Miracle

Miracle is the true story of the 1980 US Olympic ice-hockey team who overcome their petty rivalries, the political pressures of the Cold War and eventually, come to understand the game.

Cast: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Eddie Cahill
Director: Gavin O’Connor

Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell), is a hockey player turned coach with an unfulfilled dream. As a player, he was rejected from the 1960 Olympic squad at the very last moment. The team eventually went to win the gold medal at the Olympics, but since then have lost the crown to the legendary Soviet Union.

So after 20 years, Herb is determined to coach a select squad of players to win back the lost glory and to eventually make peace with himself. It is very personal for him and the movie depicts the same gracefully.

With the support of his wife (Patricia Clarkson), he manages to select 26 players for his team. Only 20 will even reach the final roster. He is faced with criticism for leaving out the better players in favour of the less experienced ones.

From now the movie will keep you engrossed throughout the rest of the team trials, practice games and the medal round.

What is typical of sports movies and has rubbed off in Miracle too, is the idea of team inexperience. New coach. Random players. How the team struggles to understand the needs of their coach, and how finally it all sinks in to make perfect sense. Nevertheless, a good balance of humour and hard work is what envelops the entire movie.

The movie is highly engrossing to a sports fan, and is not as detailed in rules and regulations that would leave others confused. The quality of hockey action is unbelievable. Other than the characters mentioned within this review, you’ve probably never heard of the rest of the cast. Another typical of sports movies. Patricia Clarkson, is subtle and expressive, adding another dimension to film. As a comparison, if you’ve liked Remember the Titans another Disney production, you will feel absolutely at home with this one. This is a finally, a story of hope and sacrifice and will leave you with an emotion as you catch a glimpse of one of the biggest events in US sports history.