Icarus
Seen it?2017 | 121 min | Documentary
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
It earned strong reviews (92% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences rate it highly (7.7 out of 10) and it won an Oscar, despite soft box office. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for the curious.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Moves along nicely, at 2 hr 1 min.
- What might put you off
- Nothing much for most grown-ups.
While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, director Bryan Fogel connects with renegade Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov—a pillar of his country’s “anti-doping” program. Over dozens of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections, Fogel and Rodchenkov grow closer despite shocking allegations that place Rodchenkov at the center of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
92% on Rotten Tomatoes, 68 on Metacritic
- AudiencesStrong
7.7 out of 10
- AwardsStrong
Won 1 Oscar: Academy Awards: Best Documentary Feature. Won 1 BAFTA: British Academy Film Awards: Best Documentary. Won 1 Critics' Choice Award: Critics' Choice Documentary Awards: Best Sports Documentary. Also nominated for 2 Emmys and 1 DGA Award. Plus 3 other awards.
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a modest audience; interest faded quickly after launch
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 123K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Bryan Fogel
- Bryan FogelSelf
- Dave ZabriskieSelf
- Don CatlinSelf
- Grigory RodchenkovSelf
- Scott BrandtSelf
- Ben StoneSelf
- Richard PoundSelf
- Richard McLarenSelf
- Nikita KamaevSelf (archive footage)
- Thomas BachSelf (archive footage)