User reviews

I wanted to write this review because I don't understand how anyone can claim that this is for a fact propaganda, without providing any proof. Those reviewers say the movie is propaganda because the filmmakers have no proof, yet I would say the movie provided more than they did for their claims.

Anyone can scream propaganda - but I would like to know why. This movie started years ago when Brian didn't even have a clear idea on what his documentary will be about exactly (nor am I sure he was even trying to make a full documentary). It was born out of personal reasons but he came across something he couldn't have imagined. So, he ended up with an incredibly shocking documentary which took years to be made.

Those who say it's propaganda just because it involves the Russians; I couldn't care less if it were Russians, English or Brazilian. What shocked me was the incredible amount of evidence and detail this RUSSIAN man gave to the public about an incredibly elaborate state-wide conspiracy (and he wasn't the only one, nor was he the one who started this whole thing). It is actually quite incredible how they pulled it off.

So, I am more inclined to believe this person who devoted years of his life to expose what was going on and what he himself was also a part of than government officials who say "No, it is not true". If you remember, Lance himself said many times in the beginning that he has never taken drugs. Then, he admitted.

The same thing happens here; someone accuses you of a monstrosity like this one, you are very well going to deny it.

To those whose argument is "well, it's not like the US or China don't have the same doping programme" I say: where is their Grigory? That's the difference.

To me, it is incredible how a nation could have gotten away with this. Well, not really - Putin can get away with anything. Just like the US.

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.

I almost never write reviews for anything, but after seeing this movie and seeing a completely spiteful, misinformed review from another poster I feel obliged to post. This is an incredibly powerful documentary that had me at the edge of my seat for nearly the entire two hours. Honestly have no idea what movie the other poster was watching or if they're simply bitter or don't enjoy the documentary format, but I highly recommend this to anyone in an interest in sport, current world politics (US/Russia), or conspiracy. Both the director Bryan and protagonist Grigory are engaging and entertaining, and the movie will seriously leave you feeling like you just got a backstage pass to a very recent global conspiracy between Russia and the world.

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 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 .

I saw this at Sundance 2017, and it blew me away like no other film I saw there. The filmmakers started out on an interesting enough story in worldwide sports, but then uncovered a massive conspiracy beyond their imagining. Very exciting. Highly recommended to anyone who can see this.

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.

Just noticed that most of reviews rate either very high (9/10 or 10/10) if the reviewer believes this movie tells the truth or very low (1/10 or 2/10) if the reviewer dismisses this movie as propaganda.

Now in year 2020 we already know that the facts in this movie have been confirmed (in 2019 WADA recommended that Russia be barred from hosting and participating for 4 years).

The movie is gripping and interesting and as I said, is underrated because of 1/10 rates claiming it is a propaganda movie which is not.

On the negative side: I would like to see more clarity and more documents in such an investigation movie, similar to e.g. 'Chaika' or "Don't call him Dimon" by FBK.

Icarus starts out much better than it finishes. In the beginning we are watching a cyclist learning how he can 'dope' himself up in such a way that he can avoid getting caught. He is working with a Russian whom, it turns out, is intimately connected with not only the Russian Olympics program, but is also intimately involved with the laboratory which was responsible for testing athletes at the Sochi Olympics. We watch with fascination as the cyclist, and the maker of this film, injects himself with testosterone (and steroids?) in order to gain an unfair advantage in competition.

As the movie evolves, however, we lose sight of the personal and become wrapped up in the political - the unbelievable lengths to which Russian goes to win medals at those Olympics, apparently including outright fraudulent analysis of athlete's urine samples. At the end of the movie, it rightly becomes more of an international spy thriller involving Putin and lesser Russians in what amounts to a massive scandal to defraud the world. Trying to keep all of this straight becomes a difficult exercise and a bit bewildering.

This IS the movie that brought down the Russians and resulted in their being banned from many future sporting events. As such, it is a significant and meaningful movie and one that probably won the Best Documentary Award simply because of the political impact.

