15 Best Documentaries Of 2020
2. The Last Dance
Netflix documentaries have a tendency to start strong but stretch themselves past breaking point. Not this one. A 10 part series on Michael Jordan, particularly focussing on his final season with the Chicago Bulls, this is a classy and engrossing look at the importance of a sports team for its city, and the psychology of a serial winner.
We track Jordan from college prospect to six time NBA champion, with everyone from team mates to journalists to former presidents discussing his impact on the game and American culture at large. We see in Jordan a compulsion to be the best, to dominate - there may have been more naturally gifted players than him, but none that would work harder.
The rest of the Bulls are given their moment in the sun too, from lynchpin Scottie Pippen to wildcard Dennis Rodman and contemplative genius coach Phil Jackson. The basketball on show is exhilarating even for those who know nothing of the game, and the pacing is perfection.
A quick Google would of course tell you how it all ends, but the Bulls’ quest for greatness is no less thrilling for that. One of the best documentary series in recent memory.