Ostensibly this is a documentary about the Soviet Union Ice Hockey team that ruled the sport between 1978 and 1992, but really it’s a film about the Cold War with ice hockey serving as the metaphor for the battle between communism and capitalism. Even the way the teams played ice hockey seems to represent their political beliefs: the Soviets had a collective game based on quick passing while the north American emphasis was on their highly paid professional stars. The Americans were jealous of the success, the Soviets jealous of their liberty. Director Gabe Polsky does a brilliant job with archival footage and in using the Soviet captain Viacheslav Fetisov to tell the story. He’s a brusque, no-nonsense kind of guy who it turns out is as brilliant an orator as he was sportsman.
• Red Army screens at 5.15pm on Friday, December 12 at Mall of the Emirates 8 and again at 7.30pm on Monday, December 15 at The Beach.