"That's a nice-a donut."
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Murderball (2005)
Murderball isn't quite what the title suggests. It's not actually a movie about a sport where the object is to kill your opponents (that's already been done before anyway, in the interesting but flawed Series 7: The Contenders). It is though a very good, often fascinating documentary about some of the world's most determined and dedicated athletes: quadriplegic rugby players, who play the hard hitting, sometimes violent sport in their souped-up wheelchairs.
From directors Henry Rubin and Dana Shapiro, Murderball was produced, in part, by MTV Films and it shows in its no-nonsense, fast moving, kinetic pace. But, structure-wise, it is actually a fairly conventional documentary. The set-up is a loss by the United States quad rugby squad in the 2002 world championship to their archrivals, Canada. It was a stinging defeat, as it ended a long string of dominance by the U.S. in the competition. But the team vows to continue on and, led by star Mark Zupan (who looks like a demonic evildoer in the worst way); they set their sights on getting revenge at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece. The Canadians would obviously like to remain on top, and they are led by Joe Soares - one of quad rugby's all-time greats who, in an unintentionally hilarious move, became a traitor to the U.S. See, he used to be U.S. star, but was cut from the team back in 1996 and fled to become the Canuck's head coach. The story moves on to introducing the key people and then, once things are in motion, it settles into alternating between showcasing Team USA and Canadian Joe.
Meanwhile, the film weaves together several running sub-stories. The best of them focuses on Keith, a young man recently injured and partially paralyzed in a bike accident. It is a rude awakening for him, but he manages to get it together and undergoes intensive daily therapy. It is a wonderful heartwarming moment when Keith meets Zupan; you know that the looks of joy on Keith's face as he tries out Zupan's modified wheelchair have pretty much sealed his fate. Two other subplots involve Zupan coming to terms with his former best friend (the driver in the accident that caused his injury), and Joe's relationship with his son (who isn't quite the athlete he would like him to be).
Still, there are some questions left unanswered. I wanted to know more about what these people do in their daily lives. Tell us what they do besides quad rugby. Do they work, or do they somehow manage to do rugby fulltime? Also, in a bit of a nitpick, I would have liked to have seen a few more collisions or skirmishes during the matches. Most of the game shots were just people scoring, which gives an impression that it's easier than it actually is.
But the rest of the movie more than makes up for these deficiencies. Murderball is filled with plenty of fun and funny moments, which is exactly what it needed. Certainly plenty of people have the misconception that paraplegics simply sit around in wheelchairs all day long having others care for them and generally leading miserable, meaningless lives. These men prove that this isn't always the case. Probably the best moment is a brief piece in which the players talk about their sex lives and how they adapted to work around their body's new limitations. This is intercut with scenes from a paraplegic sex ed video. In all, Murderball is a triumphant movie and arguably one of the best documentaries in recent years.
The Verdict: B+.
Michael Bentley 10:20 AM
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