Red Army (Gabe Polsky)

[Lazlo]

IMDb

[Lazlo]

Mildest of yays. Story is interesting but the execution is shaky. Polsky's interviews leave a lot to be desired. I read a quote somewhere after I saw the movie along the lines of, there's a difference between being respectful of your interview subject and letting them off the hook. Polsky is either unwilling or incapable of breaking down his subjects' defenses and the movie is lacking as a result. It's not enough just to leave it as, these dudes are tough and impossible to crack and that's an intriguing character trait. It leaves the story half-told.

I also question the technique of dollying in on the subject in the middle of an answer. It only works once to enhance the emotion and is borderline distracting elsewhere.

Despite all this, I learned some things I didn't know and I was intrigued (though frustrated) throughout.