Icarus

Icarus, much like its mythological namesake, starts out openly enough. Writer/director Bryan Fogel, obviously undergoing a mid-life crisis, seeks to rise above his competition and win an long-eluded amateur bike race by subscribing to a doping program ala Lance Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton. His gonzo-ish film about cheating the system then takes a serious turn as he flies extremely close to the sun by becoming involved with Russian doping superstar, Grigory Rodchenkov, just prior to the 2016 summer Olympics and Russian scandal – the doping scandal that is, taking into consideration another very serious scandal that occurred in the United States later that year in November, an event this film alludes to.

Fogel's film presents a complete analysis of Russia's athletic doping program and its pervasive influence on all of its athletes while providing a revealing look at how the conspiracy came to light leading to the eventual banning of 68 Russian athletes from Rio. The documentary is so compelling you cannot look away.

Rodchenkov, who comes across as a favorite crazy uncle, blasts away on camera with truths and proofs that lead to WADA and the IOC's landmark decision. Rodchenkov equally has no problems with broadcasting his opinions concerning President Vladimir Putin's fear-laden regime. If Putin and the KGB can easily evade the IOC, imagine what other high-level larceny exists that can be used to, ahem, trump other standards.

Icarus presents art dictating life, where one rather flaky story uncovers a very-real conspiracy that affects so many. This is not merely a sports documentary, rather a politically human one with real consequences, and needs to be viewed. Here's hoping the Academy's nomination committee is taking note, as Icarus has the potential to win gold of its own.

One of the best, if not the best, documentaries that I have ever watched. It is an amazing story about a man who set out to prove one thing and ends up in the middle of one of the most dramatic moments in sports history, complete with shady characters, political giants, and assassinations. This documentary put the documentor in the right place at the right time. Wow, an eleven on a scale of one to ten!

It's a documentary about doping in sports. While opining on the many incidents of drugs in sports, it quickly zeroes in on the Russian efforts. Grigory Rodchenkov led the Russian national anti-doping program and would become a big time whistleblower. His allegations lead to physical evidences of cheating in Sochi after the Russians suffered an embarrassing performance in Vancouver.

Cheating in sports is a big target. Grigory's whistleblowing is very compelling. I do remember some of the news reports during that time. It's even less sophisticated that I imagined. The bottles are left with marks and there are telltale chemicals in the samples. So the allegations are undeniable and therefore they will keep denying. They are not geniuses and more like arrogant brutes. They keep lying and force their lies upon the world until they shout down everyone else. It's the new world order and nice guys finish last.

It has everything, spies, conspiracies, involvement of world leaders, following world events like wars. Seems like a movie or something that was scripted, its exciting, has suspense and drama and other traits that usually in documentaries its hard to truly get.

Amazing job and about a very passionate topic SPORTS .

This documentary shows in a fascinating yet disturbing way the lengths to which Russian officials, and subjectively, the lengths of how everyone in sports takes winning over ethical and moral values. The truly intricate system in which Russia doped their athletes and evaded/cheated the doping tests is incredible, and even more baffling is how deep within Russian society and high level government officials the doping scandal gets. A truly fascinating watch, very well made, keeps you interested throughout its long run-time.