Goon: Last Of The Enforcers (2017)

I liked Goon. It was a sweet film that happened to also feature a lot of bone-crunching violence, and it featured a superb central performance from Seann William Scott. Goon: Last Of The Enforcers is, although some (many?) may disagree, a superior sequel.

It's been a while since we last saw Doug Glatt (Scott). He's grown older but not that much wiser, although now nice and settled at home with Eva (Alison Pill), still putting up with the drunken antics of his friend Pat (Jay Baruchel), and still taking a hell of a beating out on the ice, when he needs to. Things come to a head when he is set upon by a vicious player named Anders Cain (Wyatt Russell), leading him to try and leave hockey behind for the sake of his health and Eva's peace of mind.

As well as returning to the role of Pat, Baruchel also co-wrote the script with Jesse Chabot. Obviously wanting to heap a bit more onto his plate, Baruchel has decided to make this his feature directorial debut, which makes sense considering how well he seems to know the characters and small world created in the first film. He certainly does a better job behind the camera than he does in front of it. It's been a while since I watched the first film but I can't recall his character being quite so idiotic, although I could be wrong.

Scott continues to make the most of the opportunity that this lead role affords him. He's dim, but not a complete idiot, and he does get a chance to grow somewhat. Russell is a great addition to the roster of characters, showing almost a mirror universe version of Doug. He's a man who wants to spill blood and break bones, his passion is for the fight ahead of the game or the team, and he's genuinely confused when others don't seem to approach the sport with the same attitude. Liev Schreiber returns, as Ross Rhea, and once again proves to be an excellent illustration of what Doug may potentially have lying ahead of him. Pill does well with her relatively thankless role (as ultimately understanding as she is, I am sure some will view her as just the moaning wife), and Kim Coates and Callum Keith Rennie stand out as two men who want to run the ice hockey team two very different ways.

Although it runs through just as many sports movie cliches as the first film, Goon: Last Of The Enforcers at least uses a new bag of old tricks (if that makes sense). There are a couple of mis-steps - with the main ones being the waste of Baruchel in the actual acting department, and the equal waste of Elisha Cuthbert in a small role - but those aren't significant enough to stop this from being a perfect follow-up to a film that I never would have considered in need of a sequel.

8/10

Pick it up on DVD for a bargain price here.
Or, in America, get it the bluray here.

Miracle (2004)

Unbeknownst to me, the world of international ice hockey was dominated throughout the 1970s by the Russians. In fact, by the time the 1980 Winter Olympics was looming, they looked unbeatable. That was the scenario facing head coach Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell), and it was a scenario that led to some major changes in the way that the team was picked and trained.

Based on a true story, this is typical live-action Disney fare. It starts off with Herb applying for, and getting, the head coach position before then showing him selecting his team of young players, working them harder than they've ever been worked before, trying out some unusual tactics and then seeing how things pan out as they play on the national stage.

Director Gavin O'Connor, working from the script by Eric Guggenheim, hits all of the right notes at all of the right moments (just as he would a few years later with Warrior). This is a tale of self-belief, of courage, of sportsmanship and of, well, ice hockey.

Russell is great in the lead role and he gets to work alongside some wonderful talent. Patricia Clarkson plays his supportive wife, Noah Emmerich is an assistant coach who initially doubts his methods and Kenneth Welsh is the team doctor. The young hockey players consist of men picked predominantly for their hockey skills - Eddie Cahill, Patrick O'Brien Demsey and Michael Mantenuto being the three team players who get the most screentime. Thankfully, you wouldn't know that because they do a fine job, although perhaps that IS because they spend a lot of time ice-skating.

This isn't a film for cynics, few Disney films are. There are no surprises here, what with it being based on a true story, but even if you're unfamiliar with what really happened, as I was, then . . . . . . there are no surprises here. It also lacks much humour. This isn't The Mighty Ducks and it seems as if O'Connor wanted to make sure that nobody watching the film would ever forget that. He succeeded. Whereas The Mighty Ducks was a family movie full of great characters and fun moments, this is an uplifting true story, full of good acting, suitable musical accompaniment and a big dollop of good ol' hey hey USA. I prefer the former type of movie myself, but this one is also a good watch.

7/10

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Goon (2011)

I like Jay Baruchel a lot. I think he's a funny, sweet young guy and have enjoyed him in everything that I've seen him in (from the likes of Knocked Up and Fanboys to She's Out Of My League to The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the animated delight of How To Train Your Dragon). So hearing the praise that was heaped upon Goon when it started doing the rounds really made me hope I would enjoy it and be able to recommend it to others. Baruchel has a role in the movie but, more importantly for his career path, he also co-wrote the screenplay with Evan Goldberg (based on the book "Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey" by Adam Frattasio and Doug Smith).

The story is a standard, simple tale and one that we've seen many times before. With a slight twist. Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) is a young man who doesn't really have a "thing" in life except being able to take a punch and really give back as good as he gets, and then some. When he's spotted by a manager at a hockey game his life takes a major upturn and he's signed up to play hockey. It doesn't matter that he isn't actually all that good at hockey. It simply matters that he gets on the ice when required and causes some bruising to the players that need kept out of action for a while. Jay Bruchel plays the friend who loves seeing his buddy make good, Eugene Levy is the stereotypical Jewish father unimpressed by this turn of events, Alison Pill is a potential love interest and Liev Schreiber is the former biggest badass on the ice who fans want to see in one titanic battle with Doug "The Thug".

Director Michael Dowse hits all of the right notes as this movie runs through all of the sports movie cliches but when things step up a notch in the second half he really serves the material well. As unexpected as it was, I was literally close to tears during the grand finale.

As the different posters stated, Doug is "dumb as a puck" and also "the nicest guy you'll ever fight" and it's a role that really needs a sweetness at the centre, hidden beneath the mass of punches and bloodhsed and bruises, and Seann William Scott gives his best performance yet. Cynics may say that it's not hard for Scott to top his past performances but it would be unfair to the man to try and damn this performance with faint praise. It's a captivating lead performance and something that may remain an all-time career high. The rest of the cast all acquit themselves equally well. Jay Baruchel is as enjoyable as ever, while the same can easily be said of Alison Pill and Eugene Levy. Marc-Andre Grondin, Richard Clarkin, Jonathan Cherry, Kim Coates and everyone else involved with the hockey team do well with their various highs and lows while everything takes on more of an edge whenever Liev Schreiber comes onscreen to warn the sweethearted Doug of the shape of things to come.

The script IS good but it's good in the way that it balances the really revealing character moments with the expected lashings of violence. There's just as much here that you won't expect mixed in with everything that you've sat through 100 times before but even the cornier moments and the cliches feel fresher and more enjoyable because of that wonderful central performance.

Goon is certainly not a standard sports movie to recommend to everyone but I hope that it finds an audience that will give it a home and keep introducing it to others whenever possible. Just like the lead character, it's a rough and ready piece that deserves some praise and love.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Goon-Blu-ray-Seann-William-Scott/dp/B006E00FIC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336858298&sr=8-2