The Flying Scotsman

Being a relative of Graeme ( albeit fairly distant - his father and my mother were cousins)I knew the story well - I keep close contact with his Aunt ( My Mothers cousin)who would update me on how the "Scottish branch" of the family were doing. I followed Graemes career closely and remember vividly seeing his triumphs on the news. I knew about some of the issues he had to face in his life, the adversity that he had to overcome time and time again. Sitting down in a PACKED movie theatre in Christchurch NZ, I felt tremendously proud of him and e-mailed home straight away to pass on that message that, if he still has any doubts today, then I wanted him to know that, on the other side of the world, he packed a theatre out and, the chances are that, if he packed a theatre in tiny Christchurch then, he will have done so in Wellington, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne etc. Cycling is pretty popular here in the Southern Hemisphere and there were young kids in the audience who held him up as a hero. His honesty in writing his autobiography and allowing this film to be made, no holds barred is truly an inspiration because it shows that, if he can make it, become world champion twice, break the hour record, twice, without the major sponsorship and million pound technology of his contemparies, then so can they, the young lads starting out. Graeme, you were an inspiration and you still are, to MANY MANY people. And you have earned the admiration of many many people not only with your genius designs but with your honesty in facing your demons and confronting them head on. I know the Obree family continue to be very proud of you but, ultimately, you can be immensely proud of yourself and everything you have achieved. If the Cycling fraternity were to ever appoint an ambassador for the sport to get youngsters more interested in it - it really should be you. Watching the movie was painful at times but, ultimately I came out of the theatre very, very proud and I wish you and your family all the best for the future.

An inspiring movie I had the pleasure of seeing at the Edinburgh film festival. I was briefly in the same cycling club as Obree. I followed his career and read his autobiography. I still cycle today and boy was I pleasantly surprised at the twists, turns and intrigue which come out in the movie; it gave me new perspectives on a complex and colourful life.

What Obree did was monumental and this film does him justice, shedding light on his inner struggles and showcasing what an innovative, committed and strong world beater the man is. Don't pigeon hole this as some kind of sports extravaganza - it is a highly entertaining look at the life of an entertaining and brilliant man.

A fantastic portrayal of a true champion - who battled not only the physical elements required for cycling but also mental illness to become one of the greatest cyclists of all time. Johnny Lee Miller is a revelation in the lead role and ably supported by Brian Cox and Billy Boyd. Shame it is not on full release as this is a story that should be heard, unlike other triumph against disaster sappy biopics which have been allowed a wider release. Even if you are not interested in cycling as a sport, this is more about the challenges life puts in your way on the route to any goal and how single-mindedness and determination can win the day but can also be derailed.

Go and see this if you can America - I know he was British but the film and the story speak for themselves.

What I found most enjoyable about this film is the way it straddles the sport-biopic genres. It maintains the acute acting and psychological fullness of a biopic, aided by a fantastic performance by Miller, while being in keeping with the Hollywood highs and lows aspects of great sports movies.

Those not interested in sport should not be put off by thinking this will be a typically superficial or one dimensional sports film. But those sporty types will also find plenty to satisfy them.

As a big cycling fan I was already well aware of the Obree story and I can assure people that is every bit as incredible if not more so than is shown in the film. Naturally the constraints of a film mean that the Obree story is cut short and we don't see how the Superman position was banned or Obree's subsequent depressions especially after his brother died (indeed his brother is completely missing from the film). But by choosing to limit the time scale it describes it allows time for greater detail particularly in investigated his relationship with the priest and Obree's wife.

Equally the film doesn't embellish the truth a great deal in order to increase the drama. Indeed the world record attempts are incredibly understated, as they should be. Obree was never well known in Britain despite being very popular on the continent. As a result the film isn't filled with cheering crowds but rather focuses the isolation he experienced within Scotland in spite of his amazing achievements.

As director Douglas MacKinnon said making a good sports film is difficult and the road is littered with heroic failures. This is a good film partly because it is about cycling, a minority sport every nuance of which is not ingrained on the public consciousness, and partly because it is a well made piece of work which tells an amazing story. It does take liberties with the Obree story as anyone who has read his book will notice, but these are generally fairly minor and do not detract from dramatic piece. The acting is universally great as you would expect from actors of the stature of Brian Cox, Stephen Berkoff etc, and Johnny Lee Miller does a superb job as tortured genius Graeme Obree. The message is uplifting by demonstrating that those who have had an unhappy childhood and suffer from a mental illness can go on and achieve a huge amount in life as Graeme did, despite many setbacks and intransigent officialdom.