DIR: Michael Dowse • WRI: Jay Baruchel, Evan Goldberg • PRO: Don Carmody, Ian Dimerman, David Gross, André Rouleau, Jesse Shapira • DOP: Bobby Shore • ED: Reginald Harkema • CAST: Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel
Seann William Scott is Doug Glatt, who is talent-scouted knocking the teeth out of an abusive lout and promptly hired as an enforcer for the local ice hockey team, specifically to defend their star player Xavier LaFlamme (Marc-Andre Grondin), who has lost his mojo after being knocked senseless by the roughest enforcer in the league, the about-to-retire Ross Rhea (an inherently threatening Liev Schrieber).
Ice hockey doesn’t really have that much of a following on this side of the Atlantic, and thankfully the movie doesn’t get too lost in the game. Instead it focuses on the insanely likeable Scott, who manages to be both loveable when trying to woo local hockey groupie Eva (Alison Pill) while still a violent wrecking ball to anyone who threatens his team mates.
The collision course of Glatt and Rhea is played for laughs, and the script by Jay Baruchel (who also plays Glatt’s foul mouthed best friend) is hilarious, and at a brisk 90 minutes, the film knows not to outstay its welcome. Pretty much the polar opposite of Money Ball, if you’re looking to turn your brain off and laugh at guys punching each other, this is your perfect Friday night out.
Rory Cashin
Rated 16 (see IFCO website for details)
Goon is released on 6th January 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWYhkViWj98
