Hamill

I have been fan of the UFC for some years now, it has some great characters, some of the fighters did it the real hard way to get to the top of the sport, and The Hammer is one of them! I grew up with my cousin who was born deaf, so I sort of know what Matt had to deal with, but like Matt my cousin was great at most things he had a go at, my cousin even got married and has 3 beautiful kids, something I never got the courage to do! What I liked about this film was that there was a lot of effort put in to try and make you feel and see what it must be like to be deaf, the story flows at a nice pace, and has a solid cast.

Give this film a go, even if you are not into MMA, you will still feel like a champ watching Matt become The Hammer! A solid 8 out of 10, HI5

This is a great indie movie. All the actors who play deaf roles, including the kids, are really deaf and do a great job. This movie is based on a true story of Matt Hamill. I was in a theater where some people actually stood up and clapped at the end of the movie and others were nearly in tears. You can't go wrong with this movie and kids like 10 and up will enjoy it. If you are a fan of wrestling or the UFC or interested in deafness, these are all good reasons to rent or buy the movie.

The two movie makers in this movie were Eben Kostbar and Joseph McKelheer. This is their first full length movie, which they wrote and produced. They can also be seen in this movie in a small role as the two coaches at Rochester Institute of Technology. Eben Kostbar even studied sign language and uses it in the movie and is fluent in real life. Look for more titles from them and their company, Film Harvest in the coming years.

I took two hours train to see this movie in New York City. I felt that this movie is very powerful to tell a story about deaf culture and wrestler who was deaf from birth. This movie can show what it is like being deaf and hard of hearing person. I wish movie chains can run more show times and theaters. I suggested my friends who are not deaf to go see that movie but they said there is no show times in their local movie theaters. Switched at Birth is television programming that has many great examples of deaf culture. I definitely recommended everybody to go see this movie. Matt Hamill is a perfect role model for deaf community. Deaf doesn't mean we cannot do anything like wrestling, playing sports and getting a job.

I know many people on here are writing rave reviews. Talking about how beautifully this film was made. And, I will agree, there were certainly some shining moments, especially with the sound editing.

The thing I had the most difficulty with, was the accuracy. I went looking to see the true story of Matt, and the things he went through. But there were so many things that were wrong (fact wise) that it's hard to know what was real and what was fiction.

I went to school with Matt, graduated in 1993. I personally know many of the people that were in the film. None of them were remotely close to their real life counterparts. Mike Rich, for one, was not even on the same page. Pat Hamill, Janet, and even Stan (his grandfather) were not given anything close to their real personalities either. And the town of Loveland, they made it laughable. There aren't (and weren't) miles and miles of corn. It isn't some one horse hick town as we would be lead to believe. I'm not saying every detail needs to be kept. But at least one would be nice. Do a little research, or at least try to make it look like you did.

Another complaint I have, is for the first half of the film, even though they clearly say he is deaf, they treat him as if he's mentally handicapped. Matt, from what I know of him, was never stupid. People weren't embarrassed by him. I always saw him as respected and well liked.

My final thought is this, the movie's message is great, and I guess that's what's the most important with a film like this. But it had potential to be so much better, and I think Matt deserves a better representation of his life, than what this film has given him.

This is a movie the deaf have been awaiting for decades but it will be seen by everyone as a very special movie for decades to come. Fantastic panoramic scenes of Americana, a custom made score that brings emotion and incredible depth to a simple well written story, a twist on the use of subtitles that doesn't interfere with the viewing at all, and a subject matter that transcends sport, this movie brings people together and inspires like no other. The fact that the deaf and hearing worlds can equally enjoy this movie makes viewing it in a crowded theater a social experience like no other. "Hamill" will forever be looked at as an example of the power of simplicity and heart.