Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

paulpolak Excellent biopic of of the Soviet Union's Red Army, as seen through the eyes and memories of great defenseman Slava Fetisov.Some of the previous negative reviews I think missed the point -- this was a film about Fetisov and the other players forming the "5-man" unit, a concept that is very Russian and is pretty much unheard of today in NHL hockey (possible exception of power play units notwithstanding). References to 1972 Summit Series would be out of place -- Fetisov was 22 for the 1980 Miracle on Ice, and it would be remiss to not mention the dominance that team would go on to have. Beating Canada in the Canada Cup final in 1981 (8-1!) was a testament to how good that team was. I should mention that Canada team included Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Guy LaFleur, Gilbert Perreault... a veritable "who's who" of NHL stars at the time, and all Hall of Famers now.Very revealing in what is said about Tarasov, his innovative coaching techniques, his sheer love of the game was obvious. Most shocking moment for me was to compare the affection Fetisov had/has for Tarasov, and the dislike (probably hatred is a better word) for Tikhonov. Watch his eyes narrow and expression change when Gabe first mentions Tikhonov.Fascinating to see the inner torment Fetisov had -- he is clearly a patriot who loved his country. Yet he was a virtual slave to a system that allowed him to play the sport he loved. His affection for his teammates is matched by his dislike of his coach, despite all the success he had with the team. He left the Soviet Union and joined the NHL, presumably because he wanted something for himself, but was branded here a "communist" and treated with no-little amount of contempt by opponents and even new teammates. I remember the press of the day and it was not positive (in general) to the newly arrived Russian players to the NHL, although foreign players (Swedes, Finns, Czechs, Slovaks) were already playing in the NHL for some time.Seeing film of Russian kids playing hockey made me think that could have been taken from almost anywhere in Canada. It was a nice moment.Part of me yearns for those days when "our" game and "their" game really were different. Now the game is more homogenized -- Canadian players at the NHL level are praised for their skill level (Crosby), while foreign players have often taken a more physical approach to their game and are successful (Ovechkin, Malkin).I grew up watching and playing the game, so it would seem to me to require some amount of "hockey-sense" to get the most out of this film. And yet, reading some of the former reviews by those who claim to know little/nothing about hockey indicates that maybe that criticism is unfounded.It's just a great documentary, very tight pacing and enjoyable. See it.

jdesando "Ninety percent of hockey is mental and the other half is physical." Wayne GretskyIn Gabe Polosky's expert documentary, Red Army, the understanding of modern Russian hockey history filters through the influence of legendary coach Anatoly Tarasov. He taught young and old about how to play hockey like chess layered over with the best of communist collectivist philosophy—a blueprint for world-class teamwork dominance from 1954-91.The star of this doc is Vyacheslav Fetisov ("Slava"), whose play, along with four other Russian teammates, dominated world hockey for years. His face full of character in middle age, his understanding of human nature, and his devotion to the best of what Russia could offer make for no-bathroom-break-allowed drama. His defection that results in losing his best friend, Kasatonov, is the stuff of real-life drama. Yes, there are arresting shots of hockey that seem more like perfect video games than the real-live action they are, but it's the humanity that make this film outstanding.Slava is central-casting smart and handsome carrying an abiding love of the motherland conflicting with a heightened sense of things going wrong after the Cold-War halcyon days. To hear him extol the spirit of collective achievement is to put in relief our emphasis on individuality, for its strengths and weaknesses. Polosky does not belabor the good and bad of the competing systems but rather presents the victories and defeats as a matter of history and politics: "Draw your own conclusions," he might say.That classic documentary "lack of bias" sometimes is frustrating. For instance, I would like to know how much of either ideology—American vs. Russian—plays in the "miracle" of the USA win at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. Did the invulnerable Russian five suffer from their dislike of new coach Tikhonov's dictatorial ways (e.g., he wouldn't let a player leave to see his dying father!)? I need to go back, I guess, to another great doc, Miracle (2004), to see Kurt Russell play the legendary Herb Brooks and his victorious USA Olympic team. I suspect the reason for the Russian failure will be less apparent than the American victory.I am nitpicking here because overall the film is exemplary historical reporting without forcing inferences about facile conjunction. Even if you're not a hockey fan, you'll delight learning about truly great players who came to America, eventually living the dream but not without a rocky adjustment as they learned to love individualism in a new country that didn't accept them as graciously as I would have expected. See Red Army and be uncomfortably embarrassed. They were good guys.

byaljoe I was aware of the hype surrounding Red Army since Cannes this year. However, the fact that I knew so little about hockey cast doubt on whether it's worth to see or not. Stellar ratings and reviews on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes eventually convinced me to see it at AFI Fest last week...and I was totally blown away by it. For starters, hockey is still the main theme here. However, it's not the only dominant element. Gabe Polsky utilized hockey to explore many facets of life such as family, friendship, politics, and patriotism. Furthermore, he found the perfect, complex main character in Slava Fetisov to build the narrative around. Depicted as a poster boy for the Red Army, Fetisov emotionally exposed individual and collective struggles of being a member of the USSR athletic system whilst uncovering the direct link to a larger force at work behind it that is Soviet government. There's no flat moment and it kept me entertained from start to finish. The fact that it has garnered serious Oscar buzz before widely released shows that Red Army is a must-see documentary, whether you're a hockey fan or not.

Micaela Silberstein Red Army illustrates the way of life hockey creates for its players, fans, and country on and off the ice. Polsky intimately describes the pride, devotion, and hardships these players experienced once shoved onto the patriotic pedestal meant to represent strength, determination and nationalism Russia insisted its people adopt. To be a part of the Red Army hockey team was a national honor, it proved your undying love and support for your country, it meant absolute popularity and respect from your fans (which was the entire Russian population), because to Russia, it wasn't just a game, it was a way of life, it was a fight that could move Russia to the top once again. The film primarily follows Slava Fetisov, highlighting his triumphs and relationship with the Red Army team and Russian government, his impossibly tough transition in the NHL, and the affect his hockey talents and patriotism had on his personal life. It's absolutely mesmerizing to watch the dance of the game, the political movements and the life decisions these players and their families are forced to make. It's a life full of tests and courage - Polsky shares an absolutely phenomenally detailed truth.