Season: Mini Series
Genre: Documentary
Number of
episodes: 10
Year:
2020
Starring: Michael
Jordan, Phil Jackson, David Aldridge, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, Dennis
Rodman, Michael Wilbon, Deloris Jordan, Andre Kremer, John Paxson, Bill Wennington,
B.J. Armstrong, Bob Costas, Jerry Reinsdorf, Barrack Obama, Larry Bird, Carmen
Electra
Description: Charting the
rise of the 1990w Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, one of the most notable
dynasties in sports history.
Review: Prior to the 1997-1998 season, the Chicago Bulls had celebrated five
championships in the previous seven years. When they sought their sixth title,
the future of the group of players was uncertain. Not only were there rumors
that this would be Michael Jordan’s last season, but the future of head coach
Phil Jackson with the teams was questionable. Important pawn in all the dissatisfaction
was managing director Jerry Krause. In the series we see footage of a film crew
who had full access to the team during this season which was at the foot of major
changes. It leads to a documentary about one of the best sports teams ever,
which managed to create an image that people wanted to belong to.
More than 500 hours of
all-access material was filmed during the 1997-1998 season. Yet is remained on
the shelf for a long time. Jason Hehr was asked to direct, when the project was
green lit in 2016.
The series kicks off with a
small compilation of highlights until the 1997-1998 season. These are facts that
are undoubtedly known to the target group of this series, so no spoilers for
that matter. After all, we see alternating images of the run-up to the season,
including images of a demonstration tournament in Paris and how Jordan is making
a career at the University of North Carolina. Anyone expecting a one-man show
from Jordan from here on is missing out on the rest, especially looking at the
first part of the series. For example, in the second episode forward Scottie Pippen
is the central figure, and later episodes include the eccentric Dennis Rodman
and coach Phil Jackson. Each episode focuses on an individual, with recently
recorded interviews and archive footage, with the 1997-1998 season as the red
thread.
Not only do the unique
images give a nice insight into what happened behind the scenes that season,
but the new interviews certainly add to this. However, the successful and not
uncontroversial Jerry Krause is missing because he died in 2017.
It’s nice to see how the
knowledge of today, together with all those involved, looks back to the absence
of Isiah Thomas at the Olympics and the operations of Pippen at the start of
the season and the moment chosen for this. Clearly there was a lot going on at
the time, but actually none of the team was doing well. And even Rodman doesn’t
seem to be the player of previous years at the time, with the low point being a
game in which he was sent away. it turned out to be a turning point, and the
tide seemed to be turning from that moment on; whey won again. Attention was
also paid to Rodman’s infamous vacations, such as the time that he was missing
for 48 hours.
We also get some insight
into game tactics. For example, the notorious Joran Rules, an aggressive defensive
strategy to keep Jordan on the field under his thumb, and later th triangular
attack; a tactic where the focus in the attack is not only on Jordan, but also
teaches Jordan to trust his teammates. The second part of the series covers all
the main pillars of the series and, of course, in addition to the current
season and looking back on the previous years of success, the focus is more on
Jordan. We’ll see how he grows into a brand, including Nike’s legendary Air
Jordans. We also see how NBA gets a big boost in this period, not only by
Jordan, but also by the success of the Dream Team at the Olympics.
We see the dark side of the
success story as well; the disappearance of Jordan’s father and how his decision
in the middle of the investigation into his gambling leads to many speculations
and conspiracy theories. A step to baseball seems too high at first, but it’s
the right way to change his mind. He eventually returns to basketball, but a
year and a half absence is palpable. And so it’s time and again that focus on
Jordan who is in between everything, it’s almost a miracle that the shuffle
between subjects and people works and that he never lost sight of it.
“The Last Dance” is a nice
overview of a team for eternity. The overview of the Chicago Bulls in the
1997-1998 season and the road that led to it is a joy to watch. Of course we
see a lot of Michael Jordan, an alpha male as you’ll hardly see them on the
sports fields these days. A man competitive to the bone, doing almost anything to
win. Still, this documentary is very carefully constructed, giving all the
important characters and their part in the dream team room to shine. In addition,
the history is not forgotten, not of the Bulls and not of the road the players
had to take. And this is precisely where the series excels. Just like the Bulls
in their glory days, where the sum of elements made for an unbeatable team, it’s
the sum of elements that makes for a cast-iron and all-encompassing series from
one of the best sports teams ever. A fascinating series.
