In 1980, amidst the tense political climate of the Cold War, Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) took over as coach of the U.S. Olympic hockey team. With the help of affable assistant coach Craig Patrick (Noah Emmerich), Brooks selected a group of twenty amateur hockey players who faced the daunting task of bringing respectability to their country's floundering program. While Brooks was well aware that his team lacked the talent and experience of the team from Russia, he nonetheless devoted his energy to realizing his lifelong dream: to coach a team to Olympic gold. Stepping into the gaudy wardrobe of the legendary Brooks (who was a consultant on the film and died in an automobile accident just after production wrapped), Russell delivers one of his finest performances to date. Surrounded by a cast of unknown young actors, Russell captures the complexities of a man who dared to dream the impossible dream. Director Gavin O'Connor and screenwriter Eric Guggenheim deftly balance the drama of the game itself with the larger political implications the game inspired, celebrating this miraculous moment in time.