I… For Icarus Review

Fictional assassinations that blur the line between reality and fiction, I… For Icarus finds a smart way around dealing with the blowout of JFK assassination conspiracies. Replication and study, Henri Verneuil’s direction does well to manoeuvre around committing to an obvious intent and effect. Extreme close-ups and a glossy parade open the fictional situation rather clearly, and with the American flag colours and effectiveness of that comes a styling that makes its John F. Kennedy connection obvious. It may not be a real country, it may not be a real president, but I… For Icarus does a tremendous job of setting the scene extremely well. Its unhinged killers and its investigative individuals mark this piece with incredible tension.

Yves Montand, the French legend himself, leads the charge as Henri Volney. Even with his stellar performance, most of the quality present in I… For Icarus comes from the setting, the display of depth and the quality within its structure. So much is going on, the on-location presence of the build-up and fallout utterly tremendous, and the clips and shifts in focus from person to person provides such a broad perspective of political disruption. That all stems from just a few scenes in the opening, detailing a stark death, a sinister look into conspiracy theories and the craze they can cause. Inventive in all the right spots, Henri Verneuil’s direction builds great tension hours after the death of a President barely established. It is the message that means more, the establishment of reaction to tragedy more than anything else.

But I… For Icarus must deal with intent more than anything else. While the audience knows of the actions that could have been taken, those at the heart of this dialogue do not. Audiences see the downhearted would-be assassin give up rather quickly, and from there it is a matter of waiting and hoping that the case is solved and closed. Much of it bases itself firmly in the clippings of history that made the JFK assassination so interesting to conspiracy nuts, and much of it, drawing from the Warren Commission, is basing itself somewhat close to real frustrations and actions. Doubts and confrontations make up the bulk of I… For Icarus, and the haunting tension of it, from those terrifying moments in the phone booth to a brisk and horrifying phone call, are stunning moments.

Gifted as they are, they are reliant on Verneuil’s direction more than anything. Desperate for some answer to an unknowable topic, I… For Icarus steams through with such conviction that its characters are on the right track despite the audience being shown most of the detail at the very beginning. It is smart storytelling that does this, with questions held up to the ethics of torturing answers out of someone who, very clearly, has no clue. I… For Icarus questions more than it answers because that is what happens in conspiracy. Icarus and the plight of his push toward the sun makes for a nice parallel, a beautiful ending and a stunning display of articulate tension amid political fallout.