FilmBlather.com

"That'll get 'em going."

Sports movies follow such a cut-and-dried equation, that when one touts itself as being based on a true story, you fervently hope that life doesn't imitate art. Miracle, a fictionalized recounting of the well-known journey of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team, seems to have the underdog formula written all over it, especially as the story famously ends with the ultimate Big Game; surprisingly, Gavin O'Connor's film breaks convention where it counts. It is a thoroughly competent, well-crafted hockey movie, going to impressive lengths to preserve the historical value of its subject matter, treating its protagonist in a way that is affectionate and personal rather than attempting to turn him into a mythical figure. At two hours and fifteen minutes, Miracle may be indulgent, but it is not too long.

Everybody who is anybody knows the tale, which could be an urban legend were it not evidently true: in an attempt to boost American morale, Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) was hired to put together a hockey team that could compete against the seemingly invincible Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics on US soil. The Soviets had previously embarrassed US NHL all-stars in an exhibition game, so Herb has a different idea: put together a team of young talents and breed them to win together, de-emphasizing individual excellence in favor of collective synergy.

The vast majority of the film is dedicated to coach Brooks' team-building strategies, which consist essentially of torturing his charges until they submit. Well, that's probably untrue, though there is one montage wherein he exhibits remarkable cruelty, the scene culminating in a lame, silly, contrived resolution. But Brooks certainly does do an inordinate amount of wheedling and goading, flipping over tables and insulting the injured between periods in order to get the players to play. Inevitably, it's tough decision time: Brooks starts with 26 guys, and has to get that number down to 20 before they can leave for Lake Placid.

Until the final forty minutes, the actual game of hockey is almost hidden from view -- understandable, since it's hard to get actors to look like professional hockey players. But when time comes to showcase the Big Game, Miracle impresses. Retaining Al Michaels' original game commentary, the filmmakers edit around it, putting together a tense, tight, impeccable abbreviated version of the legendary match-up. The cutting gets faster, the stunt doubles less noticeable as the game proceeds, and despite the fact that everyone knows the outcome, there is tension there.

The title, derived from Al Michaels' famous sound-bite ("Do you believe in miracles?") is interesting in the context of the film. At times, O'Connor and his screenwriter do the utmost to indeed suggest some form of divine intervention -- the final freezeframe shot consists of several hands pointing up at the sky -- and yet the focus of the preceding is almost entirely on the methodical, nigh-scientific way that Brooks built a team from scratch and conditioned them to win. No, it might be nice to call the win a miracle, but insisting on it seems to cheapen the coach's considerable accomplishment.

Kurt Russell, a damn fine actor despite any career choices he may have previously made, is splendid in the lead role. I am told by those who know better that he sounds very much like the real Herb Brooks (who, we are told, died shortly after completion of principal photography). Whether or not that is the case, Russell has tremendous presence, constantly chewing on something like all coaches must, and out-tough-loving everyone within a five-mile radius. The great Patricia Clarkson is saddled with a promising but underdeveloped role as Brooks' loving, impatient wife. I wish sports movies would either excise their ancillary subplots or make them into something.

Gavin O'Connor directed the indie hit Tumbleweeds a few years ago, and he again shows a talent for crafting straightforward, effective drama that asks little from the audience and returns pretty much what one would expect. The story, by now legend, deserved a Hollywood treatment as much as anything.