Murderball
by Dana Adam Shapiro, Henry Alex Rubin
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DVD details
Actor: Dave Willsie, Joe Soares, Kevin Orr (II), Mark Zupan, Scott HogsettDirector: Dana Adam Shapiro, Henry Alex Rubin
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 86 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-29
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Velocity / Thinkfilm
DVD Reviews of Murderball
DVD Review: A documentary without the fluff
Summary: 4 Stars
Most documentaries or movies with the handicapped that I have seen fall into one of two categories: 1) Complete fluff where everyone is sympathetic and incredibly inspiring, or 2) Patronizing. Murderball follows neither lead, and comes up completely humanistic and original.
Essentially it's the story of the US Olympic Wheelchair Rugby team, and their quest to win the gold. Among their rivals is their most hated enemy: the Canadians. Within this setup, we see happiness and elation, as well as agony, embarrassment, and frustration. As if he were cast for the role of confrontational antagonist, the Canadian team is led by Joe Soares, a foul-mouthed former pioneer and legend of US Wheelchair Rugby who many consider a traitor. He didn't make the US team on his last try-out and he's vulgarly, bitterly protested ever since. His counterpart is the US superstar Mark Zuban, a somewhat brash player who typifies the younger, aggressive generation, but still manages to become the face of quad-rugby, inspiring others through seminars and discussions.
Given that the documentary is named Murderball, I expected much more action and many more brutal hits from the armored wheelchairs that are used during competition. There isn't nearly enough focus given to the sport itself. Instead, the drama surrounding personal lives was the true focus, a borderline voyeuristic look into the players' lives. There were no corners cut, nor were there falsehoods. Those who are quadriplegic can find love and happiness, and will almost inevitably face further life difficulties. What struck me was the balance between positive traits and negative flaws, where one can be humble yet heroic, and another could be internally frail yet outwardly, defiantly strong.
It's a great character study and very compelling. It achieves its purpose: showing that the quad rugby players are just like us "normal" people. I highly recommend it.
DVD Review: A FIlm Not Good At Apologizing!
Summary: 5 Stars
When you think of quad rugby (rugby played by quadrapolegics) what do you think of? What I thought of was a bunch of disabled guys getting together to throw the ball around for no other reason but that they wouldn't feel sorry for themselves. (It is hard to admit, but that is the vision I had.)
This film - Murderball, which is the original name of "quad rugby" - is a mind-changer. And unlike other films portraying people with disabilities, this film does an excellent job in not apologizing for its subject. What do I mean? With many films and shows about people with disabilities, we are supposed to either feel sorry for their subjects, feel sorry that we are feeling sorry for our subjects, or watch a film that "politely" deals with the subjects' disabilities.
This film is no good at apologizing and certainly is not polite. It centers around the American and Canadian quad rugby teams as they prepare for the 2004 Athens olympics, and we meet a bunch of guys who, quite frankly, would kick your a** were you to pat them on the head (as we often subconsciously do to wheelchair inhabitants). (One character says, at the beginning, "What, you won't hit a guy in a chair? Hit me. I'll hit you back.")
We watch the teams - particularly the American team - train for the Olympics. In so doing, we get to peer into their personal lives: they talk about how they became quadrapolegics, how they got turned on to rugby, and even - cough - frank discussion about how they have sex (I told you this was not a typical polite "disability" film). We see perfections, imperfections, and real, real life.
The film is quite captivating in that we are (a) learning about a sport most of us have never watched or thought we'd watch; (b) learning about people who we've always been interested in but never asked about; and (c) are following an adventure story to see if the always-dominant American team can retain their dominance against a very-hungry Candadian team. All three of these factors are equally integrated into the film and one never feels like the film is subsumed by any one of them. Guys. Sports. Paralysis. An interesting triangle, but one which works here.
See the film. I guarantee that you will think of see quad rugby - I'm sorry, murderball - in the same way again.
DVD Review: I'm gonna murder you with my ball
Summary: 5 Stars
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.DVD Review: Balls out
Summary: 5 Stars
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. DVD Review: DON'T LET THE TITLE THROW YOU
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Description of Murderball
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 ShannonGeneral DVDs
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