Sports journalist David Walsh (an excellent performance by Chris Dowd) smells a rat after cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong (superbly played with steely conviction by Ben Foster) rebounds from the disease and keeps winning the Tour de France over and over again. Walsh rightfully suspects that Armstrong is using performance-enhancing drugs, but has a hard time convincing his colleagues about it.
Director Stephen Frears keeps the gripping story moving along at a constant pace as well as maintains a serious probing tone throughout. John Hodge's tough script not only covers in fascinating detail how exactly Armstrong pulled off his bold doping program, but also points out how Armstrong used his fame and power to get away with it for so long.
Foster totally nails Armstrong: Arrogant, charismatic, and ruthlessly driven, Armstrong was basically a narcissistic sociopath who was bound and determined to win at any cost. Moreover, the are sturdy supporting contributions from Jesse Plemons as the conflicted Floyd Landis, Guillaume Canet as the unscrupulous Dr. Ferrari, Denis Menchet as pragmatic team director Johan Bruyneel, and Dustin Hoffman as cagey risk insurer Bob Hamman. A solid and satisfying film.
Director Stephen Frears keeps the gripping story moving along at a constant pace as well as maintains a serious probing tone throughout. John Hodge's tough script not only covers in fascinating detail how exactly Armstrong pulled off his bold doping program, but also points out how Armstrong used his fame and power to get away with it for so long.
Foster totally nails Armstrong: Arrogant, charismatic, and ruthlessly driven, Armstrong was basically a narcissistic sociopath who was bound and determined to win at any cost. Moreover, the are sturdy supporting contributions from Jesse Plemons as the conflicted Floyd Landis, Guillaume Canet as the unscrupulous Dr. Ferrari, Denis Menchet as pragmatic team director Johan Bruyneel, and Dustin Hoffman as cagey risk insurer Bob Hamman. A solid and satisfying film.