I as in Icarus (I... comme Icare)

Henri Verneuil directed I as in Icarus (French original I… comme Icare), a 1979 French political thriller. Running about 121 minutes, it opened in France on 19 December 1979 and is described as a blend of mystery, drama and political thriller. In Iran it became known as Terror, and in Germany it carried the title I wie Ikarus. Its distinguishing feature is that it moves the events to an unnamed Western country while drawing heavily on the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

In the story a president is killed in an assassination. An appointed commission treats it as the act of a lone gunman and closes the file, but the prosecutor on the case, played by Yves Montand, doubts that verdict. He reopens the evidence, questions witnesses and uncovers a plot involving the secret services. The closer he gets to the truth, the more he meets obstacles, threats and a cover-up directed from the top of the state. Michel Albertini, Roland Amstutz, Brigitte Lahaie, Jean-François Garreaud and Maurice Bénichou also appear.

Verneuil wrote the screenplay with Didier Decoin, and Ennio Morricone composed the music. The title's Icarus reference suggests the price of flying too near the sun, the danger of reaching for a truth the powerful want hidden.