The Russian Five

This movie was great! Telling the whole story of getting the Russians to defect and how stealthy they had to be was brilliant. I got to learn things I didn't know and feel those experiences all over again. Loved it.

The Good: As a documentary, this film succeeded by invoking popular tropes from successful narrative fiction films - some based on true stories. It has the espionage intrigue of Spy Game (Tony Scott, 2001) with tales of locker room conversations in Russia under KGB surveillance. It has the front office machinations and calculations of Moneyball (Bennett Miller, 2011), wherein a General Manager from an already successful team is brought in to turn around a franchise circling the drain. Most importantly it has the kinetic excitement and tale of adversity of a hockey film like Miracle (Gavin O'Connor, 2004), and ironically enough The Russian Five has one of the same players as that "miracle on ice" story.

The Bad: The story is inconsistent in its delivery. Early on, there are elements of intrigue and ingenuity, but those fade in favor of a more conventional, less exciting teleological point of view. Perhaps it's a drawback associated with tying documentary talking head interviews, and archival footage with narrative films, but there isn't a throughline of thought concerning what kind of story is being told. The film's greatest strength is perhaps its greatest weakness. Is it a story of intrigue with late night state department phone calls? Or, is it a film about the genius, or collective geniuses, required to build a championship contender? Or, is it a film about the triumph over adversity, even when a team can be at the top of its sport?

The Ugly: Documentary style with shades of Ocean's Eleven (Steven Soderbergh, 2001), The Cove (Louie Psihoyos, 2009) begins and ends with a cohesive story. Psihoyos introduces an old dolphin trainer with a broken heart who reveals what could possibly be the greatest inhuman injustice known to contemporary consciousness. The steady rise to the film's climax and the constant suspense as Psihoyos and his crew of crack filmmakers set the stage is excellently orchestrated. The Russian Five tells a nostalgic story of a great era in the history of a storied hockey franchise, but The Cove better exemplifies the callbacks to narrative genre films that both films rely on for success in their storytelling.

It has it all, you fell uncomfortable at the beginning, then comes the warm feeling of pride. You feel happiness with the team and sadness at the end. This movie touches every emotion on the spectrum.

Having been a lifelong fan of the Wings, I lived through the disappointing 70's and 80's, and this documentary brought back a lot of memories of continued disappointment and finally the elation of the team finally coming together to end the 42 year drought.

With many interviews of the players who made the dream a reality, and showing the tragedy that befell after the cup win, it is well made and emotional.

I would recommend this to any hockey fan, and obviously it's a must see for any Detroit Red Wings fan.

A must-watch for any hockey fan. The Redwings aren't even my team. I only recognised 2-3 names in the entire documentary. I knew nothing of this story prior to viewing "The Russian Five". But by the end, I had completely fallen in love with this story and the team.

It has cold war elements that would rival the best spy thrillers. It has a meshing of cultures, languages, triumphs over adversity and sheer grit and determination.

You can't help but feed off the energy, the passion and the sheer inspiration of these guys. The documentary itself moves along at the speed of a puck. Animated reenactments, interviews and footage of the era all combine to create a gripping documentary.

I wasn't expecting to get emotional (numerous times) while watching a documentary about hockey. Particularly of a team I didn't even really know. That alone is testament to the filmmakers and the incredible story of the Russian Five.

Compulsory viewing for hockey fans and sports lovers alike. Important viewing also at a time like this.