The Program

"Unable or unwilling to probe Armstrong's psychology in any depth, The Program becomes just a glib rehash of old news that brings the story up to date (...) a disappointment on nearly every level." 

"Rare is the prestige biopic that feels altogether too short, but after 102 soundly paced minutes, “The Program” retires with half a hill left to climb." 

"A couple of exhilarating cycling scenes, and a pretty solid lead performance, does not a good movie make. (...) With practically zero biographical insight into the man behind the cyclist, this Lance Armstrong feels barely three-dimensional" 

"Foster plays Armstrong (...) He does it brilliantly (...) The Program is flawed. But it's a fluid and nippy telling of a tale (...) And Frears finally decides to be merciless (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of five)" 

"Ben Foster's tour de force. (...) The actor is eerily brilliant as Lance Armstrong in Stephen Frears's otherwise unfocused doping drama (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of five)" 

"Foster's Lance Armstrong is like something from a horror movie in Frears's eerie biopic (...) The film shirks finding a hard-and-fast fresh perspective. Instead it approaches the story from various cumulative angles (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of five)" 

"The film is based on the official US drug agency report on Armstrong, which might explain why it often feels like a stale reportage. (...) Rating: ★★ (out of five)" 

"Frears examines in almost-forensic detail the process by which Armstrong chemically engineered his own and his team's performance. But feature is ultimately unbalanced (...) 'The Program' works best when it deals with this fascinating case of investigative journalism"