Hopefully you didn't guess the Mighty Ducks. Thankfully, I'm speaking about what I consider to be one of the greatest hockey films of all time. Slap Shot. I can honestly say this movie makes my top ten list of favourite films of all time. Masterfully directed by George Roy Hill, (also director of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, a must rent!) it is a gritty look at the minor leagues of American hockey. Paul Newman, plays the over the hill captain of a failing steel town hockey team looking for something that will help this hapless team of nitwits keep their jobs and their team from being folded. Reggie Dunlop (Newman) discovers the fans voracious appetite for blood and fisticuffs and methodically transforms the team into a bunch of back alley thugs. Wielding their hockey sticks like weapons, the team forgoes the scoring of goals and proceeds to thoroughly pummel their opponents into a bloody pulp much to the delight of their hometown fans. Eventually their hard-nosed style of play evolves into more of a wrestling match than the traditional style of play back in the days of old. Despite the Charlestown Chief's newfound success, the team realizes that they have become a mockery of the sport and attempt to revert back to the days of "old time" hockey. In their final game, the team returns to the traditional style of play backfires on them to absolutely hilarious results. From the first appearance of the nefarious Hanson Brothers, the various inspired pep talks by Paul Newman, and the quirky conversations between teammates, this film is packed to the rim with entertainment. The movie is over two hours long. It is filled with brutal violence, bawdy humour, various vulgarities, nudity and fantastic over the top characters. It is wonderful.

Just recently I was combing the new arrivals section at my local Blockbuster. As I methodically made my way to the S's I was shocked to see a new title gracing the racks. Slap Shot 2!? They made a sequel? Funny, I never saw this film make its way to the local theater, until it hits me. The three dreaded words that bellows out sirens and whistles to any movie fan about the quality of a film. Direct to video. A cold shudder flows through my body. I decide to give the filmmakers the benefit of doubt and pick up the case to see who's starring in this latest opus. Stephen Baldwin! Well there's a strong endorsement of quality. I mean he's a great actor, who's been in many fantastic films like, "The Usual Suspects" and ummm…. errrrr those other ones he's been in. My curiosity gets the better of me, I resolve to shell out my hard earned dollars and take this disc home for private viewing. Let's just get the ball rolling. Obviously based on my above review of the original, you know there's going to be no way in hell that I'll like the sequel and you would be correct. Let's start with the premise. Stephen Baldwin plays a former NHL player riding out the end of his career as captain of the losing Charlestown Chiefs. Sound familiar? This losing team is sold to an evil corporate owner of a family network who plans to integrate the Chiefs into his new style of family friendly hockey league. Gasp! I guess the Chiefs ain't going to like this! Much like the Washington Generals are cannon fodder for the Harlem Globetrotters, the Chiefs are put into the same position by having them face off on a regular basis against the clean cut, preppy hockey players known as the Ice Breakers. Sean Linden (Baldwin) is given the arduous task of selling his teammates the merits of becoming these so-called "ice clowns" and the financial benefits that lie within performing as the humourous foils for the Ice Breakers. Under the tutelage of a new female coach (Good grief! Not a girl!) the Chiefs quickly begin to appreciate their roles as humourous foibles. But true to the original formula, the Chiefs began to yearn for the "old-style" play they were once accustomed to and plan to take matters into their own hands for their first network broadcast game. Yonkers! I wonder what's gonna happen? The final game sequence ends with cheesy clichés, predictable results, and overall uninspired ending. The film makes various failed attempts to mimic the original and tries to garner an emotional response with the heroic return of the now white washed Hanson brothers. Filled with horrible stereotypes and lackluster characters, this film tries to succeed so badly but is overshadowed by the streamlined, unemotional filmmaking the director, Steve Boyum has created.

The original Slap Shot was a gritty, semi-realistic look at minor league hockey. The film had a real hard edge to it, filled with the unrefined, yet fantastically humourous moments, in combination with unabashed violence, this film succeeded on many different levels. Slap Shot 2, does not. End of story.

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