Quick Info
The Program is a biographical drama about Lance Armstrong’s meteoric rise and fall in the world of professional cycling. It doesn’t shy away from the ugly details of Armstrong’s doping scandal and the cult-like persona he built around “never giving up.” Ben Foster gives a magnetic (and almost unnerving) performance as Lance — he nails that blend of charm and ruthlessness that defined Armstrong in the public eye.
What really stood out to me is how the film portrayed obsession, both Armstrong’s own and the sport’s need for a hero. There’s a frenetic energy to the racing scenes (almost like mini thrillers in themselves), and you get a sense of just how intoxicating victory — and the myth of invincibility — can be. Chris O’Dowd is also great as the persistent journalist David Walsh, providing the dogged outsider perspective that grounds the narrative.
The movie doesn’t dig quite as deep emotionally as I’d hoped. While it covers the major points of the scandal with style and pace, you never really get under Armstrong’s skin in a lasting way. It’s more about depicting the events than helping you understand why so many people bought into the lie, or what it cost personally for those betrayed.
Visually, the film looks sharp — bright, but also clinical in a way that works for the story. It’s not flashy, but director Stephen Frears keeps things moving briskly, with racing sequences that are genuinely tense. The whole thing feels like an exposé, and that journalistic slant means it covers ground quickly, which could be a strength or a weakness depending on what you want from a biopic.
You’d enjoy this if you like sports dramas that focus more on the why and how rather than just the winning moments, or if you remember bits of the Armstrong story but never followed the scandal’s nitty-gritty. It’s a solid watch for fans of recent sports history, or anyone who likes a complex antihero — just don’t expect a deeply emotional journey.
