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Whistle Stopper - Murderball
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List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $5.48
Your Save: $ 9.51 ( 63% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Starring: Dave Willsie, Kevin Orr (II), Scott Hogsett, Mark Zupan, Joe Soares
Directed By: Dana Adam Shapiro, Henry Alex Rubin
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0821575533652
Format: Color
Label: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2005-11-29
Running Time: 86
Studio: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Theatrical Release Date: 2005-07-22
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A FIlm Not Good At Apologizing!
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I'm gonna murder you with my ball
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Balls out
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: DON'T LET THE TITLE THROW YOU
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Hardcore and Full Contact
Comment: A sports documentary that takes a different look toward disability through the eyes of the the USA Quadriplegic Ruby Team, also known as Murderball. Each player must have some loss of physical function in all four limbs but still able to navigate a modified wheelchair. The team is followed through their journey to the hardcore full contact venue of the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens Greece. Each player is introduced with their background stories and how this sport has empowered them. Some very unforgettable players and inspirational stories. Plus a couple of questions are answered as to their daily life with a disability. Very fascinating.
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Editorial Reviews:
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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 Shannon
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