Red Army 2014

Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: The Soviet era is more interesting than the NHL years, but still, the film is entertaining even for ardent nonfans. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: A terrifically engaging flashback to the glory days of the Soviet national ice hockey team. Read more

David Ehrlich, AV Club: The film's curiosity about the people who played for the Soviet's national team naturally unearths a reservoir of humanity. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Polsky keeps things lively, both visually and with his editing. But the sometimes-lighthearted approach never undermines the serious business at hand. Read more

Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: It's a mark of Polsky's ambition and canniness that he braids hockey not just with geopolitics but also with personal history and human drama. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: This engaging documentary provocatively suggests that the team succeeded in large part because of communist indoctrination. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Audiences knowing nothing about hockey will still be able to appreciate this movie as a somewhat jaunty take on the cold war and its aftermath - and resurgence. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: On the surface it's the story of one particular hockey player, but it reflects so much more. Read more

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: While Polsky's film expertly recounts the political and cultural tensions of the time through archival clips and revealing new interviews, it really comes to life whenever Fetisov is on camera. Read more

Stephen Dalton, Hollywood Reporter: A slick, witty, fast-moving blend of sports story and history lesson with clear appeal beyond the hockey-fan demographic. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Even if you know it's the story of a legendary hockey team and not the fierce Soviet-era military machine, you will be surprised by its sociopolitical and personal content and the engaging way it tells its story. Read more

Amy Nicholson, L.A. Weekly: Red Army has laid the groundwork for something complex: It reveals the strengths of the Soviet athletic program and the weaknesses of our own, which shares the same flaws as capitalism. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Fascinating, funny, heroic, moving and may even make hockey fans out of nonbelievers. Read more

Andrew Lapin, NPR: With dark humor and an epic sweep characteristic of Executive Producer Werner Herzog, Red Army sides not with nations or ideologies but with the transcendent powers of sport. Read more

Graham Fuller, New York Daily News: You don't have to be a sports fan or a Cold War buff to relish the compelling political investigation and fierce rink action in this brisk, terrific movie. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: "Red Army" touches on themes of friendship and perseverance, and also offers a compact and vivid summary of recent Russian history. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: It's a story of global consequences and historic proportions, and of astounding athleticism and synchronicity - and filmmaker Polsky ices it. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Deserves a big boo-yah from audiences for being hugely entertaining, but the thorny subject of what constitutes national identity comes through loud and clear. Read more

Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times: Wittily edited and beautifully scored, "Red Army" is not just a terrific film but an important one - even if you don't give two hoots about ice hockey. Read more

David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle: An easy-to-digest history lesson that still reverberates on today's geopolitical landscape. As they say in hockey, Polsky pulls off a hat trick. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: From its zippy opening to the hilariously unexpected finale, "Red Army" never misses a beat. It's a miracle on ice all its own. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Sports, and hockey in particular, were a propaganda tool for the communist system, which is richly illustrated here in archival footage and poster art. Read more

Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail: Red Army is Gabe Polsky's compelling but skewed documentary on the Soviets' less-than-sporting mentality when it came to the international skating and puck-shooting game. Read more

Inkoo Kang, TheWrap: "'Red Army' is a thoughtful and cheer-worthy examination of how sports can shape cultures, redraw borders and change history." Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Polsky is sometimes awkward in his questioning, but he spurs his interviewees to serious reflection and even nostalgia. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: The mercurial Fetisov is the kind of interview subject filmmakers dream about, and Polsky knows it; the director lets their charmingly offhand relationship bleed onto the screen, flipped birds and all. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Polsky winds up being as canny a storyteller as his subject - whom he gratifyingly and hilariously prevents from having the last word. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: This feature documentary is far more artful than it first lets on; often it's downright droll. Read more