MOVIE REVIEW: The Program
This one is for all sports fanatics out there, especially for cycling enthusiast. Tour de France is one of the most renowned cycling races internationally, and definitely has its fair share of history since the inaugural race in 1903. Since then, the race has been held annually (except during World War period) up till today.
The film “The Program” is by Academy Award® nominated director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Philomena) and producers Working Title Films (The Theory Of Everything, Everest, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), based on the 2012 title “Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong” written by UK newspaper The Sunday Times’ journalist David Walsh.
The true story comes from the meteoric rise and fall of one of the most celebrated yet controversial athletes in recent history – Lance Armstrong, the world-renowned Tour de France champion for seven years. A little too good to be true, this bike-racing champion was known for battling cancer, then winning the arduous race seven times in a row. Even though there was a period where his doping suspicion was at its peak, the general public still chose to believe the good in him, his impeccable acting skills and his words that he did not take any performance-enhancing drugs.
Classified as a biography, drama and sport film, the movie definitely achieved its objective of portraying Lance’s image and what really happened, away from all the media and public attention. There was never a moment where I took my eyes off the screen, and even though I’m quite certain most people know the ending to this ‘fairytale’, Frears managed to tell the story from a new perspective.
It is sad, though, to know that such a reputable international race is filled with doping scandals – not just Lance Armstrong’s but the entire field of athletes. Initially, the general public might have thought that there was a fall somewhere mid-way through his cycling career. Maybe it’s the fame, or the endorsements that came along with it, or the ultimate adrenaline rush from winning the races, that made Armstrong resort to cheating. But at the end of the day, everything was just a lie.
Armstrong knew that he was lying to himself, cheating the system and maintaining his game. Yet, he did nothing about it and greed got the better of him in the end. We all know what the ending is, but it was nevertheless still exciting to watch what really happened behind the scenes.
The Program is able to get its message across to the audience well and clear, and with a stellar cast featuring Ben Foster (Lone Survivor), Chris O’Dowd (Calvary), Guillaume Canet (Tell No One) and Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad), it will be one film you don’t want to miss.
Rating: NC16 (DRUG USE AND COARSE LANGUAGE)
Release date: 19 November 2015
Watch the trailer here:
International Bicycle Film Festival (IBFF) Singapore is proud to be the organiser for the preview screening of “The Program” at Shaw Lido on 18 November 2015. This is IBFFSG’s first event in Singapore and its mission is to advocate the Bicycle Movement and transform the way people see the world through bicycle in the local, regional and global scenes. Head over to their website to see how you can contribute to this cause at www.ibff.cc.
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