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

| Jan 9, 2020

Takes a strong subject and renders it toothless and forgettable.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Aug 7, 2019

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.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 8, 2019

Red Army is most stirring when it examines the painful inner-struggle of these men who left behind a country and government that took a heavy toll on their lives, but who could also never abandon their innate sense of nationalistic pride.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Mar 19, 2019

What makes "Red Army" so interesting is how it also works as a statement on what it was like from the Soviet perspective during the Cold War era.

| Original Score: B | Jan 23, 2019

The story loses some of its grip after Glasnost and the eventual move of many of the top Russian players to the big money ranks of the NHL, but Fetisov is a fascinating, complex character, a real Russian soul.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 22, 2018

Red Army is about more than just hockey. Filmmaker Gabe Polsky is the American son of Russian immigrants. And without belaboring it, he transforms a sports saga into a novelistic metaphor for the promise and failure of the whole Soviet system.

| May 16, 2018

It's topical journalism for its own sake, a narrative waiting for someone to report it again...

| Nov 18, 2017

Red Army is a fascinating window into Russian politics, and while it has its dramatic moments it's just as often funny.

| Oct 17, 2017

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.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 1, 2017

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.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 25, 2016

Part of the interest in watching Red Army is in gauging the fluctuating relationship between Polsky and his chief subject: Fetisov can be distinctly laconic, appearing to give up his time and memories rather reluctantly.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 1, 2016

Red Army keeps a light tone even when dealing with serious issues, and is chock-full of great stock footage.

| Dec 31, 2015

It is fascinating viewing and this unfolds so much like a feature film it's remarkable the movie rights haven't already been snapped up. Someone call Stallone.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 29, 2015

Through a vivid collection of clips and interviews, this enlightening, rousing documentary shows us how these proud but cautious athletes have a complex love-hate relationship with the place they call home.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 7, 2015

What's really fascinating is the way the story evolves, with director Gabe Polsky following the story post-glasnost as the Russian players became viable commodities in the big-money National Hockey League.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 25, 2015

A fascinating film, funny and at times properly moving.

| Oct 11, 2015

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.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 11, 2015

Whether you enjoy sports or not you'll be entertained and enlightened by Polsky's tale of the cold war played out on the ice rink.

| Oct 10, 2015

The interviews are as entertaining as the slick interplay on the ice.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 8, 2015