Red Army

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Red Army

PG

Released Jan 23, 2015

1h 25m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

99 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Hockey captain Slava Fetisov and four other players form a nearly unbeatable unit known as the "Russian Five," but their coach's brutal regimen leads Fetisov and others to defect from the Soviet Union.

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Critics Consensus

Fun and fascinating, Red Army delivers absorbing documentary drama for hockey fans and sports novices alike.

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Simran Hans

Little White Lies

By focusing less on his characters and more on a supposed dark side of Russian hockey, Polsky's film is less documentary than it is didacticism.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 1, 2017

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

There's a lesson here for fans of any contemporary sport and an absolutely thrilling tale, impeccably assembled besides. Sporting glory awaits, even for those viewers who couldn't tell a jockstrap from a jellybean.

Rated: 5/5

Feb 25, 2016

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Polsky's documentary is nominally about ice hockey, but culture and politics provide the driving force as the Russians go head to head with the Americans in a battle of ideology, economics and art.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 11, 2015

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Chris McCoy

Memphis Flyer

I'm not much of a sportsman, much less a hockey fan, but this meticulously crafted documentary is a knockout.

Jan 9, 2020

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

Takes a strong subject and renders it toothless and forgettable.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 7, 2019

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Patrick Gamble

CineVue

Red Army ultimately fails to deliver anything other than a superficial account of the USSR's sporting history and the role of sport in the Soviet Union.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 8, 2019

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Vern B

A n eye opening expose of the world of Russian hockey and its early influences on the NHL

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/30/22

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KEVIN C

Fascinating documentary on the Soviet hockey program whose national team was considered the best in the world. Focusing mostly on Viacheslav Fetisov and how the team lived and breathed hockey for eleven months out of the year away from their families and controlled by their coach and struggles to get permission to play in the NHL. Great interviews and footage. A must see for any fan of hockey.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/09/22

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Tim G

More or less a 30 for 30 episode but still pretty fascinating.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/30/20

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Audience Member

Simple sports doc but a good topic.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

Interesting, but not much new

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

how propaganda ruled and ultimately overruled the drive for success of ice hockey in the USSR. average but as it's not that rewatchable i have to give it a little less.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

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Gabe Polsky

Director

Scotty Bowman

Self

Viacheslav Fetisov

Himself

Anatoli Karpov

Himself

Alexei Kasatonov

Himself

Ken Kurtis

Himself

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Synopsis

Hockey captain Slava Fetisov and four other players form a nearly unbeatable unit known as the "Russian Five," but their coach's brutal regimen leads Fetisov and others to defect from the Soviet Union.

Director: Gabe Polsky
Producer: Gabe Polsky
Screenwriter: Gabe Polsky
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Gabriel Polsky Productions
Rating: PG (Thematic Material|Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 23, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $728.7K
Runtime: 1h 25m

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