Miracle (2004, DVD)

Feeling old?

I was six years old when the "Miracle on Ice" took place, so my personal recollection of the even is nil. Truth be told, there wasn't a whole lot of interest in hockey, the Olympics, or the cold war going on in my life - but Star Wars and He-Man were big players (or at least I think He-Man was. He may have come later. If so, insert The Smurfs or something).

Yet even though I couldn't have cared less, the rest of the nation was transfixed, watching their televisions on February 22, 1980 to see one of the biggest upsets in sports history. And for many, it represented something more than just a Hockey game - it was a realization that we as a country were not dead yet. You see, America, at the time, was in a grim state. The Cold War was in full swing. The US Embassy hostage crisis was the most public hostage situation the world had ever seen. Gas shortages resulted in long lines. The economy was so bad that a "misery index" was tabulated to see how bad the country felt at the time. Then came the Miracle on Ice and American saw that the Soviets were not unbeatable and we were able to have pride in our country again.

"Miracle" is a pretty clear-cut re-telling of how that special team was assembled and how they beat an unbeatable team in the Soviet hockey team. They weren't better. They weren't even close. But heart and determination on the side of west coupled with arrogance on the side of the east helped bring about this unprecedented upset that helped lead the United States Hockey Team to the gold in Lake Placid.

The movie is told from the perspective of Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell), who dreams of gaining the gold medal he wasn't able to get years ago when he was cut from the Olympic team. And to do it, he will work his players harder than they have ever been worked and make them hate him so much that they learn to love each other. Brooks makes it known early that he is their coach, not their friend.

Sure, this is a Disney movie that is filled with sports cliques and rah-rah moments - but with this story, you can't get around that. It was a rah-rah time. The thing that really impresses you about this film is the amazing hockey sequences. With far too many sports movies, you have actors that throw and hit like actors playing Major League Baseball players. In this film, the hockey looks like hockey and it's amazing. Especially the 20 minute game with the Russians in the climatic moments, complete with Al Michaels commentary and famous "Do you believe in miracles?" call.

Another plus is how the film doesn't try to make the game more than it really was to these people. While the rest of the country were busy putting a huge amount of political and historical significance to the game, the players were just wanting to win. They just wanted a medal. And it's refreshing to see that done correctly in the film.

The cons of the movie are minimal, however, I would have liked to have seen less emphasis on Brooks and more on the players. That said, Russell, who is known for playing over-the-top roles, does a great job with his character. After initially laughing at him with such a goofy haircut, I forgot it was him for the rest of the movie. That's quality acting.

The DVD features commentary from director Gavin O'Connor, a "making of" featurette, a first impressions vignette of Herb Brooks (who died before the film was made) and Kurt Russell, some outtakes, an ESPN roundtable with members of the 1980 team, a featurette on how the actors learned hockey, and a behind the scenes feature on the sound and music of the movie. Not a bad deal at all if you're thinking about owning it.

One last question though: in Russia, is this movie called "Tragedy"?

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