The Most Violent Sports Movie Is Streaming Without Netflix

Goon was written by The Interview director Evan Goldberg, alongside This Is The End’s Jay Baruchel. The duo loosely based the screenplay off of Adam Frattasio’s book Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey, which tells the true tale of former hockey player Doug Smith.

While the characters and situations presented in the final film differ from those in the book, footage of Smith’s time in the ring was actually used as the credits roll at the end of Goon, in a nod to the feared enforcer.

The film was directed by Stuber filmmaker Michael Dowse, and stars Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Liev Schreiber, Kim Coates, and Schitt’s Creek‘s Eugene Levy.

Seann William Scott took ice skating lessons and trained heavily to improve his physique for Goon, while other performers, such as Liev Schreiber, studied game footage to base their performances off real hockey players.

The plot of Goon centers on Doug Glatt, an incredibly kind dummy who works as a bouncer in a rough-around-the-edges Massachusetts town. Despite his generally positive demeanor, Doug is mired with self doubt and an internalized feeling that he doesn’t belong, since he’s the only member of his family that isn’t a college-educated doctor.

In a surprising stroke of luck, Doug finds his calling when he attends a minor league hockey game, and accidentally incites a fist fight with one of the players.

After seeing his performance, the coach of the fictional team The Orangetown Assassins offers Doug a position as an enforcer, who’s sole roll on the ice is beating the ever-living snot out of the opposing team. As Doug’s reputation as a minor league ‘goon’ continues to bring the team more notoriety, the film pivots to focus on a handful of ultra-competitive players who were downgraded from the major league for various infractions.

As the film builds to a climactic conclusion, Doug’s reputation begins to make him a target for well-known enforcers, making each successive bout on the ice more of a boxing match than a hockey game.

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Goon is one of those rare movies that manages to strike a balance between being hilarious, having a lot of heart, and offering a few gut-wrenching scenes of over-the-top physical violence. The film received largely positive reviews upon release, but millions at the box office, making it a major bomb. For years, Goon was considered to be a forgotten cult classic, until its appearance on streaming services began to revitalize consumer interest.

If you’re looking to check out Goon today, you’ve got plenty of avenues to do so. The film can currently be streamed on Xumo Play, Tubi, Pluto TV, Sling TV, Crackle, Peacock, and others. Trust me, if you look this movie up online, there’s bound to be a free viewing option that works for you.