Murderball Shows Us Hell on Wheels

There are a lot of incredible athletes in the U.S. that don't get half the attention they deserve. If Lance Armstrong hadn't come up with those yellow bracelets, would we even know who he was? Can anyone name three players on the U.S. soccer team? Did you know that the Paralympics exist? Perhaps the most overlooked athletes of all, the members U.S. quad rugby team, finally get some long overdue exposure in Think Film's new documentary, Murderball.

Quad rugby, originally known as murderball, is a physically intensive brand of indoor rugby played by quadriplegics in tripped-out armored wheelchairs on a basketball court. With no physical protection, the teams slam into each other, constantly knocking each other to the ground, as they attempt to score points by crossing both wheels over the endline goals at either end of the court.

Murderball profiles several members of the U.S. quad rugby team as they prepare for the 2004 Paralymics in Athens. The team member with the most screen time, including the opening sequence, is Mark Zupan, a tattooed, goateed tough-talker who was injured in a horrific car accident at the age of 18. Though Zupan's friends assure us that Zupan was an "asshole" long before his accident, it's not always easy believe. Always a charismatic character, Zupan proves to be a terrifying force on the court, yet sensitive in other aspects of his life. Some of the most gut-wrenching scenes focus on the tension between Zupan and his guilt-ridden high school best friend, the driver in the accident caused Zupan's injury.