Though the movie \Miracle"" may not have the shocker ending of the year, it does justice to one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
The story of the Miracle on Ice, named the single greatest sporting event of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, is so inspiring on its own that little needs to be added or emphasized. Director Gavin O'Connor succeeds in this category-he is smart enough to get the hell out of the way. O'Connor avoids dipping the movie in too much sap and lets the story tell itself.
As far as the players go, casting scored a goal by rejecting the urge to cast familiar faces from WB teen shows and instead hired mostly unfamiliar faces. This decision is essential to the plausibility of the movie, as most casual fans originally did not have a clue as to who any of the U.S. players were. All of the actors had hockey backgrounds as well, adding to the authenticity of the game footage.
Kurt Russell portrays Head U.S. Coach Herb Brooks, and he nails the role all the way down to the helmet hair, plaid pants and Minnesota ""ya hey"" accent. Russell drives this movie, but still manages to keep his speeches short and mannerisms reserved. Like the players, one may never like Russell as champion coach, but you do respect him. Future UW-Madison women's hockey Head Coach Mark Johnson, the leading goal scorer on the team, is played by Eric Peter-Kaiser as a wide-eyed boy building up the courage to stare down the Soviets.
The stand out performance among the players comes from Micheal Mantenuto. He plays cocky defenseman Jack O'Callahan, and will remind some of jerk high school hockey players. Yet while his pretty- boy face and smart-ass mouth makes us dislike him at first, Mantenuto plays the character with enough charisma and personality that he ends up being a fan favorite by the movie's end.
The film is often shot with hand-held cameras which puts the viewer in the middle of the games and in the locker room. During one scene Brooks and one of his players nearly come to blows, viewers are dropped in the middle of the fight.
It is probably a federal crime to criticize this movie, but it should be noted that many of the important moments lack ample set-up. ""Miracle"" fails to build tension before the U.S. scores critical goals in games against Sweden and the mighty Soviets.
But even though there are a few miscues along the way, ""Miracle"" is simply too good of a story to miss out on. The director and actors realize the significance of these games, and give them the respect they deserve.
