Your time is precious. That is why film critic Jason Evans doesn't want to waste it with long, involved reviews. He's betting he can tell you everything you need to know about a movie in just 100 words. Here is his 100-word-review of Red Penguins.
The Premise:In the early 1990s, after the Berlin wall fell and the Soviet Union was crumbling, the owners of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins got a crazy idea... they would invest in the Soviet Red Army hockey team, which for decades had been the greatest hockey team on the planet. But, the investment only made sense if the team could make money. So they sent marketing genius Steve Warshaw into the often lawless world of the new Russia in the hope that he could turn a profit and maybe send back a couple quality hockey players. What Warshaw saw and what he did is a tale too crazy to be anything but 100% true. The whole thing is revealed to us by writer/director Gabe Polsky, one of the best sports documentary filmmakers around.
The 100 Words: Red Penguins is riveting, funny, and also tragic. Filled with incredible home video and interviews with all the major players, the movie takes us back to a era when anything was possible in Russia. Sadly, we find that corruption was more powerful than capitalism. There is very little game footage here and it is not about what happens on the field of play. I mean, how often is a marketing guy the star of a sports movie? Hockey fans will love it and everyone else will likely appreciate one of the most entertaining world history lessons they've ever sat through.
What do you think? Reach out to Jason Evans on twitter @JasonDukeEvans to let him know.
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