Let the brawl begin - an entertaining Hockey tale

Rating: 7/10 (10 January 2012)

"Dumb as puck" the movie poster proclaims, as you're greeted by a cheesy tooth-guard covered smile by Sean William Scott, giving away the central plot of a highly predictable film. However I have enjoyed previous mindless Sean William Scott films (Balls Out, Dude Where's my Car, Role Models etc), so expected this to be no different. Nor was I disappointed. The Goon is a light hearted film that doesn't take itself seriously, and makes for some enjoyable light viewing. The acting, direction or story aren't too deep, but the end result is very watchable none the less. Doug Glatt (Scott) is an underachieving member of a Jewish family in small-town America, who struggles in keeping up with conversations of more than a sentence. Doug is basically a puppy hiding in a Rhino's body and any violence resulting from his job as a bouncer/security man is oft times regretted in advance. Doug accidentally stumbles into a job on a local ice hockey team (as an assassin or a tank) and soon impresses with his single minded determination to stand (and fight) for what he's told is right. Well that and an uncanny ability to sustain and dish out copious amounts of violence. As Doug's star and career are on the ascendant, Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber) is following the opposite trajectory. As the ageing veteran being relegated progressively to teams of lower standing, Rhea is a one man wrecking crew seemingly on a collision course with Doug. The violence is gratuitous and at times, cartoonish, but somehow deeply satisfying. The film maintains a good steady pace, though I thought it floundered a bit in the second half. I enjoyed this film a lot, and found myself laughing out loud in places, and cheering on in wide eyed amazement in the fight scenes. Overall I would rate this film 6.5 on 10 and would recommend a watch if you've got an unlimited card and 2 hours to spare or on the DVD.