Murderball

Starring Mark Zupan

Rated R

This summer, you could go see mediocre blockbusters such as “Fantastic Four,” or you could go see a documentary that will probably have more thrills and more laughs than anything a major studio has produced lately. The documentary I’m talking about is “Murderball,” which not only informs the audience about a little-known sport, wheelchair rugby, but also explores the lives of several paraplegics who play this game.

Mark Zupan, an Austinite, is one of those paraplegics. He may be in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t mean he can’t swim, date women, attend highschool reunions, and other normal activities for the average man. He is also one of twelve members of the United States’ Murderball Team, which has had a rivalry with Canada’s opposing paraplegic team every since an aging U.S. player, Joe Soares, ‘betrayed’ his country and began serving as Canada’s coach after the American team let him go.

The documentary also tells the stories of the wives, children, and friends of the paraplegics. Entertaining and relentless, “Murderball” is one of those documentaries that critics, such as myself, and mainstream audiences can enjoy equally (the most recent example of this was “Super-Size Me.”)

Note: Most of the injuries that eventually land the film’s subjects in wheelchairs were caused by drunk driving. I’m not trying to be your 8th grade health teacher, but I think that really says something.

   
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