5/5 Brilliance on a Tight Budget
  by Mr. H. Grewal (England)
I was amazed at the quality of acting in this independent movie. It really has an energy that captures you and unlike most big budget movies full of special effects it has a story and gives you an emotional response. How on earth can you compare this to a movie costing hundreds of millions of pounds? I am absolutely sure that if Tom Wilton was given hundreds of millions of pounds to make a movie then it would be in a class all of its own. Its too easy to shoot someone down but do you know how hard it is to write a script let alone produce it, cast it, direct it, act in it AND edit it?!! Obviously not! It takes courage, blood, sweat and tears the cast and crew of this should be rightly proud to succeed in making a movie in an industry that is designed to snuff out new talent and never give any exposure. Well done Mr Tom wilton and your cast and crew and I for one look forward to your next motion pictures!!

1/5 Astoundingly bad; utterly amateurish; unwatchable......
  by The Jaundiced Eye (Texas, USA)
I have watched hundreds of independent films and have come to prefer their pure, sometimes harsh and grainy, view of life to the gloss of big Hollywood productions. For an independent movie to succeed, it has to have a spark of brilliance, a ray of fundamental truth, a brief glimpse into things we all know exist, but generally do not see in routine Hollywood fare. Those that succeed are wonderful; those that don't are simply bad movies. Sadly, I must say that Icharus Broken falls squarely into the latter category.

Here are some "highlights": Interminably long scenes where characters mumble incoherently and endlessly to each other, generally set against a solid, brightly colored wall or riding in a car. Sound quality that is the absolute worst I have ever (almost) heard, with unintelligible dialog drowned out by the creaking of a wood floor, or simply waxing and waning due to lousy equipment and poor direction. Hand-held camera work that is so unsteady it causes motion sickness, like a poor quality 8mm home movie. Terrible, inappropriate, discordant, clanging music that (mercifully) distracts from and drowns out the mumbling of the characters. Amateurish cuts and editing that interfere with comprehension of what little is not already incomprehensible. In short, I have seen surveilance video from 7-11 stores that had far better production values and far more entertainment quality than any moment in this film.

The DVD label boasts of victories and commendations in two obscure film festivals. I shudder to think of the quality of the competition, if indeed there was any. The label also suggests similarities to the infinitely superior movie, 21 Grams. This comparison is not only wildly inaccurate but probably libelous. Finally, if my opinion has not convinced you to avoid this trainwreck, then I direct your attention to the Product Description provided by the producers and posted with the DVD listing. Try this experiment: read it aloud many times, alternating the volume of your voice from low to inaudible, ignoring punctuation, jerking up and down incontrollably, and scratching your nails on a blackboard while banging on your desk. If this seems like great entertainment...this is the movie for you. If not, then take my advice and run. You have been warned.