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Murderball

Director(s): Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro
14

Movie Details

MPAA Rating: R
Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Profanity, Sexual Situations
Movie Release: 2005
DVD Release: 11/29/2005
Format: DVD - Color,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Audio Tracks: English
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 26 mins
Studio: Velocity Home Entertainment
Total Copies: 14
Genres: Sports & Recreation, Culture & Society, Biography, Illnesses & Disabilities, Sports

DVD Synopsis

Better known as Wheelchair Rugby, Murderball is a game created by quadriplegic athletes that is every bit as aggressive as the name would lead one to expect; played with bone-breaking intensity, a typical game of Wheelchair Rugby involves plenty of trash-talking, a few head-on collisions, and the occasional player being thrown from his modified wheelchair. The game has become an official event at the Paralympics, a worldwide competition for handicapped athletes, and the United States and Canada have become fierce rivals in the event. When Joe Soares was dropped from the top-seated American team, he angrily retaliated by signing on as coach for the Canadian team, which he led to an upset victory for Team Canada in the games. In 2004, filmmaker Henry Alex Rubin and journalist Dana Adam Shapiro followed both teams as they traveled to Athens, Greece, for the 2004 Paralympics, documenting the fierce competition between the two teams (especially the Americans, bitterly stung by what they saw as Soares' betrayal). Murderball offers an up-close look at the 2004 Wheelchair Rugby tournament, as well as the personal stories of the athletes who are passionate, driven, and determined to win -- as one of them says, "I'm not here for a hug, I'm here for a medal." Murderball earned an enthusiastic reception in its premier screenings at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Member Movie Reviews

Darwin H. (movienut) from BLOOMINGTON, MN wrote on 3/19/2008...

I now see why this very well done documentary has gotten such high praise. The story follows the lives of the quadriplegic rugby athletes from Team USA as they prepare for the 2004 Paralympics. Here they plan to meet their arch rivals the Canadians in another fight for the gold medal.

These guys trash-talk, train hard, and are every bit as fierce a competitors as any able-bodied amatuer and professional athletes - they just happen to all be confined to wheelchairs. The game action is very exciting and intense as the competitors race about in their wheelchairs often with predictably savage collisions and players being knocked over to the floor.

Yet the human story off the court is every bit as compelling if not more so than the event itself. These guys tell their stories about how they ended up in wheelchairs and their tremendous struggles to relearn such seemingly simple tasks as getting dressed, feeding themselves, etc.

In one scene, Mark Zupan the spokesman for the US team shows footage of a match and explains his sport to some newly injured men in a rehab center. The interest with which his presentation is received by a young former motocross racer is a wonderfully uplifting scene. This young man is dying to get into Mark's rugby chair and knock it around a little. You can just see his eyes light up as he realizes that he may still be able to compete, regardless of his tragic accident.

All in all a very well-made inspirational movie that I highly recommend.

This has been a movienut *no spoilers* quick review.