Murderball

Ignore the unappealing title, along with any thoughts conjured by the word “quadriplegic.” Even moviegoers who couldn’t care less about rugby or haven’t yet climbed aboard the documentary bandwagon have found themselves in thrall to this film’s jaw-clenching suspense, unsentimental plot, and rugged characters. Its stars play on the U.S. “quad” rugby team, and they are guys who survived debilitating diseases, car wrecks, and brutal fistfights. Now, confined to wheelchairs, they smash each other around the court without pads or helmets or mercy. They’re tough guys who don’t pity themselves in the least, which explains at least in part how they’ve become a new kind of hero and even sex symbol–some of them were recently featured in a New York Times Magazine fashion spread. 612-825-6006; www.landmarktheatres.com