Action heroes roll over stereotypes in fierce 'Murderball'

Mark Zupan, the muscled wheelchair poster boy for the headbanging documentary "Murderball," is frank about talking smack to nonhandicapped guys: "I go, 'What? You're not gonna hit a kid in a chair? [Expletive] hit me! I'll hit you back.'" Zupan is dead serious. As serious with fighting words as he is crashing into an opponent in a rowdy game of wheelchair rugby. That's what "Murderball" is about. These grown men play full-contact rugby in custom-built, "Road Warrior"-style wheelchairs. Their game is ugly, raucously verbal, overtly physical and, as displayed in "Murderball's" rapid-pace editing, a heck of a lot of fun to watch. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
A documentary about paraplegics who play full-contact rugby in Mad Max-style wheelchairs, ultimately competing in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

FILM FACTS ...
ThinkFilm
'Murderball'

Directors: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro
Cast: Keith Cavill, Joe Soares, Mark Zupan
Run time: 88 minutes
Release date: July 22, 2005
Rating: R for language and sexual content.

On the web
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View the trailer
   Trailers require Quicktime

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READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B+
"It may seem at times like a strange film, but it's a compelling one."

Austin American-Statesman: 3 of 5 stars
"Despite the movie's contextual thinness, it strikes emotionally deep, particularly during the climactic showdown of teams U.S.A. and Canada at the Paralympics in Athens, Greece."

Dayton Daily News: A
"... intense, funny and inspiring — as well as a fierce, potential Oscar contender."

The Palm Beach Post: A-
"... a testament to the human spirit, but not one that panders to the tear ducts."


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