Murderball

Great movie, and all involved deserve all the awards that I know are coming your way!

As an ex-murderball player of 18 years, I got to see, first hand, how this sport developed and grew internationally, along with those who play, in this huge adrenaline rush of a sport!

This movie provided me with flashbacks to how much I enjoyed playing "murderball" when I first started playing back in 1980 back when we used 55-pound hospital-style wheelchairs and steel-toed work boots to protect our feet!

This sport not only has an awesome set of athletes, but the friends and camaraderie that all develop by playing this true contact sport makes it all worthwhile. It also makes them realize that they all have the potential to go beyond their everyday abilities.

Greets to all you court rats out there and don't let anyone push you, push your freakin' chair and hit 'em if they get in your way... :)

Brian

This was a terrific documentary about the sport of Quad Rugby - Murderball, as it is unofficially known - that is, quadriplegic athletes in tank-like wheelchairs, kicking ass and taking names. The film doesn't show them as saints, just as real people with real stories and almost all fed up with society patronizing them. Ultimately the film packs a real emotional punch and will likely get you wanting to know more about many of the people you meet here and what happens to them after the credits roll. It may even inspire you to watch this sport live if you get a chance to do so or at least follow it. I hope this film gets the release it deserves as I think it has serious breakout potential. Based on its' award at the Sundance Festival in 2005, positive word of mouth could be considerable. 9/10

Yes-absolutely-"Zupan is an asshole, he was before his accident and he is now". This memorable comment early on in this lovable, laugh-a-minute-just kidding-film was made by an old acquaintance of Zupan from high school and it definitely sets the tone of the film. A person can not enjoy Murderball-you can admire it, be interested by it, even respect it but you can not enjoy it-except if you play it.

Rubin's direction was sublime-there was not a minute that I was not glued to all that was on the screen and because he also was the cinematographer, the action on the screen was continuous. The actual action of the game was mesmerizing but the action of the character's minds demanded even closer attention by the viewer.

The nuances of handicapped life were unwrapped before an audience that I would suspect had little encounter with any of the subjects examined by Rubin: attraction, disability cause, sex, public reactions, mundane personal chores and most of all-sporting competition.

Because the film was extraordinarily personal, within minutes of watching I took an instant dislike of Zupan and for the remainder of the film nursed an overwhelming desire to hit him head on at full speed on the competition floor.

An excellent door into a little examined facet of life-make an effort to see it.

Having seen one of the most brilliant documentaries several years ago called Hoop Dreams, I though there could be nothing that could even come close to its raw passion and emotional power. After witnessing Murderball, I realized I was wrong.

This documentary that follows a select group of quadriplegic athletes provides just the perfect amount of tension and joy, as witnessing the former trials of Arthur Agee, and William Gates and family in Chicago.

Some background is given on the sport as to how it's played (no less ironically on a basketball court), but Murderball's greatest asset is the depth in which it probes the players backgrounds and challenges, and our understanding of what it means to be in a chair (more than likely) the rest of your life.

Like Hoop Dreams, it isn't the games or the run up to the championship that becomes the most exciting part (as great as that may be), but is found in the little moments when a father makes an effort to be at his sons recital, an old friend comes to watch his buddy at the paralympics in Greece, a recent quadriplegic first gets into a "mad chair" for the first time, or a group of players confront a former coach and mention his "treasonous" grounds. It is the access the filmmakers have gotten to not just film games, but to be at the right place at the right time in these players lives. That is what separates a brilliant documentary from just a good one, also the filmmakers and distributors have believed in this film, and it contains some very slick production work to boot.

In the end, the audience for the most part who will be watching this as able bodied people, will come out with a sense of glowing pride for these athletes who play this crazy (perhaps) insane sport. This movie more than anything is about EMPOWERMENT, and the drive that succeeds in us all. When you watch these people in action you suddenly even begin to question how much you shouldn't complain about the everyday nuisances compared to what these players deal with on a regular basis.

It breaks down the barriers we people have towards individuals in wheelchairs to realize, that you know these people aren't always reflecting on what happened in their life as a lost chance, that they are okay, and more importantly you know what.. some of them may dam well be real jerks, but you know what.. that's okay too. But by golly, don't you dare even feel for sorry for them, just be glad that if you have a Zupan, Bob Lujano, or an Andy Cohn in your corner you may just have one of the coolest friends on the planet, and be a lucky person indeed. Cause for the most part they probably stand taller than you in every way.

Rating 9 out of 10

Murderball is a sport otherwise known as Wheelchair / Quad Rugby. Played by quadriplegics, it is a 4 on 4 rugby game on wheels, which requires plenty of strength, speed, and that armoured wheelchair which almost doubles as a kind of bumper car as the sportsmen battle it out for supremacy on a regular basketball court.

This documentary showcases the game from both the points of view of Team USA and Team Canada, highlighting the intense rivalry between them, with Team Canada inheriting a disgruntled ex-Team USA star player Joe Soares, who's now their head coach. Naturally when you have someone who knows your team strategy and know it inside out, is a cause for concern, as Team USA seeks to continue its winning streak, with new star player Mark Zupan in its fold.

But it's not just about the game, or just the preparation for the Paralympic Games in Athens 2004. In its compact 85 minutes, we get introduced to the key players like Zupan, and go behind the scenes to see what makes them tick, as well as their backstories on how they have become confined to a wheelchair. Not everyone is born without limbs, and for most, it's usually an accident, or a disease. Family ties are given equally adequate screen time, as support for these folks, as do any other sporting professional, is as important, especially after facing a huge loss while representing the country.

It's a bit hilarious as they account for the stares and innocent requests of help extended to by strangers, and you've got to salute these guys' strength, independence and confidence that comes with the sport. Besides the game, they do go around the country to inspire others who have recently suffered the same predicament of being in a wheelchair, to advise that it's not a lost cause.

And while they reminisce about how they had to adjust to their condition, I suppose the common question they all had was, does their woody still work. And surprisingly, it's this curiosity amongst chicks that actually assist them in snagging them, ha! But light hearted moments aside, it's almost always never easy in picking life back up again, as everyone harbours the dream that one day, they will walk again.

For those who have followed the team's exploits in the previous Athens Olympic Games, will already know the outcome of the game. Done in MTV styled quick cuts with adrenaline pumping music, the games shown in the documentary don't bore. But as the cliché goes, it's never about the destination, but about the journey. Best wishes to all the athletes competing in Beijing 2008!