The Hammer
The Hammer
PG-13 | 26 October 2010 (USA)
The Hammer Trailers

A coming of age drama following the life of Matt Hamill, the first deaf wrestler to win a National Collegiate Wrestling Championship.

Reviews
Nonureva Really Surprised!
ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.
Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.
kjh11485 This movie is awesome. It is impossible not to be inspired after seeing this movie and hearing the story of Matt Hamill.That coming from someone who personally knows him. I have known about his story since I was a young kid because he grew up in the same town I did and seeing the movie was still a moving experience. Definitely recommend this for kids and adults with and without a disability.Everyone should go out and see this movie. I promise you will enjoy every second of it!
skyloki-20-825243 I know many people on here are writing rave reviews. Talking about how beautifully this film was made. And, I will agree, there were certainly some shining moments, especially with the sound editing.The thing I had the most difficulty with, was the accuracy. I went looking to see the true story of Matt, and the things he went through. But there were so many things that were wrong (fact wise) that it's hard to know what was real and what was fiction.I went to school with Matt, graduated in 1993. I personally know many of the people that were in the film. None of them were remotely close to their real life counterparts. Mike Rich, for one, was not even on the same page. Pat Hamill, Janet, and even Stan (his grandfather) were not given anything close to their real personalities either. And the town of Loveland, they made it laughable. There aren't (and weren't) miles and miles of corn. It isn't some one horse hick town as we would be lead to believe. I'm not saying every detail needs to be kept. But at least one would be nice. Do a little research, or at least try to make it look like you did.Another complaint I have, is for the first half of the film, even though they clearly say he is deaf, they treat him as if he's mentally handicapped. Matt, from what I know of him, was never stupid. People weren't embarrassed by him. I always saw him as respected and well liked.My final thought is this, the movie's message is great, and I guess that's what's the most important with a film like this. But it had potential to be so much better, and I think Matt deserves a better representation of his life, than what this film has given him.
erinkarll Not really plot spoilers, but i do talk about how they show some of the plot.I was lucky enough to catch this movie while it was on the limited run (nov 2nd). It was on par with other great sports movies, or I should say deliver a total knock out to those other 'underdog' movies. But this film is more then just another run of mill story. From the very opening scene I know I was in for something special. The story is touching and watching the day to day issues was inspiring. I really enjoyed the use of muted sounds, no sound at all, and complete true audio. The captions were used for not only the normal use (helping get the spoken and signed language to those who did know) but also helped move the story along. I am wishing for a longer run, or a DVD release. Of course now all of the people in my Deaf Communication Studies classes want to see the film.Well acted, perfectly directed!
rttrek I caught this at the AFI Film Fest in L.A., where it was the hottest ticket of the festival! The theater was packed, with people sitting in the aisles, wanting to see how it solved the problem of making a movie for both the hearing and the signing communities.They weren't disappointed! Everyone loved it, and it easily won the audience award for the breakthrough category of the festival. In fact, Hamill has now been in five festivals, and has won an audience or jury award in each one! Hamill combines the best attributes of sports film, character study and social commentary. The acting is top-notch, especially Russell Harvard as Matt Hamill and Michael Spady as his RIT roommate and fellow wrestler.My favorite scenes involve waterfalls, and the way the script and sound production are used to present a waterfall as Matt experiences it is masterful.A definite must-see movie!