Cud w Lake Placid

A sweet film that is perfectly fine in terms of craftsmanship, but exactly in the way where one obligatory scene is piled on top of another, and the director tries to motivate the viewer to enjoy the expected climax like a true American. An excellent Kurt Russell and a nice leisurely pace, but there are more clichés than DPRK camps, the hockey matches aren't the most neatly edited, and the strongest scene is nowhere near where it should be. An enjoyable watch for sure, but it just doesn't stand out from the average of the Hollywood sports section. 65% (18.01.2018)

Kurt Russell surprises in the role of a psychologically well-managed coach. Excellent work with motivation, realistically sounding young men, maturely and experienced (without pathos), well-edited games. Fortunately, the budget is also absent, and the grainy image and ordinary sets that excellently reflect the 80s only help in the end. A discreet but very accomplished piece within the genre. (11.08.2012)

One of the best hockey-themed sports movies. One wouldn't even think that it's just a TV show, because in terms of craftsmanship it is a work done well in every way. Perhaps only a certain "narrowness" of the view in the game passages attests that the truly heroic story of a bunch of university amateurs who beat the Russian national team was conceived for the needs of television. There is no point in dealing with pathos - it is identical to what the Czechs think of Nagano, supported by a certain moral crisis that the American people were going through at the time of the memorable finale. Logically, the other matches are not that relevant, because whatever the relationship between the USA and the USSR, the Russian national team was an extra valuable scalp. The dynamic and sometimes documentary-style direction (sometimes typically heroic) and great acting performances under the captain's baton of Kurt Rusell deserve praise. A great film about a truly memorable event that hardly finds parallels in hockey history. I have only one complaint: Tikhonov is not credible as a "villain" at all. (28.09.2005)

It was a true sporting miracle, and experiencing it firsthand must have been an unforgettable experience. However, since the privacy of most characters did not work for me, I have to admire the pivotal event in hockey history from a distance. The editing and camera work of the matches are excellent, and one must fully support this team, but in terms of informational complexity, a cleverly designed documentary would have been even more beneficial to me. (02.08.2011)