The Program

Le Programme est un film bien réalisé et percutant avec une excellente interprétation de Ben Foster. La carrière du cycliste Armstrong est habilement, intelligemment et rapidement dépeinte. Cependant, pour vraiment captiver les spectateurs, il aurait fallu développer aussi sa vie personnelle. Si Armstrong en avait une (sa rencontre avec sa future femme et son mariage sont expédiés en deux minutes et on ne la voit plus dans le film, il vit seul chez lui). Le film n'a qu'un seul personnage véritablement développé (un collègue cycliste avec une conscience), mais celui-ci est secondaire. De plus, les spectateurs auraient eu besoin de sympathiser un peu avec lui... Malgré cela, je donne 4 étoiles pour le professionnalisme de Frears et Foster. Ce film est aussi précis, sans s'attarder sur les émotions, que son personnage principal. (20/10/2015)

Ben Foster right on target, but otherwise too cold and detached a mosaic, which is shot in the style of Rush, i.e. semi-documentary/semi-fiction, but above all thrilling and energetic, but while aforementioned film, even with its sharp editing and abbreviated narrative at the expense of drama, is spectacular precisely in the way it manages to convey pure, deep emotions in a small space, The Program fails to do so. Lance Armstrong is too cold and inhuman, making it impossible to sympathize with him much or take one thing or another from him. As a documentary, then, it fails in its delivery, as it becomes increasingly cinematic as the minutes tick by. Still, I respect the people behind it, because the subject is quite unique and difficult to film (11/05/2016)

The film is truly exhausting in how one-sided it is, but considering that Lance defined himself as a saint for many years, it is a pleasant view. Moreover, I have just realized how deeply everything actually went and how it even looked. I wasn't so interested in the whole affair before. Ben Foster and Chris O'Dowd are excellent! (07/03/2016)

It's not a downright bad effort, but I'm bothered by the rushed first third of the story, which clearly calls for further development. And I'm even more disappointed in the utter lack of emotion of the whole narrative. I understand that on the one hand, considering the slimy character of someone like Lance Armstrong, the film portrays, however, at least a slight touch of emotion wouldn't hurt. (55%) (07/01/2021)