Larry Silverstein
To be honest, I thought the focus of this documentary was going to be a behind-the-scenes look at how the Soviet National Hockey Team reacted to the "Miracle On Ice" 1980 Olympics loss to an amateur U.S.A. squad, at Lake Placid. However, I was surprised that the movie really glossed over that event, and instead centered on an inside narrative of the Soviet team itself over a span of several decades.The great Soviet defenseman Slava Fetisov is really the focal point of the documentary, as he recalls his early enlistment as a child for the team, the incredibly rigorous training once he was selected, and eventually becoming part of the famed "Russian Five", perhaps the greatest quintet of players to grace the ice at the same time. That's just the beginning of the story though, as Fastinov recalls after Perestroika", believing he would be able to join the National Hockey League, in North America, but how promises by his coach Victor Tikhinov, whom he disliked intensely, were never kept.After a defection to the West by one of the "Russian Five", and a threatened boycott by other players, Fetisov and other Russian players were finally able to leave and join the NHL. I thought it was quite interesting that even once in the NHL, the players were denigrated by fans, coaches, and even other players. Finally they found a home and great success with legendary coach Scotty Bowman and the Detroit Red Wings.This documentary was written and directed by Gabe Polsky, who seemed to struggle with his interview style, at times drawing ire from the interviewees, even at one point getting the "middle finger salute" from Fetisov. However, I got the feeling some of this was meant to be seen by the viewers and that the relationship between the two was warmer than depicted.All in all, despite the rough spots, I found the film insightful and interesting, and I felt I learned quite a lot from it.
moeunting
Both ideologically (vs the West), between players loyalty and vs the system exploiting them, the film explores men with core values and the trouble they have corrupting them to suit an evolving world-wide game.The film has flaws: no discussion of steroid use, an epidemic in most sports in that time...why were they so good? Brutal training and finesse has benefits but what about the 300 lb gorilla? There is also the 1980 Olympic victory by the US Team. I don't know if the director asked the question, but given the state of Soviet hockey, how did they lose that game? Ask the question! Did they throw the game (because of Tikhonov?).What a contrast to their peers. To these aging Soviet players we can compare Caitlyn Jenner, a triumph of the West, of individualism tailoring the body to a self-image; whereas these men dutifully serve Russia by developing hockey there.
rmc-09497
Left the theater very disappointed with the movie for the exact reasons as NWIWCHAR. The interviews were embarrassingly amateurish and the movie was terribly incomplete, choppy and disjointed. In addition, there was little to nothing regarding the Summit Series in 72. Also, Herb Brook's comment was taken completely out of context as were Wayne Gretzky's. Where are the interviews with Mogilny and Bure and Federov? The Soviets, while tremendous players, in their own right, where not superior to the best Canadian players. The Summit Series in 1972 took a Soviet team that had played together for years and matched them against NHL All Stars in their off season, before training camp had started and players that had never played together on the same team. It wasn't until exhibition games in Sweden that the Canadian players (who were minus Bobby Orr, Bobby Hull and Gerry Cheevers) began to play somewhat cohesively as a team. They won three of the four games in Moscow and yes, Bobby Clarke's slash was despicable.
Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . is one of the big take-aways from the documentary RED ARMY. Master Mogilny is portrayed here as the first Russian hockey star to defect to the NHL. Since these players were the elite of the Russian military, this would be on par with the Third Reich losing one of its field marshals to the Israeli war machine. With Mogilny gone, there was no hope that the USSR could last much longer. RED ARMY also makes it clear that ALL Olympic medals awarded to representatives of the USSR during the Soviet Era MUST be revoked forthwith, and presented to the runners-up or next placers. This is because the U.N. Charter prohibits human slavery, and RED ARMY proves that the Russian athletes were as much slaves during this time period as Kunta Kinte ever was. (Don't forget that this shameful Olympic organization revokes American medals at the drop of a hat all the time!) Finally, the "feel good" aspect of the "Slava" Fetisov story at the center of RED ARMY is totally crushed when Mr. Fetisov abandons Detroit to become a front for the current Russian strongman, "Mad Dog" Putin, recently voted the guy most likely to destroy Civilization as We Know It in a poll of experts. Putin already has raped Georgia and the Ukraine, and seems to wish to become known as "Hitler on Steroids." That a man such as Fetisov (who enjoyed metro Detroit for so long) can willingly become Putin's stooge shows that there may not be any hope for the Russian People.
AD
