The Chiefs
Reviewed by Bobby
Bryde, the editor-in-chief of HockeyMeister.com.
The classic hockey movie "Slap Shot" set the bar for
all succeeding hockey movies. Some have claimed that
"The Chiefs" is "As Goods as Slap Shot!" or "Another
Slap Shot!" I say this is definitely not "Slap
Shot."
"The Chiefs" is a 75-minute documentary chronicling a
season of a semi-pro hockey team in Quebec. "The
Chiefs", winner of "Outstanding Documentary" at the
Atlantic Film Festival in 2004, will be released on DVD
March 15.
"WWF on skates," says one player.
Producer David Bajurny is an actor from Walkerton,
Canada. "The first time I went to a game at "The House
of Pain" [in Laval] I saw outside the arena four Paddy
Wagons, two ambulances, and at least twenty cop
cars."
Filming "The Chiefs" was basically a two man job;
David and director Jason Gileno accumulated over 150
hours of footage, and with a solid editing job, created
a film which is a must see for all hockey fans.
"The Chiefs" focuses not only on the battles on the
ice, but off the ice as well. A boxing promoter offers
the players $3,000 to face-off in the ring. Should Mike
Bajurny fight or not? Mike's grandfather, himself a
former boxer, offers Mike advice; that scene is a
highlight of the documentary.
David Bajurny confesses to having no preconceived
notions or underlying messages. "We wanted to be fair,"
said David. "It was important to not have any bias
either way and document the situation as is."
The film's heroines are the players' wives and
girlfriends, who stick by their men, loyal to players
who either won't face reality, who don't want to quit
playing the game, or just can't bring themselves to
getting a real job. The film's score is well done, and
excluding one piece (Schubert's Trout), all are original
compositions. Combined with slow-motion footage, much of
the fighting resembles a waltz, a deliberate artistic
touch by the filmmakers.
I grew up watching the Long Island Ducks in the old
Eastern League and I've seen my share of goon hockey
(remember John Brophy, he happened to be the model of
Paul Newman's character in Slap Shot), goalie fights and
bench clearing brawls. However, I was unprepared for the
gratuitous violence in "The Chiefs", and for most of the
film, there was a knot in my stomach. I recalled the
movie "Rollerball" and wondered if this was what the
game was going to be or worse, was this really what the
game has become?
In our home, watching "Slap Shot" is an annual event,
(more than once I've caught my wife in the kitchen
taping aluminum foil over her knuckles), a tradition
akin to watching Jimmy Stewart in "It's A Wonderful
Life" each holiday season. It's true "The Chiefs" isn't
Slap Shot', but it's also true that "The Chiefs"
(www.leschiefs.com) is a professional production. It
sets the bar high for future sports documentaries to
reach.
Archive
September 10, 2004: Black
Ice
July 4, 2004: Zamboni
Rodeo
February 25, 2004: Splendid
Is The Sun
|
