Red Army | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Gabe Polsky |
Written by | Gabe Polsky |
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Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
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Running time | 84 minutes [1] |
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Box office | $694,600 [2] |
Red Army is a 2014 American-Russian documentary film directed, produced, and written by Gabe Polsky, executive produced by Jerry Weintraub and Werner Herzog. It premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival [3] and was released in limited theaters by Sony Pictures Classics on January 23, 2015. [4] The film tells the story of the Soviet Union national ice hockey team through the eyes of team captain Slava Fetisov, in particular the famed 1990s five-man unit known as The Russian Five.
The film details the link between sports and politics. The film also narrates how players were wooed by National Hockey League scouts and eventually flooded NHL rosters. The film is particularly harsh on the ruthless tactics of coach Viktor Tikhonov about whom none of the players have a kind word. Tikhonov died in November 2014. [5]
The movie uses rare archival footage, [6] including children singing "No Coward Plays Hockey." [7] [8]
The film relates the Soviet Union's dominance of ice hockey during the Cold War. [9] [10]
Red Army made its North American debut at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in American theaters by Sony Pictures Classics. [11] The film is about the Soviet-Russian game from the 1950s to the dominance of the 1970s and 1980s and then gradual deterioration in the 1990s. The film was screened in the Special Screenings section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. [12]
The film was included in the official selections at the 2014 Telluride, Toronto and New York film festivals. [13] Red Army won Audience Awards at the 2014 AFI, [14] Chicago [15] and Middleburg film festivals. [16] The film was also selected as the Opening Ceremony film of the 2014 Moscow International Film Festival. [17]
Red Army is one of the best reviewed films of 2014, maintaining a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.9/10 based on 92 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Fun and fascinating, Red Army delivers absorbing documentary drama for hockey fans and sports novices alike." [18] On Metacritic, the film has an 83 out of 100 rating based on 33 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [19]
A. O. Scott of The New York Times called the film a "stirring, crazy story—a Russian novel of Tolstoyan sweep and Gogl-esque absurdity". [20] Time magazine said: "this playful, poignant film presents a human story that transcends decades, borders and ideologies". [21] Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "one of the best documentaries that I have ever seen". [22]
The film was nominated for Best Documentary Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. [23]
The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Special Awards to Kukan and Target for Tonight. They have since been bestowed competitively each year, with the exception of 1946. Copies of every winning film are held by the Academy Film Archive.
Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produces and acquires specialty films such as documentaries, independent and arthouse films in the United States and internationally. As of 2015, Barker and Bernard are co-presidents of the division, which is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov was a Russian ice hockey player and coach. Tikhonov was a defenceman with VVS Moscow and Dynamo Moscow from 1949 to 1963, winning four national championships. He was the coach of the Soviet team when it was the dominant team in international play, winning eight World Championship gold medals, as well as Olympic gold medals in 1984, 1988 and 1992. Tikhonov also led CSKA Moscow to twelve consecutive league championships. He was named to the IIHF Hall of Fame as a builder in 1998.
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Gabe Polsky is an American film director, writer and producer.
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