What makes it different from others?

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This was a very good movie. The main characters of Maurice Richard and Dick Irvin were portrayed very well by the actors. The movie had a very good look to replicate life in the 40's and 50's.One thing that bothered me is that Richard almost never smiled. I'm sure the man in real life had some happy moments.The hockey scenes were great and probably more realistic than any hockey movie made. The real story driving the movie though was outside of hockey as Richard tries to use his fame to better the lives of french speaking Quebeckers and also to turn the NHL establishment away from it's 'old-boy' network ways.The struggle between player and opponent suddenly becomes dwarfed by his struggle as man vs establishment. That's when the movie really takes off and yet, suddenly ends leaving you feeling a bit like the movie is not quite finished. Hence my rating of only 7 when I really wanted to give it a 8.5 or 9.

First of all, I must say I was blown away by the story of Rocket Richard. I knew of him only as a hockey player, I had no idea that to many people, he was so much more. I always loved the Rocket, and this movie only adds to that. I have even more respect for the man than I did before.As for the movie, the lead actor was good and looks very much like the Rocket. The problem, however, is the directed audience. The movie clearly was intended for a Quebecois audience. Parts of the movie were somewhat difficult to follow if you are not familiar with the history of Quebec. While not a huge problem, it did detract from my viewing experience. I thought they could have done a better job framing the movie with a little more information. The other negative of the movie was the lighting. I checked the brightness on my TV and it wasn't the problem. The whole movie is very dark, makes it difficult to see.Overall, I'd say this is a must-see for any Canadians fan and any big hockey fan. If you don't follow the sport much, then the movie probably isn't for you. It's not quite the stand alone story that other great sports movies tend to be. I enjoyed it very much, but I don't know that a non-hockey fan would get much out of it.

I saw the film of Maurice Rocket Richard only yesterday and like everybody, some most important scenes are missing, while few others do not follow the road. Though a lot less then those "clip-films" of to-day, this one is a good solid film but without continuous scenes. And in those years of 1940-1950, I sure think that the greatest of the great as a man and a hockey player should have said more about his situation and his fellows French-Canadian exploited and treated like baggage-wagon citizen on the ice (anglo payers calling him pea soup, damn Frenchmen etc.) and punished on his work (anglo bosses).The name "Canadian" instead of French-Canadian or Quebecers (not in use by that time), does mean he was a Canadian hero. Then, why the crowd at the Mapple Leaf Garden booing him instead of applauding? He was our number one hero, the whole Province of Québec whom he was its loud speaker by his will and courage of steel like we see in the film. The leading role by Roy Dupuis is so intense and powerful we forget the lacks during the film which interested me despite of that. I would have missed something not seeing this picture. Everyone should see the real story of a real French-Canadian hero.

This is a visually remarkable movie. Charles Biname and Pierre Gill do a terrific job of bringing the viewer back to the 1940s and 1950s and giving the movie a hardscrabble, gritty look. They also capture the rough-and-tumble, ultra-competitive feeling of Original Six hockey, where only the best of the best made it in and many players repeatedly had to fight - literally and figuratively - to keep their jobs. The hockey action is right up there with "Miracle" in quality. (It's also kind of funny to see the modern-day players making cameos in the movie struggling with the flat sticks and smaller equipment from that era.) Roy Dupuis also does a fine job of portraying the slowly building frustration, and ultimately rage, inside the Rocket as the NHL appears to discriminate against him on the ice.The only complaint I had about the movie, and maybe I'm alone here and maybe I'm just being cynical, but there were little bits that felt manipulative. Some American directors, and I'm not naming names but one of them is Steven Spielberg, are getting into the habit of making movies specifically designed to win a lot of awards. They put these tug-at-your-heart moments into the movie, but really they make you roll your eyes so hard you almost pull a muscle. At times the movie came close to turning into the Canadian "Cinderella Man," but fortunately it passed quickly. Maurice Richard was probably one of the five best hockey players of all time and this movie certainly does his story justice.And if that's not enough, Sean Avery gets the crap beat out of him, which drew loud applause at the screening I attended.