Reviews Written by kcbus

Miracle Scores

Pros: Great Action Scenes; Great Insight into Herb Brooks

Cons: Not enough on Finland Game at the end

I loved this movie. Granted, I'm a hockey die-hard. But any sports movie that's recreating something I saw live way back when that can make me shed a tear is doing something right.

Kurt Russell absolutely nails the role of Herb Brooks, and the hockey scenes are fantastic. Hockey purists will also realize how realistic the scenes were compared to the way they actually happened.

The major strength to the movie is how you get to know some of the players, along with insight into the mind of Herb Brooks. Everything he did had a purpose, and the film does a great job of illustrating his reasons for every move he made.

The only knock I have is that the movie basically stopped with the Russia game. They had to play one more game two days later, against Finland, which is barely mentioned.

The DVD extras are also worth watching. They show how the casting crew looked for hockey players first, and then tried to find players who not only resembled the real players from the 1980 team, but played like them as well. Skating styles, size, which hand they shot with -- not an easy task. Also, there is an ESPN roundtable discussion with Linda Cohn, Kurt Russell, and three of the players from the original team.

This movie isn't a classic we'll all be gathering friends and family around the fireplace to watch twenty years from now, but it's a great feel-good sports movie. ...