Blood on the Fast Track: The Rise of the Rat City Rollergirls

In their fast and feisty documentary, co-directors Lainy Bagwell and Lacy Leavitt profile the Northwest's Rat City Rollergirls, a league founded in Seattle in 2004 by Hurricane Lilly, Rae's Hell, and Dixie Dragstrip, who were inspired by the revival of Texas roller derby to form an organization that's as much about business as sport. With an eye-catching logo, halftime acts, and a range of merchandise, the principals attracted an enthusiastic audience from the start (the free beer probably didn't hurt). Alternating between action sequences and engaging interviews, Bagwell and Leavitt explain the rules of the game (defining terms like “jamming” and “blocking”), introduce many of the players (including the outspoken Basket Casey and team captain Lorna Boom), travel to out-of-state bouts, and capture a lot of good-natured trash talk. In the words of Kitty Kamikaze, for instance, the Sockit Wenches are “the cheerleader team, because they're cute and perky,” while new mother Boom quips that the Throttle Rockets “hate children.” All the teams sport different uniforms, images, and strategies, and share a sense of camaraderie as they work to provide entertainment value. As Casey puts it, “We're a bunch of girls in short skirts beating the snot out of other girls in short skirts.” DVD extras include audio commentary from the filmmakers and players Kamikaze, Dirty Little Secret, Shovey Chase, and Edie Brickwall; a featurette on Rollergirl tattoos; and a league update. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)