Disney strikes ANOTHER emotional chord with a powerful moment in history

Rating: 10/10 (19 June 2006)

I'm not a big sports fanatic and yet I keep falling in love with these incredible emotionally powerful and moving sports films, specifically Disney's as of late. The deeply moving, touching and just plain nice Greatest Game Ever Played and now finally I get around to seeing 2004's Miracle. Miracle was quite simply incredible. Well acted, beautifully directed, powerful, invigorating and touching. People certainly consider it controversial calling the film historically inaccurate, American driven, and over hyped and perhaps it is but I don't think they are seeing the real story and message behind those games. This was the end of an era. The Cold war raged for nearly five decades and this was like the pinnacle of the average American's involvement with the Cold War. This was a team that was going to take on the most powerful nation in the world not in war but in sport on ice, with rules. Fairly newcomer and unknown director Gavin O'Connor does an absolutely brilliant job of recapturing the spirit and turbulence of the seventies moving towards the end of the cold war. On top of making you remember those days and the seventies from politics to sports to the average person's life he manages to bring out this incredible story of people, a team and a Coach who would do anything to get this team that medal.
Kurt Russell plays tough as nails Coach Herb Brooks. Hands down Russell gives an Oscar Worthy performance. He was robbed because I am certain he belonged up there. His performance as Herb Brooks is moving and so diverse. We see every angle of him, his passion for hockey, his love for his family, and his utter raw determination to train this team to be the best in the world through all odds. Russell is as good for the team as he is downright cruel but his methods are all for good reason as we see. Any Russell fan as I am NEEDS to see this movie. He is incredible. He is by far the star and stand out performance in the film. Granted the film really is about him and Herb Brooks' story. The rest of the cast is very much supporting cast but they all do a great job. The hockey team in particular are all so important and I would love to list them all but sadly I won't. I will say though that they are all fantastic and they all have their moments. I have to mention Eddie Cahill, for a couple of reasons. First of all I am a huge CSI New York Fan which he is a regular cast member of. But more importantly he does a great job as intense goalie Jim Craig. Craig gets a bit more of a back story having his mother pass away and her wish for him to play for the Olympic team. Seeing Craig's father (Malcolm Stewart) at his final game cheering him on was moving!! Cahill's performance is moving and he is so intense and a powerful presence on screen. Patrick O'Brien Demsey, Kenneth Mitchell, Eric Peter-Kaiser, and Bobby Hanson are some of the more prominent members of the team and they are just fantastic. Much like the story of this team they are an on screen team. An ensemble cast who works together flawlessly. Noah Emmerich plays Assistant coach Craig Patrick and he is good. I found him a little low brow up against such powerful performances especially Russell but still he is a worthy addition to the cast.
Miracle is a classic film, case closed. It goes into my books as one of my all time favorites. I won't ever forget Herb Brooks screaming...AGAIN!...and Craig Patrick reluctantly blowing his whistle to force the boys to do drills till they are literally sick. It captures an era, a moment in history of sports that won't ever be topped quite likely. A shining moment in US History and an important moment to many. Whatever people may say about Miracle it will give you shivers, make you smile, it's the feel good movie of the decade. I will watch this again and again and again...FANTASTIC!! 10/10