Miracle

Usually a Disney film implies sappy, melodramatic, overacted. Consequently , I was pleasantly surprised by this depiction of the U.S. win over the Russian hockey team during the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Those who are a certain age will remember the exultancy of that moment. Wrapped up as it was in the politics of the time, beating the Russians in any venue was considered a major victory. The start of the film focuses on the political zeitgeist of the country, and it was interesting to view my childhood through that lens. However, they take pains to include Herb Brooks' point of view on this aspect of his team's win, and that's as it should be. Brooks, as portrayed spectacularly by the under-rated Kurt Russell, was a fascinating character. He's portrayed as driven, so much that you want to hate him for it, but also sentimental. Winnowing the Olympic team was clearly heart-breaking for him. I guess what I liked most about the film (besides Russell's spot-on Minnesota accent) was its build-up. They tell the tale from the hiring of Brooks to the penultimate win over Russia almost unemotionally, with little melodrama. Dramatic tension, now that they have in spades. But it works. The hockey scenes are filmed right out there on the ice (watch the documentary attached) and they're exhilarating. If there's one thing you should walk away from the film with, it's that Jim Craig should have gotten a medal just for himself. Craig slapped away 39 attempts on his goal. If that doesn't seem like a lot, watch the film. They make it seem like a lot.

year: 2004
length: 135 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349825/combined