Murderball
January 2006 Reviewed by: Marc Mickelson Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Murderball documents the sport of quadriplegic rugby by following a group of players as they compete in international tournaments and delving into their private lives. A few of the players broke their necks in accidents, and others became disabled through illness. They are not plucky handicapped young men simply trying to recapture a semblance of "normal" life; they are athletes with all of the drive of any of their fully abled peers. Their sport mixes the aggression and contact of football with the strategy of soccer and basketball. It is played on gym floors in custom-made wheelchairs built for speed and ramming. The players doggedly train, sustain injuries, and grow too old to be effective competitors, just as all athletes do.

But the movie doesn't fixate on the sport; it answers the questions we would ask of the competitors: How did you become disabled? What is your life like now? How did you view your disability immediately after it occurred? What does the future hold? It is in this probing that the movie becomes much more than a sports flick; it takes on depth and richness, giving us a view of the players as men. One of the stars knows nothing about the sport for most of the movie. Another is an overbearing ex-player and preoccupied father whose son craves his attention and praise. Both provide the movie with interesting facets and the audience with someone to root for -- and against.

Extras are plentiful and significant. In addition to commentaries and deleted scenes, there are episodes of CNN's Larry King Live and MTV's Jackass that feature the stars of Murderball, and a separate piece that discusses the mechanics and strategy of the game. There is also an interview with the movie's de facto villain, in which we see him in a different light. The video is crisp and clear, and the sound often conveys the raucous nature of the game but doesn't obscure the dialogue that is the heart of the movie.

The new year is young, but I suspect that Murderball will be on my list of the best DVDs of 2006. It deserves an Oscar nomination for its stylish, moving portrayal of a ferocious sport and the seemingly indestructible athletes who play it.

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