Red Army [Blu-ray]

A fascinating history of the background of the shocking success of the SOviet hockey team over the best of the NHL in the early seventies. Very moving - a deep story of loyalty, team-building, sheer genius coaching and playing, cold-war politics and the difficult decisions made by individual players in a complex political situation where sport is a proxy for national rivalries. ALso a window into the current Russian national rebuilding process through the example of Mr. Fetisov - a truly great man.HIghly recommended. Be sure to watch the extras, including the interview with the director - a real hockey fan who made this film in a labor of love, an homage to the greatest hockey players of their time.

I don't know anything about ice hockey and have never seen a hockey game but found this movie fascinating Terrific footage showing the athleticism of the Soviet hockey players, their training and their place in Soviet society -- and how it all falls apart with the collapse of the Soviet Union. If you enjoy watching extraordinary world class athletes do their sport or are interested in the Soviet Union you will like this movie.

This has nothing to do with the film and everything to do with the condition I received it in. I ordered this preowned, and received a photocopied case from a library instead of the original case. That alone is irritating but I could disregard that. What is unacceptable is the fact that the case comes “locked” making it impossible to open without breaking it. I’ve tried countless times but since I don’t have whatever device the library used to open it I’m going to have to destroy the case (so long collectibility) and possibly damage the disc in the process. Awesome product guys but next time please warn me if I’m going to need the New York public libraries’ dvd opener before I buy it. Thanks.

Very interesting story for any hockey fan who remembers the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. The film goes deep into the Russian hockey players before and after their 1980 loss to the U.S., and how significant a loss it was, especially since the Russians had been dominating world hockey since the 60's and 70's. It also goes into the Russian 5 and what a talented core of players they were and how important they were for innovating the game.Absolute rawkage on this film.

A fascinating look into the history of Soviet ice hockey. They achieved as close to perfection as a group of humans can, I think. Just astounding. Kudos to the interviewer for keeping his patience with a few of the Soviet players.The price of the DVD is worth it just for 20 seconds. The reaction of Fetisov when he saw the 1980 Olympics replayed when the Reds lost to the United States was PRICELESS!!!

First off, I am a life long red wings fan. Second, I remember watching the KLM line in action. Being an American I have admit that style of hockey was amazing. This documentary let's you see how that quality of play was possible and the cost on the players. Not that it's all doom and gloom, Mr Fetisov is a strong willed and very positive person (how strong willed is shocking). Enjoyed this movie a lot.

This is ultimately the merging of two of my favorite subjects: political science and hockey. Although he played against my country and my favorite team, I have developed a great admiration for Fetisov and the hardships he went through. As the film said, most of the time the soviets are characterized as the villains of the story--but he along with the other players were victims of the system. He was humanized through this film, as were his teammates such as Tretiak. So if you are a fan of hockey and history I would recommend this film.

As a native Detroiter, I really enjoyed this. I had no idea how much stuff ol papa bear had to go through before making it to the D. Lots of good memories for me as well, seeing Stevie Y score that winner in OT against St. Louis, anything Scotty Bowman has to say... Highly recommend this program

During the Cold War the Soviet Union took sport very seriously and ice hockey was a particular favourite. This film sets out to tell the story of the most successful five men produced by the Soviet system and they were all Red Army soldiers.It has interviews with the players as they are now including Fetisov who was one of the most driven of the men. It also uses archive footage from the era and uses the history of the time to contextualise what the men were going through. Some of the best bits were the Russians in action – they played with such grace and pose that it is a joy to watch – and I am not a sports fan in the least.The politics on and off the ice are covered too and there are more than a few tough memories brought to the surface. It is mainly in English but there is some Russian that is mostly translated. This is just a fascinating documentary about a little piece of history that I was totally unaware of – highly recommended indeed.

Great documentary. Fascinating history of the red army ice hockey team. The footage of them playing is just incredible. My partner and I really enjoyed the documentary.

If you like ice hockey then this is a must have DVD. Tells the story of how the Russian Army squad developed the hockey team and then how some of these brilliant players made their way across to North America - often at considerable personal costs. Some great hockey film too. Well worth buying and will watch this time and time again. To be highly recommended.

Very enjoyable snapshot of a great sports team and the society and times that surrounded it. Encourages you to find out more.

Brilliant, great....the Soviet Ice Hockey team....terrific documentary.