Very uplifting and remarkably restrained,for Disney

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2005)

This latest offering to Disney's cannon of live action films,following 2002's "THe Rookie",actually is able to do one better to the genre of Amazing Sports Cinderella Story by making the events of a very real,very legendary moment in Olympic and American sports history into a very tangible,almost ordinary and tension-filled occurrence.
Kurt Russell,more known for his physical,tough performances in actioner flicks,sci-fi cult films and light comedies,shines in this film as the late University of Minnesota(and NHL?)coach Herb Brooks,who is charged with the daunting task of cobbling together an Olympic team for the 1980 Winter games in Lake Placid. His problem: he has to do it with a fresh batch of amateurs(i.e.college kids) and he has a grand total of nine months to do so. Even though the goals of the USOC is to simply put a team on the ice that won't embarrass the country in the games,Brooks,a reservist on the 1960 US Olympic Hockey team that won the Gold(and thus a driving plot point for his character),has his goals set higher. He wants nothing less than to medal,and knocking off the Russian team--a program that had not only won the gold the last four winter games(1964,1968,1972 and 1976),but was sporting a team that had been laying waste to all competitors for the better part of the last decade and were probably sporting pros,guys who had played together for years,thus giving them an added edge.
Russell's Brooks is a difficult character to peg.Watching this film,you discover his coach is not an easy man to relate to or like at all times. He is driven,stubborn and single-minded enough to test the loyalty of even his most fierce defenders. BUt he is also the quintessential "True Believer",meaning he is willing to go to the mat to push for the best out of the diamond in the rough sort players that are facing high odds.
PAtricia Clarkson's turn as his patient wife is another deftly crafted performance(She's also very good in "Pieces of April" and to a lesser degree in "Far From Heaven"). Her impact maybe more subtle on the movie,but it no less necessary. NOah Emmerich holds up his end of the deal as the assistant coach Craig Patrick,who shows more with body language and facial expressions than words.
Rounding out the main players and contributors to the movie are the kids playing the team. I was interested to notice through reading the bios that many of these youngsters were not only fairly new at acting but were very experienced hockey players as well. The characters themselves,real and very sympathetic,are given just enough character to flesh out the movie. The characters of Eruzione(the Captain),O'Brien and O'Connell are given the most shrift,since they have the most pivotal stories or roles on the team.
LAstly,and most importantly,this film succeeds in that it stretches the tension of a story that the ending is already well-known. By grinding down the elapsed time of the team's progress,from exhibitions,through Olympic trials and finally,the games themselves,to each shot-by-shot,check-by-check,goal-by-goal,reaction-fixed moment of the game itself,as well as the moments before the game,at the intermission,and even the moments immediately after,the show's director O'Connor is able to raise the emotional levels of the film so as to allow the triumphant,joyous payoff to be strong.
Given the emotional pressure points of this movie,Disney actually was fairly restrained in showing the whole effort to gain respect and ultimately victory,which was no mean feat,since Disney seems to butter their bread with movies that are ham-fisted in sentiment,animated or not.
While I can't give it a perfect rating,this is still a strong movie that anyone who likes inspirational films will greatly enjoy.