The Hammer (2010)

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

Director:

Oren Kaplan

Writers:

Eben Kostbar, Joseph McKelheer

Stars:

Russell Harvard, Raymond J. Barry, Shoshannah Stern

6 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Russell Harvard	...	Matt Hamill
Raymond J. Barry	...	Stanley Leroy McCoy
Shoshannah Stern	...	Kristi Jones
Michael Anthony Spady	...	Jay Jakubowski
Courtney Halverson	...	Michelle
Susan Gibney	...	Janet Hamill
Joseph McKelheer	...	Ron Gross
Eben Kostbar	...	Coach Cantrell
Rich Franklin	...	Coach Pruitt
Stephen Dodd	...	Coach Rich
Gavin Bellour	...	Pat Hamill
Theodore Conley	...	Young Matt Hamill
Lexi Marman	...	Kelly
Kara Luiz	...	Vivian
Cory Knauf	...	Dale

Storyline

THE HAMMER is a sports drama depicting the struggles and successes Matt Hamill faced on the way to becoming a champion. Raised among those with the ability to hear, Matt later finds himself no less an outsider amidst the Deaf Community. Through sheer determination, he uses his perceived disability as an asset, and becomes both the first deaf wrestler to win a National Collegiate Championship and an inspirational force to the hearing and deaf alike.

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Plot Keywords:

deaf | wrestling | sign language | lacrosse | montage | 

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Taglines:

Deaf. Defiant. Determined.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hamill

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,442, 24 October 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$75,729, 3 November 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Harvest,Fifth Year Productions,Sawhorse Productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

You can spot director, Oren Kaplan walking through the RIT hallway when Matt makes his way to his dorm room.

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Goofs

Even though RIT is a division III school, they can offer scholarships to their athletes through the means of academic, need-based, and extra-curricular involvement. Predominantly through donations and grant money from alumni or the government, especially for the deaf or hard of hearing students.

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Quotes

Ron Gross: So. Here we are. Seems certainly fitting this is how it's coming to a close. Jason Sloan, two-time national champ, against Matt Hamill. Whoever wins tonight will forever be called a champion. For Sloan, well, he's looking to be called a three-time national champion. That's what's at stake for him. That's how bad he wants it. And the only thing standing in the way of everything this guy has ever worked for is a sophomore walk-on.

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Connections

Featured in MMA H.E.A.T.: R You Ready? (2011)

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Soundtracks

Keep on Coming Down
, "Found Myself", "Lemonade", "Don't be the One", "Preparation", "Let's Go"
Written by 'George Stanford'
Performed by George Stanford
Courtesy of Gbones Entertainment

User Reviews

Not what I had hope for

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.