It's understandable to go into Murderball expecting a depressing, dark look at an ugly side of life. It's not, and in all actuality, it's a remarkable look at some incredible people who just love to ram their chairs into others on a basketball court. Murderball documents the journey of the US Olympic Wheelchair Rugby team, and does so without the expected angle of feeling sorry for them.
While there is obviously a lot here about the sport, it's really about the people involved. They'll explain how they ended up in a wheelchair and also why they play the game they do. It's engrossing as a documentary, especially as Joe Soares makes his presence felt. This harsh coach was one of the best players in the sport until he was cut from the US team. Now he's coaching the Canadians (and seemingly for revenge), and the conflict between the teams is central to the film.
It provides a nice backdrop to the rest, chronicling their training and personal lives. It's weird to think that while watching this, you never notice they're in chairs (unless they're on the court). It does a fascinating job of presenting this group of guys as normal athletes, not some strange outsiders whose lives are ruined. It breaks the stereotype of making films like this, and it certainly makes strides towards breaking those set by society. You could also say it shows members of the team as arrogant, cocky, and vulgar people. That's also right, but adds to the sense of normalcy, even if that sounds wrong.
If there's anything missing from the film, it's the sport itself. Yes, there are plenty of sequences that show the players smashing into each other without care, but it doesn't explain where the concept started, how it became an Olympic sport, or deeply explain the rules. It's obvious this is a film directly focused on the people playing, not the game itself. Still, a small section offering a few more technical details wouldn't have hurt.
Aside from that, there are few questions left when the film is over. This is a fascinating, raw documentary about a sport most of us have never heard of, and sadly, likely never would if it wasn't for this film. These players demand respect, and they deserve every bit of it. Murderball ensures that shows through. (**** out of *****)
As a documentary, video quality is obviously not a key concern. Grain is prevalent, there's a low quality to the overall picture, and it's faded. This is not a major production, and its not expected to have that extra gloss. (**)
The same can be said for the audio. The excellently chosen soundtrack is the only reason this is in 5.1, and dialogue strains when it hits a high pitch. Again, it's not particularly important to the film and it's as expected. (**)
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I thought this movie was amazing. They weren't afraid of telling their tales but boy were they crass and crude and hilarious!