Icarus trailer: Netflix documentary unlocks the Russia doping scandal

Bryan Fogel — an actor, documentarian, and amateur biker — recorded an attempt to beat anti-doping tests for a race in Europe, but he soon became sucked inside a dangerous scandal with deadly consequences. The result of this experience is the Netflix documentary, Icarus, and the first trailer previews the exposé on a world-rocking cover-up.

The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, sees Fogel attempting his doping experiment under the watchful eye of Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the man in charge of Russia’s athletic doping division and “the mastermind who cheated the Olympics.” Halfway through Icarus, it becomes Rodchenkov’s story as he alleges the country rigged the Sochi Games.

As the trailer shows, he says Russian President Vladimir Putin knew about the doping system and events escalate as the bodies start piling up around him.

Reviews out of Sundance for this effort were largely positive. The Wrap deemed it “a wildly timely movie” when considering reports of Russian collusion in the 2016 U.S. election, Variety called it a “game-changing documentary,” and The Hollywood Reporter referred to it as a “sure-to-be controversial” but “winner” of a film.

Icarus will debut on Netflix on Aug. 4. Watch the trailer above.