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Indie Spotlight: Hockey Biopic The Rocket

by Alex Billington
August 22, 2007
Source: Hollywood Reporter

In an attempt to shed some light on some independent films and expand our horizons from the typical mainstream blockbusters and comic book movies, I'm going to occasionally feature an indie movie that's in the news. Today it's a Canadian film titled The Rocket: The Legend of Rocket Richard (titled just Maurice Richard in Canada), a hockey biopic about the life of Maurice "The Rocket" Richard (played by Roy Dupuis).

The Rocket, directed by Charles Binamé, follows Maurice Richard who was a Quebec factory worker that broke through discrimination against French Canadians in the 1940s and '50s to rise to the top of the National Hockey League. The film features many violent sports scenes in its recreation of an era before helmets were used.

The film was picked up today by a US distribution company called Palm Pictures for release in theaters in the US late this fall. I've never heard of Palm Pictures, but it's rather curious given that it originally debuted in Canada in 2005 and the DVD is already out in a number of countries around the world. Either way, I think it's worth mentioning and although it may only make it to a very limited number of screens, I hope a few readers will get the chance to see it.

The Rocket won nine Canadian Genie awards including best director and best actor as well as the Canadian equivalent of the Oscar this year. If that isn't enough reason to tell you that this may be pretty damn good, then I'm not sure what else will convince you! Either way, thanks for chiming in on an indie spotlight for a film worth seeing.

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