Bryan Fogel's astonishing documentary about Russian state-sanctioned doping is now up on Netflix.
***SPOILERS*** (though not necessarily, if you follow the news) Amateur cyclist and playwright Fogel sets out to make a film about how easy it is to cheat after finishing a legitimate 14th. in the Haute Route amateur cycle challenge in Switzerland. With the willing aid via Skype of the head of Russia's anti-doping agency, Grigory Rodchenkov, Fogel starts to inject himself, hoping to evade the system and finish higher than 14th in the following year's race, and then reveal all (would have been a good film, though not a sensational one). There's an easy-going relationship between the two men, accentuated when Rodchenkov comes out to California to visit Fogel and aid him in his quest. Then, with Rodchenkov back in Russia, the shit hits the fan as the doping scandals around Russian athletes are revealed. Rodchenkov is fired, Vitaly Mutko's scapegoat. With Fogel's help he flees to the US with his evidence, fearing for his life. Then he reveals all to the New York Times.
The Guardian gave it a miserly three stars, complaining that Rodchenkov's charm possibly hides a slippery side (that struck me as a critic looking for something to criticise that really isn't there - there are good reasons why Rodchenkov was cagey to start with given that the Russian anti-doping agency was in the hands of the FSB/ex-KGB), and that having Rodchenkov read passages from '1984' was overdoing things. Sean Ingle gave it a proper appraisal elsewhere on the site, though. I give it the full five stars, '1984' references and all.
And if one more person asks me, "Why are you boycotting the World Cup in Russia?", instead of thinking in my head, "For fuck's sake, have you been reading a fucking newspaper for the last 10 fucking years?" I can now just say, "Watch Icarus."
***SPOILERS*** (though not necessarily, if you follow the news) Amateur cyclist and playwright Fogel sets out to make a film about how easy it is to cheat after finishing a legitimate 14th. in the Haute Route amateur cycle challenge in Switzerland. With the willing aid via Skype of the head of Russia's anti-doping agency, Grigory Rodchenkov, Fogel starts to inject himself, hoping to evade the system and finish higher than 14th in the following year's race, and then reveal all (would have been a good film, though not a sensational one). There's an easy-going relationship between the two men, accentuated when Rodchenkov comes out to California to visit Fogel and aid him in his quest. Then, with Rodchenkov back in Russia, the shit hits the fan as the doping scandals around Russian athletes are revealed. Rodchenkov is fired, Vitaly Mutko's scapegoat. With Fogel's help he flees to the US with his evidence, fearing for his life. Then he reveals all to the New York Times.
The Guardian gave it a miserly three stars, complaining that Rodchenkov's charm possibly hides a slippery side (that struck me as a critic looking for something to criticise that really isn't there - there are good reasons why Rodchenkov was cagey to start with given that the Russian anti-doping agency was in the hands of the FSB/ex-KGB), and that having Rodchenkov read passages from '1984' was overdoing things. Sean Ingle gave it a proper appraisal elsewhere on the site, though. I give it the full five stars, '1984' references and all.
And if one more person asks me, "Why are you boycotting the World Cup in Russia?", instead of thinking in my head, "For fuck's sake, have you been reading a fucking newspaper for the last 10 fucking years?" I can now just say, "Watch Icarus."
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