I like Goon. I dig Seann William Scott in these movies and I think Doug Glatt is one of his best roles. The dim and likable, nearly-invincible hockey star is a really fun protagonist to latch on to and I have to give credit to Evan Goldberg and Jay Baruchel’s team for bringing this story to life. The original Goon is an indie sports film favorite, and the new sequel deserves just as much praise.
Goon: Last of the Enforcers kicks off with Doug Glatt being made Captain of the Highlanders. We don’t need much to establish where the story is because it’s easy to dive right into where Glatt and the team is right before shit hits the fan. By that, I mean there’s a new badass on the ice that just so happens to be played by Kurt Russell’s kid Wyatt. This new rival Anders Cain beats Doug so bad that doctors say he might if he continues to throw down. That’s the drama here.
Sean William Scott steps up to the plate again in the continued saga of Doug Glatt. His dimwitted charm as the character returns to offset the brutality of the gory and gritty fight scenes, and much like before it works to the film’s advantage. Many of the main players return for the sequel, but this is a movie that doesn’t lean so heavily on its predecessor that you have to watch the first on to know what’s up. My favorite moments here mainly deal with the return of Ross Rhea played again by Liev Schreiber, and his work here is just top notch.
Goon 2 has its issues with a handful of scenes and forced vulgar jokes that fall a bit flat, but that doesn’t detract from the whole movie being a solid watch. Baruchel takes the reigns here pulling a hat trick by directing, writing and resuming his role of the best friend character Pat. Some of it works, some of it doesn’t. There’s a lot going on in Last of the Enforcers that makes up for the weaker bits, and overall this is a kickass hockey movie for sports fans and detractors alike. It’s a good one.
Goon: Last of the Enforcers hits theaters, VOD and digital HD September 1