I went to see Murderball this weekend with the Silver Tongued Devil, and, dammit, now I want to play quad rugby.

The Silver Tongued Devil is probably going to post more on it himself, so I’m going to try to limit my comments.  But what impressed me most was how this flagrantly aggressive, even violent, sport was a vehicle for the redemption of so many of the film’s quadraplegics and their friends and family.  

One subplot of the film follows a paralyzed Keith Cavill—recently injured in a motorcross accident—as he learns the rudiments of physical independence again: tying his shoes, eating, getting dressed.  When Team USA star Mark Zupan visits Keith’s rehab center, Keith is visibly in awe of the video Zupan plays of his team. 

Zupan invites Keith to try out his custom built rugby wheelchair, and we see a change come over him.  Keith, who is still struggling to master his own wheelchair, asks Zupan several times if it’s really okay to hit something with it.  Zupan tells him to hit his chair (which he’s sitting in).  Ever so gently, Keith bumps up against Zupan, over the protests of his social worker and physical therapist.  A huge smile lights up Keith’s face. He tries it again and again.

Later in the film, we see Keith racing a toddler’s tricyle down the street.  Keith is training to play quad rugby now, and he’s saving up for his own rugby wheelchair.

We liberals don’t usually like to think that much good (or any good) can come of aggression.  But as Mary Midgley points out, aggression—like sex, hunger and fear—is a natural, innate human motive. And, like any other natural motive, aggression is good when it is balanced and appropriate.  Those who deny this would deprive Keith Cavill of his redemption.  I, for one, am not willing to tell Keith to be a nice quad and drop his dream of playing murderball.