THE HAMMER: Film Review
by Brian Woodman Jr. on 09/19/12
THE HAMMER, the recent independent film biography of UFC fighter and TUF house alumni Matt Hamill, was released to little fan fare despite being the first biographical feature film about an MMA star. The movie, which focuses on Hamill's amateur wrestling days instead of his MMA career, is engrossing and competently made but treads the familiar territory typically found in sports movies.
Hamill's true story as a deaf man who started wrestling at age four and eventually wrestled in Division III of the NCAA, first attracted national attention after his appearance in the third season of The Ultimate Fighter. His life is obviously engrossing enough for a film; director Oren Kaplan and writers Eben Kostbar and Joseph McKelheer wisely let the subject matter dominate the film. The film's cliched theme, which is that sports can serve as a conduit for anyone with a can-do attitude to surmount devestating problems, is well-intentioned but frankly needs the boost.
The film has clever touches, such as the use of fragmented subtitles when Hamill is attempting to lip read during his early days in Loveland, Ohio. When he eventually attends Rochester Institute of Technology, the film focuses on different nuances of deaf subculture.
The film's wrestling sequences are also well-executed. They are of course sandwiched in between human interest elements that include the obligatory tragic low points (a prom disaster at Loveland High School, being kicked off the Perdue University wrestling team) with the eventual triumphs.
Russell Harvard, who is deaf in real life, is persuasive as Hamill. The rest of the cast, which includes Shoshannah Stern as Hamill's politically active love interest Kristi, are good.
Despite the quality of the acting, some of the characters are a little too pat. Raymond Barry as Hammill's grandfather gives the expected inspirational speeches about not wallowing in self-pity while Michael Anthony Spady is the brash but good-hearted college roommate straight out of central casting (Spady's character does provide some fascinating insight into deaf culture, however). There are chunks of the film that seem like something from the Hallmark Channel, although the cinematography is gorgeous and the general production values are excellent..
Perhaps Hamill's announced return to the UFC will generate interest in this film. It's worth a look to MMA fans and those interested in issues involving the deaf community.
The DVD extras include a light interview with Hamill and trainer Duff Holmes that provides personal insight into the film's content. While the film depicts Hammill using an interpreter during classes at Peudue, for example, Hamill himself clarified that the distance that person had to drive made it difficult for everybody involved. There is also an extended cameo by UFC star Rich Franklin as a wrestling coach.
Hamill's website is located at http://www.matthamill.com/. An entry on Hamill may also be found at http://nwhof.org/?wrestler=2379.
