It’s an average film at best, one that merely skims the surface of one of sport’s biggest scandals.

Ben Foster starrer makes an equally compelling case of how even “the world’s most tested athlete” got away with cheating for so long.

…this movie, despite being staunchly non-conformist, ends up, like Armstrong, a disappointing let down. What stops it in its tracks is the fact that we already know every detail about this case that there is to know. He is a public figure who made it a point to install himself in the consciousness of the world and there is very little Frears could have done with this story to make it fresh.

The Program can be viewed as especially relevant, given that doping in sport is coincidentally, in the news again.

It’s worth one viewing if you haven’t heard about the man, and even if you haven’t. The film has bark, one only wishes it had more bite.

If you want to gain a perspective on what went wrong in Armstrong’s professional pursuits, this film is worth a watch. But if you have plans of discovering more about the man himself, we’ll just have to wait for a more solid reboot.

The film ignores Armstrong’s ‘personal’ life twists even as it glorifies his fight with cancer and his efforts to provide financial and moral succor to those combating the disease. Doping though is not that strong a villain here!

The Program may be familiar plot wise but still holds your attention because what the man did is pretty disturbing (he carried stacks of his own blood during the race in plastic boxes to transfuse before the post race blood tests). Foster also does a great job of portraying a man who just wants to win, no matter what happens. It’s a testament to Foster’s performance that you do feel a sliver of sympathy for the character because he’s going against the grain.

Foster works hard on the character, but the portrayal is rather one-dimensional as he interprets the disgraced racer as twisted, shrewd, arrogant and ambitious. We feel no sympathy for this man at all in this rather straightforward account of Armstrong’s dramatic life story.

Even though The Program stays away from Armstrong’s personal life, there is still far too much going on at any given point. However, the solid performances from Foster and the supporting cast steer the narrative.

…the racing scenes in a film that espouses cycling as the exciting, dynamic, fast-paced sport are dull.