Miracle

Ah, Miracle. That delightful slice of American sports nostalgia that takes us back to a simpler time—when hair was feathered, Cold War tensions could be settled with a hockey game, and Kurt Russell could convincingly yell at a room full of teenagers for two straight hours. This is a film that isn’t just about hockey; it’s about patriotism, teamwork, and the sheer force of will required to turn a bunch of college kids into a Soviet-smashing hockey juggernaut.

Directed by Gavin O’Connor, Miracle tells the true story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a ragtag bunch of college kids who had no business stepping onto the same ice as the indomitable Soviet Union… and yet somehow walked away with a gold medal and the most famous sports call in history. Yes, this is the movie that took Al Michaels’ iconic “Do you believe in miracles?” and made it the war cry of every underdog story since. It is also responsible for approximately 90% of all motivational speech clips used in corporate retreats, high school pep rallies, and YouTube compilations titled “Greatest Sports Moments of All Time”.

Kurt Russell Yells at Children: The Movie

Kurt Russell, sporting one of the most aggressive Minnesota accents ever committed to film, plays Herb Brooks, the hard-nosed coach who looks at his players the same way your dad looks at the lawn after you “helped” mow it. His idea of team bonding is running the squad into the ice until they question all their life choices. He delivers classic sports movie wisdom like “The name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back,” which, while inspiring, probably didn’t sit well with the jersey sales department.

Herb is the kind of coach who makes you simultaneously fear and respect him, the guy who gives you a death stare that can burn a hole through the ice but also has just enough heart to make you believe that maybe, just maybe, he actually cares. And let’s be honest: the real reason we love this character is because he’s played by Kurt freaking Russell, a man who can make anything look cool, including berating college kids for two hours.

There is not a single moment in this movie where Russell is not completely dialed into his role. He looks like a guy who hasn’t smiled since Nixon was in office, and you believe he could lace up a pair of skates, storm onto the ice, and personally body-check a Soviet defenseman if it came down to it. He’s so intense that by the end of the film, you half-expect him to turn to the camera and say, “That’s right, America. You’re welcome.”

Meet the Roster of Hockey Players Who Probably Deserved More Screen Time

The players? They’re mostly a blur of shaggy haircuts, questionable mustaches, and wholesome Midwestern stubbornness. But let’s break it down:

• Mike Eruzione (Patrick O’Brien Dempsey) – The plucky team captain with all the charisma of your buddy’s older brother who peaked in high school hockey but still talks about it at every barbecue.
• Jim Craig (Eddie Cahill) – The brooding, too-cool-for-this goalie with a tragic backstory that automatically makes him the most important character.
• Jack O’Callahan (Michael Mantenuto) – Boston tough guy with a grudge against a teammate, because every sports movie needs a subplot that gets resolved in a manly handshake.
• Mark Johnson (Eric Peter-Kaiser) – The quiet, deadly-efficient goal scorer who probably deserves his own movie.
• Everyone Else – A lot of dudes with indistinguishable 1970s haircuts who exist to skate really fast, take a few hits, and deliver one-liners that make you go, “Wait, who was that again?”

Despite the occasional lack of depth in the character department, the team dynamic is solid. These guys look like they’ve actually been through grueling hockey training together, which makes sense because the director insisted on casting real hockey players rather than actors who just pretend to skate. And you know what? It pays off. The gameplay looks authentic, the hits feel real, and when they finally take down the Soviets, it feels like a genuine, earned moment of triumph rather than Hollywood magic.

The Soviets: Hockey Robots from the Future

Let’s talk about the real villains of the movie: the 1980 Soviet hockey team, a collection of faceless, emotionless skating machines who look like they were built in a secret KGB lab to dominate ice hockey for eternity. These guys are given all the personality of a malfunctioning Roomba, and yet, that somehow makes them even more terrifying. They don’t smile, they don’t talk, and they certainly don’t acknowledge the possibility of losing.

And then there’s Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov, played with all the warmth of a Siberian winter by Kenneth Welsh. The man has all the charm of a Bond villain, and his primary strategy appears to be “win or get sent to the gulag.” His decision to pull his legendary goalie, Vladislav Tretiak, is one of the great blunders in sports history, and the movie treats it with the dramatic weight of a Shakespearean tragedy.

The Game That Changed Everything (And Gave Us a Reason to Chant “U-S-A!” Unironically)

If you only watch the last 30 minutes of Miracle, you’re still getting your money’s worth. The game itself is shot like a war film, complete with bone-rattling checks, impossibly fast breakaways, and a level of tension that makes it feel like the fate of the free world actually hangs in the balance. The camera work puts you right on the ice, and the editing makes every shot, save, and pass feel monumental.

And then comes the final minute, the moment where Al Michaels delivers his immortal line, and the U.S. team pulls off the impossible. Even if you’ve seen the real-life footage a thousand times, even if you know exactly how it ends, it still gives you chills. Because that’s the magic of sports, and that’s the magic of Miracle.

Final Thoughts: Is This the Greatest Sports Movie Ever?

Is Miracle the most original sports movie ever made? Absolutely not. Does it beat you over the head with patriotic fervor? Oh, you betcha. But does it still hold up as one of the most satisfying, fist-pumping, rah-rah sports films out there? Damn right.

It’s a film that understands the appeal of the underdog story and executes it flawlessly. It takes a real-life event and elevates it into a cinematic spectacle, making you feel like you’re right there in the stands, waving an American flag and screaming at the top of your lungs.

So grab a cold one, drape yourself in an American flag, and let Kurt Russell yell you into believing that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

Final Verdict: 4.5 out of 5 Herb Brooks death stares.