‘Red Army’ is a tribute to the Soviet soul on ice

Starring Scotty Bowman, Mark Deakins, Vyacheslav Fetisov and Anatoli Karpov. Directed by Gabe Polsky.

Rated PG for thematic material and language. Check listings for theaters. 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Bottom line: Engaging and funny

By ColinCovert

Minneapolis Star Tribune

If you want to understand ice hockey, the USSR, the power of Western cash, Russians, the dictatorial nature of the KGB, the authoritarian NHL and puck shooting as Marxist propaganda — while being entertained every step of the way with terrific humor — check out “Red Army.”

Gabe Polsky’s from-Russia-with-love documentary is an utter delight, the rise-and-fall-and-rise saga of five star athletes of Soviet hockey from the 1970s to the present.

The “Ice Brotherhood” quintet played as a remarkably creative unit. They won universal admiration for their graceful skating and prolific scoring, but scant understanding. From the end of World War II until the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russians were viewed in the West not only as villains but as alien life-forms. When the U.S. hockey team upset the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics “Miracle on Ice,” it was cause for national celebration. As youthful Ronald Reagan says in a black-and-white Cold War introduction at the beginning of the film, “How we meet the Communist challenge depends on you.”

“Red Army” fills those gaps, telling a side of the story few hockey fans have encountered, balancing scenes of the team’s breathtaking athletics with their touching, sometimes absurdly funny lives.

Polsky, who played hockey while growing up in Chicago and as an undergraduate at Yale, created the film with extensive filming in Russia. Telling the story in authentic human rather than strictly political terms, he assembles a fine cast of sports stars and Cold War warhorses, all presented as memorable individuals.

The central character is team captain Viacheslav (Slava) Fetisov. A legendary defenseman, he’s also a great (though sometimes grumpy) interview subject. If Polsky’s inquiries go on too long, Fetisov, now 56, raises his middle finger during the interview. When he opens up, however, he’s dazzling. He recalls his devotion to the sport and the Soviet national team since childhood, and the path that made him the unit’s youngest captain.

Through his memories and remarkable archival footage we meet the squad’s fatherly mentor, Anatoly Tarasov, coaching his protégés through an inspired combination of chess and Bolshoi-quality ballet. He taught hockey as a sophisticated passing game, leading the team to years of East-West success, outperforming squads of American and Canadian all-stars. A lovable, burly old bear of a man, he helped his team work through training camps worthy of a “Rocky” film, sweating right alongside them.

From its zippy opening to the hilariously unexpected finale, “Red Army” never misses a beat. It’s a miracle on ice all its own.