Red Army – Film Review by Frank L

Written and Directed by Gabe Polsky
Stars: Viacheslav Fetisov, Scotty Bowman, Mark Deakins

Gabe Polsky was born in Chicago in 1979, the son of Ukrainian immigrant parents. He was a serious ice hockey player who went to Yale. He saw a video of the Soviet hockey team playing in his teens and he was amazed by their creativity. He decided to find out more not only because it was his sport but the Soviet Union was part of his heritage. He then discovered as he researched that the cohesiveness of the Soviet’s playing was part of the system within which they had been brought up.

From an early age their talents had been spotted and the best were drafted into the Red Army where they could be trained as ice hockey players for almost 365 days of the year. This intensive team training developed a balletic synchronicity between them on the ice which made them the best.

Polsky concentrates on five players who through their training played as if they were one. In particular he centres on Slava Festinov who as Perestroika took hold insisted on leaving to play in the United States. Festinov is an engaging figure who has a great story to tell which he does with pride.

Polsky places the story firmly within the Cold War starting with President Reagan explaining about “the good” and “the bad” in American movies, President Carter speaking about the dangers to the West created by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and various clips of the then contemporary military power of the Soviet Union. With the surprise defeat of the Soviet hockey team at Lake Placid in 1980, the Soviets had suffered a seismic blow to their prestige not only as ice hockey supremos but also to their firmly held belief of their superior system of government. Polsky explains how the authorities put in place new systems to avenge that defeat.

Polsky with empathy and considerable skill has shown the story from the point of view of five Soviet players and in particular Festinov. He was a brilliant choice. Polsky brings the story up to date as the system in which Festinov was brought up was also the system in which President Putin, fitness enthusiast, was also reared. It is the making of those connections and the current role of Festinov in Russia which make Gaby’s excellent film not only historically interesting but relevant to what is currently the mindset which is in power in Russia.