Murderball

While the majority of films about the disabled perpetuate stubborn stereotypes with a conventional tone of inspirational sentiment, Murderball offers a refreshingly subversive perspective, 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 partial 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 the paralyzed or amputee players on Team USA—including Andy Cohn, Scott Hogsett, Bob Lujano, and charismatic team spokesman Mark Zupan—we realize that quad rugby is a saving grace for these determined competitors, who battle Team Canada's 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 paralysis, as co-directors Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro avoid the sappy, condescending attitude that hampers nearly all mainstream films involving disability, so that by the time this blazing 88-minute film reaches its emotional conclusion, the issue of disability is almost irrelevant—these guys are as normal as anyone. Although Murderball was the most highly praised documentary of the first half of 2005, critical acclaim and an aggressive promotional campaign (including players' appearances on the talk-show circuit and numerous articles in high-profile magazines) did not translate into box-office success. Poised to find a much larger audience on DVD, this is highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include two audio commentaries (a player commentary featuring Mark Zupan, Scott Hoggsett, and Andy Cohn; and a filmmaker commentary featuring producer Jeff Mandel, director-producer Dana Adam Shapiro, and director-cinematographer Henry Alex Rubin), a 40-minute CNN Larry King Live interview with cast members (40 min.), the MTV special “Jackass Presents: Murderball” featuring Zupan, Johnny Knoxville, and Steve-O (21 min.), a “Murderball: Behind the Game” behind-the-scenes look at the film (19 min.), an update interview with Joe Soares (11 min.), six deleted scenes (7 min.), two minutes of footage from the film's New York City premiere, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for one of 2005's best docs.] (J. Shannon)