But that doesn't necessarily make it a good movie. In comparing this one to some of the other documentaries in this year's competition (I'm thinking especially of The Last Men in Aleppo, and Abacus: Small Enough to Prosecute), this movie failed to generate significant emotions. In these other two movies, my sense of injustice made me feel horribly angry at men in power. Icarus, on the otherhand, made me feel a little curious, but I didn't leave the movie with any new understanding of Putin or the Russian state's moral failings. Sure, they were obviously committing moral, and legal, crimes of huge proportion, but there was nothing surprising about that.

OK, perhaps that was because the story has already played out. In Abacus, I had never heard of that bank before, nor did I have any understanding of what legal proceedings finally emerged after the 2008 financial crisis. In the Aleppo movie, I had never seen anything about the White Helmets before and so gained a valuable new perspective on the Syrian civil war.

But Icarus simply laid out the details in a story where we already knew the outcome. Perhaps if the filmmakers personal story about doping was explored more, than the impact might have been greater. What happened in the races he entered? What was the reaction from his competitors after they found out? How did he personally suffer from his actions? Perhaps that would have made for a the better movie, by providing a personal context for the Russian story. Instead, the movie turns from his story, to that of the Russian doctor who had to defect to the U.S. and is now under witness protection.

In short, the film fails to identify a focus and carry it through. It is a movie worth watching, only to understand the context for the Russian Olympic doping scandal and the reasons it broke. But the movie is not, in itself, a consistent and well organized documentary. For these reasons, I just give it a 6 stars. Watch only if you are interested in the topic!

Watched this documentary and got so angry with the 'powers that be' in sports that allowed the crooked Russians to participate in the Olympics despite overwhelming evidence provided by a Russian official who risked his life doing so. Utterly sickening to see the IOC bowing to Russian pressure. I have always loved sports, watching in awe how Armstrong won 7 Tour de France for example. Seeing all these things just makes me sad. But if you want to know how this is done, how they get away with it, watch this. If you want to stay in the bubble, watch something else. I won't blame you.

The content and the skill that was put into this documentary was awesome. Not only was the information and sleuthing well documented , the way the story was told was riveting. Kudo's to the work and film making ability of Fogle. a must watch. Show the repressive system the Russian people live in.

The film is brilliant, i was on the EDGE OF MY SEAT! The producer also was in the right place and the right time to uncover something bigger. Some people would probably shut down production but this guy is so brave to continue. This is not a propaganda, athletes were banned, people got fired and someone end up in the witness protection program. These are all in the news. This happened. Propaganda's are based on lies. This happened in real life, there are facts. Don't believe the russian bots review. Watch it and judge for yourself.

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.

"Icarus" is an interesting documentary for fans of sports. It shows in details the scheme adopted by Russia to improve the performances of the athletes using prohibited drugs. The documentary is very well made but there is always a doubt whether it is totally trustworthy or not. There are evidences but how far they are absolutely truth or mixed with propaganda is difficult to be judged by the viewer. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Icarus"

The head of top Russian lab allegedly in charge of top secret state doping scheme for top Russian athletes is giving away via Skype on the record his dirty secrets to some unknown hype-hungry American film-producer. Can't believe people are so naïve. The film is kitsch.

Excellent documentary about a very important topic. A must watch! Both for sport lovers, truth lovers and people interested in politics and softpower.

Filmmaker and avid amateur cyclist Bryan Fogel decides to make a documentary on how easy it is to get away with doping in sport. He sets out to take illegal performance-enhancing substances, improve his cycling performance and show that the substances are undetectable. His task leads him to Grigory Rodchenkov, the head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory. Little does Fogel realise at the time but he is about to be involved in, and a chronicler of, sport's greatest ever doping scandal, as details are revealed of Russia's systemic, widespread, government-sponsored doping program.

Superb documentary. 'Documentary' undersells this film - 'thriller' is more like it. Starts off with a rather simple (though never innocent) agenda with its focus on one issue and evolves into something huge on another (related) issue. There's plot twists and danger, knock-on effects and jaw-dropping revelations. The pacing also feels like a good thriller - starts sedately and gets more and more intense as the film goes on.

Rivalling the revelations for shock value is the fact that film was never meant to be on the ultimate subject. It is pretty much an accidental documentary as the original project could easily have gone nowhere or, at best, would have been low-key. Incredible how candid and unplanned it all is - talk about being in the right place at the right time!

Won the 2018 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. This was well-deserved - an outstanding documentary.