Review of The Program (2015) by Leon B — 22 Feb 2016

Review:

How the hell did Lance Armstrong get away with cheating for so long, with today's technology? I must admit, they were very clever with the way that they used the drugs to past the various tests but I'm still surprised that they didn't have more spot checks, without any warning. If he would have treated his fellow cyclists with a bit of respect, he would have got away with it but his obnoxious attitude got the best of him. If I didn't know about the drug enhancements, this story would have been a truly magnificent one, because of the fact that he beat testicular cancer and won the Tour De France 7 times. Once you see the extents that Lance Armstrong (Ben Foster), goes through to win and the way that journalist David Walsh (Chris O'Dowd) is trying to prove that his, somewhat superhuman racing skills had come out of nowhere, this movie is quite intense throughout and the performances are very believable. I'm not one for the actual cycle racing sport, so I found it hard to get into that aspect of the film buy I enjoyed the whole deceit, betrayal  and investigating side of the movie. I personally think that Lance should have been punished more brutally because he has gained more fame by coming clean. Anyway, it's worth a watch, just to see how far Lance Armstrong went to gain his titles. Watchable!

Round-Up:

Ben Foster is another one of those actors that have starred in some big movies but is yet to become a household name. He first hit the big screen in 1999 in Liberty Heights and then he went on to star in movies like Hostage, with Bruce Willis, X-Men: The Last Stand, Alpha Dog, 3:10 to Yuma, The Messenger, Pandorum, The Mechanic, Rampart, 360, Contraband, Lone Survivor and Ain't Them Bodies Saints. He's also due to star in Inferno, alongside Tom Hanks, The Finest Hours with Chris Pine and Eric Bana and the action, adventure Warcraft so he's definitely made a name for himself in Hollywood. This movie was directed by Stephen Frears, 74, who brought you Dangerous Liaisons, Accidental Hero, Mary Reilly, Mrs. Henderson Presents, The Queen and Philomena. His first film, Gumshoe, was released in 1971 so he has loads of experience behind the camera. He done a good job with this movie and he really got the best out of Ben Foster.

Budget: N/A.

Worldwide Gross: $1.7million.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/sport/biography movies starring Ben Foster, Chris O'Dowd, Jesse Plemons, Guillaume Canet, Lee Pace and Dustin Hoffman. 6/10.