have had more depth to it. Ben Foster is nothing short of a revelation in his portrayal of the controversial figure of Lance Armstrong and his many faces, the public charismatic sportsman and champion in the fight against cancer to the behind the scenes ruthless bully who threatened to destroy anyone or anything who got in his way. Likewise Chris O'Dowd as the journalist David Walsh who steadfast refused to give into intimidation and didn't allow himself to be fooled by the deception. Jesse Plemons performance as the conflicted Floyd Landis who played a key role in the investigation was also a positive for the movie, likewise Dustin Hoffman as Bob Hamman.One issue I had with the movie was the skimming over of a few key events. Not the cycling as such, but the USADA investigation which would expose the extent of Armstrong's cheating, Armstrong's legal attempts to block it, and the death threats issued to those involved were covered almost as an after thought near the end of the movie, this should've been given more time in the movie as it was a key element in the whole affair. One frustrating aspect of this movie was almost the complete omission of two key players in the story, Greg LeMond, the ex-TDF winner who was almost ruined by Armstrong because he dared to speak out against him, and Travis Tygart, the head of the USADA investigation which ultimately exposed the doping scandal, who as previously mentioned was subjected to a number of death threats, were barely mentioned. Considering the part they played in the whole saga, this was a big error on the part of the movie.This movie was enjoyable and fascinating, but I felt it was partially undermined by skimming over several key events and the omission of some key people.

I have been really surprised by the number of negative reviews of this movie. I've never really been a fan of cycling or the Tour De France, but I was always fascinated in how Lance Armstrong was able to cheat his way to 7 tour victories. And I think Stephen Frears has done a superb job of explaining the lengths Armstrong and his team mates went to,to beat the testers. Ben Foster is superb as Armstrong to the point I almost felt it was him, whilst Chris O Dowd is equally believable as the much maligned journalist who always new the truth. One of the best sports movies in recent memory 8/10

-The Program (working title Icon) is a 2015 British-French biographical drama film about Lance Armstrong directed by Stephen Frears, starring Ben Foster as Armstrong and Chris O'Dowd as journalist David Walsh.-The film is based on Walsh's book Seven Deadly Sins. It premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on 14 September 2015 and was theatrically released in France on 16 September and the United Kingdom on 14 October.--Development: -Screenwriter John Hodge has said that he primarily based his screenplay on Seven Deadly Sins, in addition to other journalism and affidavits from cyclists. Hodge says he ruled out using Armstrong's own accounts of his behavior during this period, and that scenes shown from Armstrong's perspective are fiction.--Casting: -Lee Pace joined the cast in November 2013. Dustin Hoffman joined the cast in December 2013.-To better understand his role, Foster took performance enhancing drugs while shooting the film.

If you haven't seen this, all I have to say is wow. The performances by every single actor were absolutely phenomenal. Ben Foster as Lance Armstrong was an amazing casting choice - he had me hating him throughout the entire movie. Even the people who played smaller more supporting roles were integral in this film, and made it so great to watch.If you haven't yet seen this, make a point of doing it as soon as possible. I already knew about Lance Armstong's doping story from what we have all heard on the news, but The Program really provided a much more in-depth analysis of the chain of events and those involved in both sides of the controversy.