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
Brand: THINKFILM LLC
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 88 minutes
Published: 2005-11-01
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-29
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: TF53365
Studio: Velocity / Thinkfilm
DVD Reviews of Murderball
DVD Review: Hollywood Can't Make Up Stuff As Good As This
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
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!
Description of Murderball
Featuring fierce rivalry stopwatch suspense and larger-than-life personalities the critically acclaimed MURDERBALL Winner of the Documentary Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Editing at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival is a film about tough highly petitive rugby players: Quadriplegic rugby players. Whether by car wreck fist fight gun shot or rogue bacteria these men were forced to live life sitting down. In their own version of the full-contact sport they smash the hell out of each other in custom-made gladiator-like wheelchairs. And no they don't wear helmets.From the gyms of middle-America to the Olympic arena in Athens Greece MURDERBALL tells the story of a group of world-class athletes unlike any ever shown on screen. In addition to smashing chairs it will smash every stereotype you ever had about the disabled. It is a film about family revenge honor sex (yes they can) and the triumph of love over loss. But most of all it is a film about standing up even after your spirit - and your spine - has been crushed.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES Rating: NR Age: 821575533652 UPC: 821575533652 Manufacturer No: TF53365More 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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