Blood on the Ice

Last year, a low budget, blink-and-you-missed-it film sped through a handful of theaters, seen by virtually no one, but surprisingly well-reviewed by a number of critics. Goon is a loose adaptation of an autobiography by a minor league hockey "enforcer," the story of a hockey player who can barely skate, has no offensive or defensive skills, and is there to serve one role only: to beat the crap out of players on the opposing team.

The film was written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, the former an actor who starred in the TV series Undeclared and the films She's Out of My League and How to Train Your Dragon, the latter a screenwriter who has collaborated on numerous films with Seth Rogen. The two channeled their clear passion for hockey into this lightly comedic, outrageously violent love letter to one particular part of the sport.

The movie does do some things well, but it all does them repeatedly -- so much so that the film has started to burn out before even its brief 90 minutes have elapsed. Early fights in the film get played well for laughs, the jokes revolving around what an efficient brute (and total idiot) the main character is. The later fights in the film are cringe-inducing in their level of violence. But the middle is a repetitious mess with little real plot to get involved in.

Seann William Scott stars as the Goon of the film's title. He does play a bit against type here, and does so successfully; usually, he's the wittiest wisecracker in any film he appears in, but here he's an endearing idiot. Liev Schrieber plays an older enforcer nearing retirement, and the film builds to a showdown fight between the two players. Jay Baruchel takes a secondary role himself, playing the foul-mouthed, fanatical friend of the main character. Eugene Levy pops up in a couple scenes as the main character's father.

The film is entertaining enough, I suppose, though I find myself a bit hard-pressed to see what led to its 80+% rating over on Rotten Tomatoes. The premise will interest you or not, and your decision to see the film can be reliably based on that initial reaction. For myself, I give it a C+.