USA! USA! USA!

Rating: Null/10 (21 January 2004)

I had opportunity to see the film "Miracle" last night at a preview screening. This is the flick with Kurt Russell portraying Herb Brooks and the 1980 US Hockey team's triumph at the Lake Placid Olympics.

The movie is terrific. Even though you know the outcome (and I remember watching the games while a senior at Syracuse), there is still a good deal of suspense and tension, as it's made quite skillfully. The pacing is very good, the editing creative, and they build up the game vs. the Soviet Union quite well. The hockey scenes are very authentic; I can only imagine how difficult it was to shoot, as well as how amazed the actors are going to be when they see it all put together.
For those not particularly enamored of hockey (the poor souls), there is still a lot to recommend about this film. It's got a "Rocky"-style good feeling, explores the relationship between Brooks and his wife, the players' relationships with each other, and so on. There is a good dramatic sense, but then, this is a Disney film, and they have experience doing these things, eh? Having said that, however, "Miracle" is much better than "Cool Runnings" or any of the "Mighty Ducks" series. Those were treacly, whereas this is inspiring.
Russell (another Disney veteran) does a good job as Brooks. His portrayal seems pretty authentic, at least what I remember of him from news reports and such. Although the print I saw last night did not include the end credits (maybe they're not yet completed), one has to think that Brooks was consulted during the writing of the script and shooting for confirmation of details and events. At the close of the film, there is an acknowledgment of his passing just after the completion of shooting. It says something to the effect that while he never got to see the film, he lived it. If only he had called upon his legendary genius to have used his seatbelt that final night...
In any case, I highly recommend this film when it does come out on February 6th, I believe. I'm sure you'll really enjoy it. For those of you old enough to remember the event, it will bring back the thoughts and stirrings from those days long ago. And even if you're not, you're still going to have a great evening of hockey and entertainment.