2020
PG-13
Universal Pictures
1 h 20 m

2020
PG-13
Universal Pictures
1 h 20 m

Summary Red Penguins tells a story of capitalism and opportunism run amok - complete with gangsters, strippers and live bears serving beer on a hockey rink in Moscow. Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the famed Red Army hockey team formed a joint-venture that showed anything was possible in the new Russi...

Directed By: Gabe Polsky

Written By: Gabe Polsky

2020
PG-13
Universal Pictures
1 h 20 m

2020
PG-13
Universal Pictures
1 h 20 m

Red Penguins

Name: Red Penguins
Genre: Documentary, Sport
Released: 2020-08-04
Duration: 1 min 20 s
Rating: 76
Cast: Howard Baldwin, Alexander Baranovsky, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Michael Eisner

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 12 Critic Reviews

User Score Available after 4 ratings

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Where to Watch

Directed By: Gabe Polsky

Written By: Gabe Polsky

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 12 Critic Reviews

100% Positive
12 Reviews

0% Mixed
0 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

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Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 12 Critic Reviews

100% Positive
12 Reviews

0% Mixed
0 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Movie Nation

Jul 22, 2020

Polsky takes us on quite the sleigh ride, from the sunny silliness of gambling on Russian hockey, and then marketing it, to the grim reality that sets in — threats, intimidation and even murders.

By Roger Moore FULL REVIEW

Original-Cin

Aug 5, 2020

By comparison with Red Army, Red Penguins is a less-polished, seat-of-the-pants effort that involved Polsky sitting and waiting in a Moscow hotel room for opportunities to do quickie interviews (with many still reluctant to talk about those days pre-Putin). But there is some evocative archival footage, including shots of the game’s between-period “entertainment,” which involved dancers from the strip club that operated within the arena.

By Jim Slotek FULL REVIEW

Variety

Aug 5, 2020

Red Penguins tells its story of outrageous, larger-than-life players in brisk, humorous fashion. Its assembly is always lively, aimed at engaging viewers with or without any interest in hockey.

By Dennis Harvey FULL REVIEW

RogerEbert.com

Aug 4, 2020

Polsky’s skill in mining the darkly humorous shades of disastrous hubris is not all that surprising, considering he produced Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage’s funniest film to date, 2009’s “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.”

By Matt Fagerholm FULL REVIEW

The Playlist

Sep 18, 2019

Red Penguins is utterly stuffed with memorable stories and unforgettable people. Therefore, the film is unquestionably entertaining for hockey fans. However, it has no more gravitas than, say, any random ESPN Films “30 for 30” entry.

By Christopher Schobert FULL REVIEW

The New Yorker

Aug 10, 2020

Red Penguins, is here to serve your bedlam-loving needs. Communism, capitalism, corruption: the gang’s all here.

By Anthony Lane FULL REVIEW

The Hollywood Reporter

Sep 18, 2019

Polsky crafts an engaging, in-depth examination of the intersection of politics and hockey as Russia struggles to gain its balance following the demise of the Soviet Union.

By Justin Lowe FULL REVIEW

See All 12 Critic Reviews

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Details

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Production Company Gabriel Polsky Productions, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), Studio Hamburg Enterprises

Release Date Aug 4, 2020

Duration 1 h 20 m

Rating PG-13

Genres

Website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000q5hp

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Awards

Philadelphia Film Festival

• 1 Nomination

Critics' Choice Documentary Awards

• 1 Nomination

Writers Guild of America, USA

• 1 Nomination

Red Penguins

Where to Watch

Where to Watch

Top Cast

Howard Baldwin

Alexander Baranovsky

Self

George Bush

Self

Bill Clinton

Self

Michael Eisner

Self

Michael J. Fox

Self

Vladimir Golubev

Self

Mikhail Gorbachev

Self

Al Gore

Self

Viktor Gusev

Self

Valery Gushin

Self

Larry King

Self

Vladislav Listyev

Self

Aleksandr Lyubimov

Self

Vladimir Putin

Self

Tom Ruta

Self

Viktor Tikhonov

Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov

Self

Alexander von Bush

Self

Steven Warshaw

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

Details

Details

Awards

Awards

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