LES CHIEFS starts off pretty well. Quotes like: “Fans of LES CHIEFS never know what to expect, but they are never disappointed”, inter-cut with scenes like the Laval chief (hockey team player), Mike Bajurny with no front teeth, bragging about how he first broke his nose within the first 15 seconds of the game set the tone of the film. Director Jason Gileno’s hockey documentary tells of the Laval hockey league team (so unheard of, it is no even found on the internet) that gets its name more from the success of its fights than its victory games. For those unfamiliar - Laval is a small town close to Montreal in Quebec. In Canada!
LES CHIEFS makes compelling viewing initially when the viewers are introduced to a completely different breed of human. Their strange lives (many of the Laval chiefs live in the HOUSE OF PAIN, the local stadium) and often humorous comments are milked by Gileno for all they are worth. Interviews with the Chiefs, (Mike Bajurny, Mike Henderson, Brady Austin, Tim Leveque and particularly the GIANT) their opponents and family members, interspersed with their games from the playoffs to the championship game makes the gist of the film. Gileno offers a slight subplot with one of them, Cory Holland, training and participating in a boxing bout. But LES CHIEFS runs out of steam pretty quickly and the interest dies down once the viewer discovers these people are not too bright a group nor do they have the decency to have any respect for others especially their family. Even Bajurny’s mother retorts: “Prove himself? They are other ways!” Even the fights (no fakes here) get monotonous after a while. At a length of 75 minutes, watching LES CHIEFS is not even a poor substitute for the matches missed by the NHL lockout.