It is rare for a sequel to feel like a bruise that just won’t heal, but in the best way possible. When Seann William Scott stepped back onto the ice for Goon: Last of the Enforcers, the world of professional hockey had already changed. The era of the "policeman" was dying. Or maybe it was already dead. In the NHL, fighting stats were cratering. Teams were trading grit for speed. Yet, here was Doug Glatt, the lovable, thick-skulled brawler, trying to find a place in a sport that didn't really want him anymore.
Sequels usually try to go bigger. More explosions. Higher stakes. This movie? It just got bloodier and a lot more honest about what happens when your only skill is hitting people.
The Brutal Reality of Doug Glatt’s Return
The story picks up with Doug "The Thug" Glatt as the captain of the Halifax Highlanders. He’s got everything he ever wanted. He has the "C" on his jersey, a pregnant wife (Eva Pillay, played by Alison Pill), and the respect of a locker room full of misfits. Then comes Anders Cain.
Wyatt Russell plays Cain like a psychopathic viking on skates. He’s younger, faster, and he represents the new breed of enforcer—someone who doesn't just fight to protect teammates but fights to hurt people. When Cain absolutely dismantles Doug in a season-opening scrap, it’s not just a loss. It’s a career-ender. Doug suffers a right-arm injury that effectively kills his ability to throw a punch.
Most sports movies would turn this into a "mighty ducks" moment where the hero finds a secret power. Goon: Last of the Enforcers does something much more depressing and real. It forces Doug into a "real" job. He becomes an insurance salesman. Seeing a man who finds joy in physical sacrifice forced into a cubicle is the most painful part of the movie. It's a commentary on the "afterlife" of athletes that we don't see often enough in comedies.
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Jay Baruchel’s Vision from the Bench
Jay Baruchel didn't just write this; he directed it. You can feel his obsession with the sport in every frame. Baruchel is a die-hard Montreal Canadiens fan, and he treats the geography of Canadian minor league hockey like sacred ground. He moved away from the more grounded tone of the first film—which was written by Evan Goldberg and based on the life of Doug Smith—and leaned into something that feels almost like a live-action anime.
The blood is redder. The hits sound like car crashes. Some critics hated this shift. They felt it lost the "indie" charm of the 2011 original. But honestly? The heightened reality fits the theme. When you're an enforcer, the world is violent and loud. There is no middle ground.
Why the Rivalry with Ross Rhea Matters
Lieva Schreiber is the secret weapon of this franchise. His portrayal of Ross "The Boss" Rhea remains one of the most nuanced "tough guy" roles in cinema history. In the first film, he was the antagonist. In Goon: Last of the Enforcers, he is the mentor.
There is a specific scene where Doug tracks down a retired Rhea, who is now participating in "hockey cage matches" to pay the bills. It’s pathetic. It’s heartbreaking. But it’s also the only place Doug feels safe. Rhea teaches Doug how to fight with his left hand.
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This training montage isn't about getting "good" at hockey. It’s about learning how to survive a few more minutes of relevance. The chemistry between Scott and Schreiber is built on mutual respect and the shared knowledge that they are both dinosaurs watching the comet hit the earth.
- The Technical Side: The skating sequences in the sequel are objectively better shot. They used specialized rigs to get the camera closer to the ice.
- The Cast: Bringing back the original locker room (Kim Coates, Marc-André Grondin) was essential. Without the chemistry of the Halifax Highlanders, the movie would have collapsed under its own cynicism.
- The Villain: Wyatt Russell was actually a professional hockey player in real life before an injury forced him into acting. That’s why his skating looks so much more natural than almost anyone else in the genre.
A Eulogy for the Enforcer
We have to talk about the "Changing of the Guard" theme. This isn't just a plot point; it was a real-time crisis in the hockey world during the film's production around 2015-2016. The "Enforcer" role was being phased out of the NHL. The movie addresses this through the character of Hyrum Cain, the team owner and father of the villain. He wants "clean" hockey. He wants marketable hockey.
Doug Glatt is the opposite of marketable. He is a walking liability who bleeds on the merchandise.
The movie asks a heavy question: What do you do when the thing you’re best at is no longer legal? Or even wanted? Doug’s struggle isn't with Anders Cain; it's with his own identity. He wants to be a provider for his family, but he only feels like a man when he's protecting his "boys" on the ice. It’s a toxic, beautiful cycle that the movie refuses to judge too harshly.
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Does it live up to the original?
Kinda. It depends on what you want. If you want the heartfelt, "Rudy-on-skates" vibe of the first one, you might find the sequel a bit too mean-spirited. It’s darker. It’s grittier. The jokes are cruder. But as a piece of sports cinema, it’s more ambitious. It tries to capture the physical toll of the game.
The first movie was about a guy finding a home. The second movie is about that guy trying to keep his home from burning down.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Newcomers
If you are planning to revisit Goon: Last of the Enforcers or watch it for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch the credits: There are real-life photos and clips of Doug Smith, the man who inspired the character. Seeing the real "Thug" puts the absurdity of the film into a much more grounded perspective.
- Look for the cameos: Real NHL players like Tyler Seguin and Michael Del Zotto pop up. It adds a layer of authenticity to the "pro" world the Highlanders are trying to navigate.
- Pay attention to the sound design: The sound of the skates cutting the ice and the puck hitting the boards was recorded during actual practices to ensure it didn't sound like "movie" hockey.
- Embrace the melodrama: This isn't just a comedy. It’s a soap opera for people who like missing teeth. If you lean into the emotional stakes of Doug and Eva’s relationship, the final act hits much harder.
The film serves as a perfect bookend. While there have been whispers of a third movie over the years, the way Doug leaves his skates on the ice at the end of this film feels final. It’s a dignified exit for a character who spent most of his life getting hit in the face.
To truly appreciate the arc, you need to view both films as a single five-hour epic about the rise and fall of a man who was too kind for his profession but too tough to do anything else. It's a messy, loud, and frequently hilarious tribute to the guys who take the punches so the stars don't have to.
If you're looking for more gritty sports dramas that don't pull their punches, checking out the 1977 classic Slap Shot is the natural next step. It’s the spiritual father of the Goon franchise and provides the historical context for why people like Doug Glatt existed in the first place. You can also dive into the documentary The Last Gladiators, which interviews real-life NHL enforcers about the mental toll of the job, mirroring many of the themes Baruchel explored in the sequel.