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"It used to be called Murderball," says US Quad Rugby player Mark Zupan. "But you can't really market Murderball to corporate sponsors." And with that, directors Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro pretty much slap the audience in the face with a large wad of irony, using Murderball as the title for their documentary.

Through candid dialogue, Murderball uses Quad Rugby as the basis to cover just about everything you didn't really want to know about Quadriplegics, such as getting over feelings in public, sex lives, competitiveness and driving a car. During the build up to the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece, the players share the stories behind the injuries that have left them with limited function in all four limbs, altering their lives dramatically.

Murderball manages do away with any preconceptions you might have had about the physically impaired. These Quad Rugby players have had to go through a lot of crap and they haven't let their disability become a hindrance to them. If anything, some of them have come out much stronger. In fact you probably wouldn't want to get in a fight with any of the players, because they'd most likely win! "I've actually done more in a chair then I did able-bodied," says Mark to fellow Quadriplegics at a rehabilitation centre. "Don't let this thing limit you from doing anything you want."

The aim of Quad Rugby itself is to score a point by getting to the other end of the court with possession of the ball, making sure that the two wheels cross over the opposing side's line. Since the sport began, the USA has been largely undefeated, which might explain the one-sided focus on them rather than any other team. However, things don't quite turn out as expected during the Wheelchair Rugby World Championship 2002 in Gothenberg, Sweden, which opens the film.

The documentary portrays the bitter rivalry between Mark Zupan and his predecessor Joe Soares, now coaching their archrivals Canada, after he was cut off the US team due to age. "If Joe was on the side of the road on fire, I wouldn't piss on him to put it out," says Mark. Even after a game as the players do their complimentary handshake, Mark appears to snatch his hand away from Joe. However Joe is just as immature and some of his putdowns are embarrassingly bad ("USA: learn a new way"). Joe is so infatuated with Quad Rugby that when his wife Patti makes a toast to him during their 22nd wedding anniversary, just before clinking glasses, Joe says, "To Team Canada." Because that's what every wife wants to hear during their anniversary.

That Joe and his wife Patti would even allow cameras to film them at a restaurant during the night of their anniversary is a little odd. The directors must have had unrestricted access, because during a pivotal moment I was speculating how the hell they managed to convince a hospital to allow cameras inside an operating room while doctors work on someone who has suffered a heart attack. Filmed over a four year period, there must have been enough footage to commission an on going TV series. Yet at just under 90 minutes it manages to feel completely comprehensive.

The documentary also has a side story on Keith Cavill, who is coming to terms with Quadriplegia after surviving a motocross accident. His inclusion only came about during filming and is an inspired decision. Having been actively racing street bikes and four wheelers, it borders upon morbidly comic when Keith's mother says, "All his life, he's been on wheels." As he leaves the rehabilitation centre, he struggles to simply open an envelope and the card inside. After witnessing Quad Rugby players who have adjusted, this shot manages to put across the nature of getting used to the disability more than any words can. Arriving home, his mother and girlfriend are rather speechless after Keith realises the changes to his life, saying, "This sucks."

Later, a telling two-second shot focuses on the scar on the back of Keith's neck, only to then pan to what caused this; his motocross bike which is in front of him. You kinda got to hold back the tears as he stares at it, knowing that he'll never be able to ride it again. His outlook changes after meeting Mark and riding his custom made chair for Quad Rugby.

After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005, it went on to win the Jury Prize and Audience Award. The following year it was even nominated for an Oscar, but lost out to March of the Penguins. Its limited release would explain why few saw it upon its theatrical release, though given the subject matter it's certainly not a priority for many. Murderball isn't asking for your sympathy. There isn't even one of those donation pledges during the end credits. In fact it's more of a feel-good film, with Quadriplegics simply getting on with their lives and playing Quad Rugby. It deserves your attention.