Review: Murderball (B+)

Murderball (2005)
Directed by Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro
Starring Mark Zupan, Joe Soares and Keith Cavill
MPAA: R
Grade: B+

Review by Sebastian Francis Kennedy

Documentaries are all the rage these days, and frankly, this reviewer is delighted. Films that would never see distribution back in the eighties are now getting distributed and finding wider audiences. Case in point: Murderball, a wonderful documentary about the tough, inspirational world of quadriplegic rugby.

Murderball focuses on the lives on quadriplegics that play indoor rugby, using their wheelchairs as battering rams. It is a wonderful film. These gentlemen stand up to their disabilities and take their spirits to the next level by working to become the best wheelchair rugby players in the world. Competitions between U.S. and Canadian teams are fierce, and the rivalry is tremendous. Seeing these young men battle to become the best at what they do is an inspiration. As the U.S. team battles their way to Athens Olympic Arena to combat their rivals, we get to know the players, their stories, and why the game is so important.

Murderball was awarded the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and it is garnering high praise throughout the U.S. This is a wonderful documentary and it is highly recommended. Go see it.