Hollywood Can't Make Up Stuff As Good As This | Murderball

Hardcore and Full Contact | Murderball | Dave Willsie, Kevin Orr (II)

DVDs:


	• Murderball Dave Willsie, Kevin Orr (II) Velocity / Thinkfilm, 2005 average customer review:based on 64 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

I'm gonna murder you with my ball

I watched this on my cable's On Demand because of the scene at the end of Knocked Up where the fat kid from Superbad and Scorcese on coke are in wheelchairs. Honestly, I thought I would like it and kill an hour and a half all at the same, but was expecting it to be a celebration of America's love of all things "extreme." I expected it to be 11 on a nu metal scale of 1-10, which still left room for unintentional funny. But I was surprised by the realness and heart the film Murderball has. I honestly could describe it as touching. Touching.

Hollywood Can't Make Up Stuff As Good As This

The wonderful thing about documentaries is that they often introduce us to worlds we didn't even know existed. For example, before "March of the Penguins" came out, how many of us knew about the strange, dangerous and beautiful world of the Emperor penguin?

The 2005 documentary, "Murderball", also introduces us to a new world - the world of hyper-competitive quadriplegic rugby. Played by quadriplegics in specially-designed wheelchairs, this full-contact sport is the testosterone equivalent of football, soccer, regular rugby, and basketball. The documentary follows the members of the United States National Quad Rugby team as it prepares for the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. It also follows the head coach of Team USA's arch-rival, Team Canada as he prepares them for the same goal.

Hollywood couldn't create a screenplay like this. The characters are incredible:

Joe Soares, the driven former American quad-rugby star who defected to coach the Canadian team after a squabble with Team USA. Labeled a "Benedict Arnold" by members of the U.S. team, Joe's position as head coach of Team Canada is fuel for the intense rivalry between the two teams.

Mark Zupan, the goateed and tattooed former collegiate soccer star who was thrown from the back of his best friend's truck into a canal where he remained, with a broken neck, for 14 hours before being rescued.

Christopher Igoe, Mark Zupan's best friend, who didn't know Zupan was asleep in the back of his truck when he crashed. Igoe was uninjured in the crash while Zupan was paralyzed.

Bob Lujano, a quadruple amputee, who lost his arms below the elbows and legs above the knees after a bout with a rare form of meningitis.

Rounding out the cast are Andy Cohn, a bleach-blonde injured in a car accident as a teenager and Scott Hogsett, who became a quadriplegic at age 19.

The spirit of these men is inspiring. They are cheerful, rambunctious, optimistic and burn with competitive spirit. It's a blast to hang out with them as they train and hang out. Their cockiness and self-assurance are contagious and women flock to them. Each man tells the story of his life, how he became injured and how he struggled with adapting to his new condition. For each of them, quad rugby was their salvation. Not only were they able to compete again, but they did it in the company of men with similar circumstances.

The story of Joe Soares provides an interesting counterpoint as it shows his relationship with his wife and family. Particularly poignant is Joe's relationship with his youngest son, Robert. Unlike his father, Robert is not athletic or even interested in sports. Instead, he is academic and plays the violin. It's obvious that Joe is disappointed that Robert is not more like him but as the movie progresses, the relationship between father and son is transformed.

"Murderball" also follows the story of Keith Cavill, a recently injured quadriplegic. Injured in a motocross accident, Keith struggles with losing the use of his limbs. According to the documentary, the first two years are the toughest as quadriplegics go through therapy and learn to do simple tasks such as dressing themselves and moving around. During this time, people still cling to the hope that they will "walk again" although few ever do. We see evidence of all of this in Keith's recovery.

The movie had some genuinely emotional moments, made more striking because of their sincerity. The people in this movie are not professional actors reading a script designed to provoke certain responses from the audience. They are real people acting in real ways. I doubt if anyone can remain dry-eyed throughout the entire film.

The movie climaxes in a showdown at the 2004 Paralympics. I won't give away who wins, but I promise that you will be on the edge of your seat.

It is extremely difficult for Americans with full use of their limbs to imagine what it would be like to be a quadriplegic. If anything ever happened to me to put me in that condition, I'd like to think that I would be able to handle it but I'm afraid I would not. After watching "Murderball", I can take comfort in knowing that it is not only possible to accept such unfortunate circumstances, but also rise above them, to become larger than life, and to accomplish great things.

Highly recommended.

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Michael Mihalik is the author of Debt is Slavery: and 9 Other Things I Wish My Dad Had Taught Me About Money. Learn how to gain control of your finances, pay off your debt, and create financial security!

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Hardcore and Full Contact

A sports documentary that takes a different look toward disability through the eyes of the the USA Quadriplegic Ruby Team, also known as Murderball. Each player must have some loss of physical function in all four limbs but still able to navigate a modified wheelchair. The team is followed through their journey to the hardcore full contact venue of the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens Greece. Each player is introduced with their background stories and how this sport has empowered them. Some very unforgettable players and inspirational stories. Plus a couple of questions are answered as to their daily life with a disability. Very fascinating.

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DON'T LET THE TITLE THROW YOU

Great, great, great. I learned the true definition of "quadraplegic". These guys are not into any "pity party". The MurderBall name comes from the fact that they go all out on the court; trying to win. This film is entertaining,first of all. If you want it to be inspiring and/or educational it can be that also. Highly recommend for any and everyone.

Balls out

This was the best documentary I've ever seen. i have seen many sports films and this is at the top of my list. The whole USA vs Canada spin really makes the whole thing exciting. It also opens up your eyes to such an interesting sport that nobody realizes these people dedicate their lives to just like anything else.

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More than merely a sports documentary or an inspirational profile of triumph over adversity, Murderball offers a refreshing and progressive attitude toward disability while telling unforgettable stories about uniquely admirable people. It's ostensibly a film about quadriplegic rugby (or "Murderball," as it was formerly known), in which players with at least some loss of physical function in all four limbs navigate modified wheelchairs in a hardcore, full-contact sport that takes them all the way to the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 2004. But as we get to know paralyzed or amputee players on Team USA like Andy Cohn, Scott Hogsett, Bob Lujano and charismatic team spokesman Mark Zupan, we come to understand that quad rugby is a saving grace for these determined competitors, who battle Team Canada coach (and former Team USA superstar) Joe Soares en route to the climactic contest in Athens. Simply put, Murderball is the best film to date about living with a severe disability, but codirectors Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro avoid the sappy, inspirational sentiment that hampers nearly all mainstream films involving disability. By the time this blazing 85-minute film reaches its emotional conclusion, the issue of disability is almost irrelevant; these guys are as normal as anyone, and their life stories led to Murderball becoming the most critically acclaimed documentary of 2005. --Jeff Shannon

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