Murderball is a documentary that tells the story of several Quad Rugby players. This documentary takes us on a journey with the American Quad Rugby team and their mission to once again take gold medal at the paraplegic Olympics. This movie is completely different from what you would expect when you hear about it. This movie tells the stories of many of these men and their journey of how they became paraplegic and got involved with the Quad Rugby team. This film focuses on overcoming your disabilities and making the best out of your life. These men tell about how people react to them in public places and how they feel when people say things to them such as "It's good to see you out today." People do not realize that these men are just as strong, healthy, and fit as they are. One theme that is reoccurring in this film is the idea of making the best out of your life. These men have gone through some really tough events in their lives and are still able to accomplish daily activities. This film conveys the message that whatever situations you are going through in your life, it can be overcome. This message is clearly conveyed through the stories told about these men. The film was edited in a very appealing way. The way it was edited, we were taken on a journey of the lives of these men. We followed them through their daily lives and learned of their daily troubles and hardships. The music was used to show emotion and build up suspense within the storyline. The music used in this film and editing style used are very effective in conveying the thoughts and themes that director wished to show. The director of this film, Henry Alex Rubin, is slowly creating a name for himself in the film industry. Another famous film of his is Who is Henry Jaglom? This film shows the story of a man creating and working on various films. The film showed a picture of his life and created a real image of this filmmaker. This style seems to be the normal style for Rubin. In Murderball he uses the same technique to show the lives of the rugby players. Rubin worked with MTV to film Murderball for its release in July of 2005. Mark Zupan is the main character of this film. The film tells the story of when he was 18 and passed out drunk it the bed of his friend's truck. Without knowing he was there, his friend left a party and got in a wreck on this way home. Zupan was thrown out of the truck and into a creek where he was forced to fight for his life. That night, he lost his legs. Since this tragic experience Zupan has had to learn how to live without using his legs. In the film you are also able to see Zupan reunite with his friend that was driving the truck and overcome an emotional battle within him. Murderball was an exceptional movie and tells a great message about making the best out of the life you are given.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning A documentary following the real-life exploits of a group of men in wheelchairs who compete in a wheelchair version of rugby. The film follows the men's lives, as we learn about how they ended up in the wheelchairs and follow the build up to their training and the fierce determination they display when it comes to the final competition.There have been plenty of sports documentaries, but Murderball is in a league of it's own. Here we are presented with a bizarre sport, aimed at disabled people, basically a form of rugby where the competitors slam into each other's wheelchairs, tustle for possession of the ball and compete to score as many points as possible.The film spends a lot of time focusing on the men involved, and we see how angry and aggressive they all are (whether this is all to do with the hand fate's dealt them we're not sure) but also how hard they try to talk and act like they could walk as possible and how most of the none disabled people around them try to make life the same for them as well. There are moments of vulnerability, namely when one competitor loses his composure for a minute describing a dream in which he can fly, but this just shows their human side and that can't be a bad thing.But what really sets Murderball apart from most of the other documentaries I've seen is it's intense, high-energy style. This isn't your standard talking heads documentary, this zooms in almost entirely on the athletes involved, following them around in their daily lives during the build up to the big game, really getting to know them as people. But the actual sports scenes are what makes the film come alive, playing like coverage of your average American basketball game with the camera zooming in on the players and getting up close and personal during the intense sports action.A refreshingly different take on the modern documentary, showing us people throwing the odds to the skies and going for their dream with every ounce of fire and attitude as they can muster. ****

I would not have liked being one of the Academy voters for the 2006 Documentary Oscar. I would be prejudiced and would have voted for the eventual winner, La Marche de l'empereur, but I finally saw the last of the other entries last night, and I know that the decision was difficult.Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Darwin's Nightmare, and Street Fight were all superior documentaries as was this one. It was a year of superior films.I can assure you that wheelchair rugby is not my cup of tea, and I applaud the determination shown by these players as they put their lives back together after injury or disease. And, yes, we do learn everything we always wanted to know about quadriplegic sex but were afraid to ask.

MURDERBALL, simply put, is a bunch of quadriplegics in wheelchairs playing full-contact Rugby on a sort of basketball court. But the movie is much more than that simplistic notion.MURDERBALL the movie is a voyage of discovery, telling its characters (the men in these wheelchairs) that life isn't over after a debilitating accident. And telling us, those who are fortunate enough not to be stuck in these chairs, that they've earned our respect, not our sympathies.This amazingly little known Paralympic sport is taken very seriously by the U.S. team, who've taken home the gold the past 11 times. Their specialized chairs are turned into battering rams for plowing into fellow players (the speed at which they can travel are impressive and the impacts at the end ear-throttling).Mark Zupan is one of this documentary's focuses, a quadriplegic with serious attitude, huge biceps, a scowling face, dark tattoos, and, underneath it all, a heart of gold. Having been paralyzed after an accident caused by his best friend from high school, Christopher Igoe, the two have not spoken in years ...out of guilt, fear, and anger. But as the film winds down we see a softening in attitude on Mark Zupan's part and the two come together in an offish but very touching way.The other main focus of the documentary is on Joe Soares, a bitter man who lost his position on team America and now spins his Rugby wheels for the Canadian team ...as their coach. Sparks fly as the two teams meet up for the first time since Joe Soares took over the Canadian team. Joe is also so caught up in what he's doing that he forgets to remember the most important things in his life: his wife and son. At first, I absolutely hated Joe. But as the film rolled on, and some changes in Joe's life were forced upon him, I began to understand his position. The viewer also gets to see Joe grow out of his self-centeredness and into a more loving father and husband.The final focus is on a young man named Kevin, who is newly acquainted with a wheelchair after becoming a quadriplegic from a motorcycle accident. He's bitter, angry, depressed, all the things you'd expect after suffering such a horrific life-change. But Mark Zupan introduces him to wheelchair Rugby (Murderball) and Kevin is instantly hooked. Life takes on new meaning for Kevin and he obviously decides that his existence still has value. A great set of scenes! I'll end this review by mentioning the special features that came with the DVD. Johnnie Knoxville and "Steve-O" from Jackass the TV series, party with several of the members of the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby team and it's a great thing to behold. Not only does it show how amiable these wheelchair-bound guys are, but it also shows us how their chairs don't hold them back in the slightest (punching each other, using cattle prods, and jumping off ramps in their chairs and into swimming pools).