Review of The Last Gladiators (2012) by Domenic D — 18 Aug 2013

The Last Gladiators is about Montreal Canadians enforcer Chris "Knuckles" Nilan, who played for over ten years, acting as the reliable team goon who was easily provoked and not easily settled. The legend himself, among other popular hockey enforcers, are profiled in this exceptional documentary.

Like most enforcers, however, Chris Nilan was valued not for his particular skill, but for his incorruptible brawn and willingness to fight anyone who either disrespected his illuminating authority or those who intimidated his players. Throughout the remainder of the film, while Gibney works largely to give us a.

Look behind Nilan's life, he dabs into other famous hockey goons, such as Tony Twist, Bob Probert, Todd Ewen, and Marty McSorly, Wayne Gretzky's main force of protection who later ran into legal trouble when he accidentally knocked another player unconscious. (Donald Brashear).

Chris Nilan is a wonderful screen presence for ninety-one minutes, often witty, insightful, and easy to identify with. For a guy that was hired mainly to use his fists to ensure the safety of his teammates, one wouldn't necessarily expect so much charisma and human from a man like Nilan. As the film goes on, we.

See how his persona in this documentary didn't always prevail on the ice. Nilan was not the kind of player to go silent if he didn't agree with authority. He would only respect it if he felt it deserved to be respected. Otherwise, he would explicitly go against you and he really didn't give a damn how you felt about it.

The impact Nilan had on the NHL for going beyond the normal call-of-duty for an enforcer is truly incredible and worthy of recognition, and for that, The Last Gladiators succeeds in profiling a man even current hockey fans may not be so familiar with.

This documentary is worth taking a look at if your a hockey fan, it's really made to a tea. 8/10.