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Sports film of the week: Murderball

Welcome to the big-hitting, high-intensity world of wheelchair rugby in this week’s pick.

Murderball

Released: 2005

Directors: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro

FILMED IN THE run-up to the 2004 Paralympics, “Murderball” introduced the world to the hard-hitting sport of wheelchair rugby. It follows the lives of the quadriplegic stars of the American and Canadian national teams, psyched-up warriors who have used the sport to find new meaning amid the adversity of their illnesses and injuries.

Their life stories provide the backdrop but it is in its visceral, high-octane action scenes that “Murderball” comes into its own. These men may have lost their full mobility but they never let go of their competitive streak, that passion and desire to go out and fight on the field. No quarter is given, nor is it asked for.

Fierce, funny and brilliantly told, “Murderball” is not to be missed.

What the critics said: “This is one of those rare docs, like ‘Hoop Dreams,’ where life provides a better ending than the filmmakers could have hoped for (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times)

YouTube Credit: teamtorino