You don't have to like cycling to find yourself leaning into the corners on The Program.
Not just the sweeping bends of the Tour de France descents, but how the taut story whips you around its curves as it near-sprints through the life of Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, champion, cheat.
Yes an appreciation for what it takes to spend an entire month in lycra, mostly helping some other guy win a bicycle race, is possibly needed, going in.
But Stephen Frears' spare, thrilling adaptation of the book by Sunday Times journalist David Walsh, about how his reporting blew the whistle on the doping all-American champ - he was vilified for it at the time - doesn't get bogged down with the minutiae of the sport or the Tour.
It plays like a thriller as its anti-hero dodges yet another spot test, or threatens a minion about the consequences of telling the truth. Which might sound like a grim going. But it's elevated by Ben Foster's riveting performance as the man in the yellow jersey. His portrayal is one of those which makes you replace Armstrong's actual face in your memory.
