The Hammer (2010)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Don't Believe the Hype

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

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.

I came to this movie hoping to inspire my eight year-old son, who has a reading disability. I don't like wrestling, although I enjoy other sports, but mostly movies, while my son loves both watching films and pro wrestling. The special relationship between Matt and his grandfather really made an impact on my son and I. A very well-made, well thought-out film, which I would recommend to anyone. We were fortunate to see this yesterday as part of a film festival, in which both the deaf director and deaf star were present for a very illuminating question-and-answer period afterwards. In conclusion, both people, through their work, were able to show what the deaf and wrestling worlds are really like. I hope to see more of the director's work in the future and wish for her the very best.

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!

Hamill is a simple story, well told.Matt Hamill was born a deaf child in a hearing community. With a powerful mentor in the form of his loving grandfather, played with grit and heart by the wonderful Raymond J. Barry, and a supportive family, he grew up different, fighting (often literally) for acceptance and inclusion, throughout his school career. Matt never truly belonged until he became an adopted member of the Deaf community at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where the film shows him growing as an athlete and a person, leading to an epic and emotional finale.Audiences will settle in quickly to the traditional biopic formula, but in this case, the formula does not restrict the filmmakers, but rather frees them to use innovative techniques in service to the story. The practice of subtitling the entire film is inclusive, and in and of itself brings the audience together in a shared experience. Multiple layers of commentary are laced throughout the tightly constructed screenplay, bringing issues such as bullying, alienation and angst, and the need for acceptance and inclusion, into the story.Hamill is, in many ways, the first film of it's type, and has been long awaited in the Deaf community. It's a powerful and moving true story, and we can all see ourselves reflected in it.