From Henri Verneuil, the acclaimed director of The Sicilian Clan, The Body of My Enemy and Mille Milliards de Dollars, comes one of the most unique and compelling conspiracy thrillers of the ’70s. Following the assassination of President Marc Jarry, an investigation commission comes up with questionable conclusions about a lone gunman. The commission’s findings are not good enough for dogged State Attorney Henri Volney, played by screen great Yves Montand (The Wages of Fear, Z, Le Cercle Rouge). Volney reopens the case and unspools a tightly wound conspiracy plot in I… for Icarus, Verneuil’s icy-cool and intelligent investigative thriller that will grip you like Oliver Stone’s JFK. Boasting a terrific performance by Montand and a riveting score by the maestro Ennio Morricone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Le Professionnel).
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Video Quality
I… for Icarus comes to Blu-Ray with a new digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its 1.66:1 original aspect ratio derived from a master that was likely created from a restoration from the past few years. While a few anomalies keep it from being perfect, the transfer looks mighty impressive throughout the runtime. Print damage appears to be absent with overall clarity and detail rendering clearly and consistently. The shots inside various office interiors are packed with little details in the production design that render clearly.
Colors are faithfully saturated in a way that makes environments and elements of the production design prominent. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up well with strong detail in shadows and next to nothing in the way of crush. Digital noise never becomes an issue throughout. There is a slight loss in fine detail in some of the more dimly lit areas, but this does not register as a nagging issue. This new presentation is very strong and honors the creative intention. Kino Classics has put forth its standard high-quality work.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a worthwhile DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original French with optional English subtitles. Environmental sounds are an essential part of ratcheting up the paranoia, and every element is rendered without issue. There luckily do not seem to be any major instances of age-related wear and tear. The score sounds pleasant throughout the film, as it invites you into the emotions of the narrative. Dialogue stays firmly anchored in the mix without fear of being overshadowed by competing sounds. The track maintains a lovely balance with all competing elements so that dialogue comes through clearly. This audio presentation accomplishes everything that is asked of it well.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Historians Samm Deighan and Rob Skvarla provide a very entertaining and informative commentary track that explores the parallels to the JFK assassination, the various conspiracy theories and how they are integrated into this narrative, the background of the performers, the themes being explored by the auteur, how this film fares compared to other work from the director, the aesthetic of the feature, and much more.
- Trailer: The three-minute trailer for I… for Icarus is provided. There are also trailers provided for The Sicilian Clan, The Body of My Enemy, Mille Milliards de Dollars, Illustrious Corpses, The Widow Couderc, Marathon Man, The Eiger Sanction, and Three Days of the Condor.
Final Thoughts
I… for Icarus is a top-tier paranoid thriller that takes real-life tragedies and explores them for rich dramatic tension in this fictionalized endeavor. Even with a robust runtime topping two hours, there is never a moment during the investigation where you are ever less than completely transfixed by what you are watching. The movie is appropriately cynical in its depiction of corruption and political machinations. Every performance is right in line with what the movie needs and Yves Montand especially does a fantastic job of anchoring the story. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and an insightful commentary track. If you like a good conspiracy thriller, this is a can’t-miss title. Highly Recommended
I… for Icarus is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.