solid historical drama

Rating: 7/10 (4 July 2015)

After a tumultuous decade, there is a "crisis of confidence" in America. University of Minnesota head coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) is hired to coach the US hockey team for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. They are heavy underdogs. The Soviets even beat the NHL All Stars. The US team consists of amateurs who haven't got a job in the pros. Brooks intends to pick team players rather than individual stars. His assistant coach Craig Patrick (Noah Emmerich) is unconvinced. His marriage to Patti (Patricia Clarkson) suffers. He pushes his boys to the limit in training. With gas shortages and the new Iranian hostage crisis, there are few bright spots for America but this US team of underdogs will perform a miracle.
This is a movie of great moments. There is nothing quite as compelling as the forced skate after tying the Norwegians. Kurt Russell is solid anchoring this movie. Maybe there's a limitation with the truth but this movie needs greater conflict. Somebody needs to be the villain who keeps threatening to take the team away from Herb. Also the players don't get enough attention. One player could be highlighted to fill out more drama. The players end up being all jumbo together. It would be nice to highlight one specific relationship of a player with Herb.