Slap Shot

The Charlestown Chiefs are an ice hockey team on a downward spiral. They are stuck in one of their longest losing streaks and have no idea how to get out of it. With the local mill closing down it looks like the town is dying, which will force the end of the Chiefs. Coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) has to think of something to not only save the team, but also his career. He starts using different tactics to upset opponents, in order to give the Chiefs an advantage.

The team manager (Strother Martin) brings in three brothers from the lower leagues of ice hockey - these are the Hanson Brothers. Dunlop is not impressed with the manager until he is forced to give the brothers some ice time and sees for himself what they do best. With grace and speed they demolish their opponents in a surprisingly violent display, violent even for ice hockey. Coach Dunlop sees how the crowd reacts to this and sees it as a way to make the Chiefs a viable commodity for a possible new owner.

"What do you mean a serious game? What are you talking about? This is hockey!"

Although this is technically a sports film, you don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy it. The majority of exposure to ice hockey for fans in Australia has come from films such as the Mighty Ducks, but a true knowledge of the game is not necessary. This film unashamedly promotes the use of violence and, for a sport such as this, that should be no shock.

Paul Newman is as always terrific in this and he is without doubt the star, but the supporting cast is also very good. Strother Martin is at his usual best in his role as the team manager. The stand out characters are, however, the Hanson Brothers. Played by real hockey players Steve and Jeff Carlson, along with Dave Hanson, the three have become cult heroes to many hockey fans. This is also a very dated film, with outrageous fashions and hairstyles - be sure to turn down the brightness control for the appearance of Newman's flared red suit! Swearing is also common place, so this is not a film for our younger viewers.

Dated it may be, but it is still a very funny film. The cast is very good and the violence, although mild compared to some films of today, is appropriate.

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and 16x9 enhanced, the transfer is surprisingly good for a film made in the late '70s. Picture is fairly sharp at all times, although it does suffer from quite a bit of grain. Detail is not terrific, but is generally acceptable and colours are mostly good, although a little faded from time to time. There are a few film artefacts in the form of white flecks, but these are minimal and again are quite good for a film of this age. Aliasing is not too noticeable and only occurs on a couple of occasions.

The layer change occurs at 69:15 and is quite noticeable, placed during a scene but not during dialogue. There is a multitude of subtitles available and the ones viewed were accurate to what occurs on screen.

Audio is supplied in Dolby Digital 2.0 for both the film soundtrack and the audio commentary track. Dialogue is clear at all times and synch is never a problem. The use of the surround channels is limited to say the least, with very little separation of note. Even when processed via Prologic the subwoofer is silent throughout and, as is the case with surround activity, this is a real shame. Music used is very dated, but should be familiar to most viewers.

Not much has been supplied in the way of extras for this release, but the ones on offer are quite good...

Feature Commentary
The audio commentary comes from the Hanson Brothers, or more accurately Jeff Carlson, Steve Carlson and David Hanson. This is quite an interesting and amusing commentary, with the guys recollecting events during the filming of Slap Shot and also some of the finer points of ice hockey.

Puck Talk With The Hansons
Running for 4:56, this featurette is a question and answer type interview with the Hanson Brothers. Much in the same vein as the commentary, this feature gives insight into the making of the film and ice hockey techniques.

Trailers
Theatrical trailers included are Skulls 2, Tremors 3: Back To Perfection, Slap Shot and Slap Shot 2: Breaking The Ice.

Although very dated, this is an enjoyable comedy. Kind of like a cross between Major League and The Mighty Ducks, this is one for adults only that is filled with violence and course language. The overall transfer is good, however the audio is nothing special and the extras are a bit light on - but of decent quality. Surprisingly, at this stage, this film is only available for rental - still, it is well worth a look.