''The Hammer'', previously titled ''Hamill'', is a 2010 biographical film about Matt Hamill, a deaf wrestler and mixed martial artist. Oren Kaplan directs the film based on a screenplay co-written by Eben Kostbar and Joseph McKelheer, who are also the film's producers. Russell Harvard, a deaf actor, plays Hamill in the film. ''The Hammer'' screened at several film festivals throughout 2010 and 2011. The film was released in theaters on , 2011.

Plot

''The Hammer'' follows

Matt Hamill RIT Tigers Matthew Stanley Hamill (born October 5, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist and wrestler who has competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in w ...

, who was born deaf, in his youth and mostly in 1997, when Hamill is a sophomore

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music * ''Walk On'', a 1994 album by Boston, and its title song Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album), 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album), 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album), 1992 *''Walk On'', a 2007 album by ...

at Rochester Institute of Technology and wins the first of three

collegiate wrestling Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

championships.

Cast

* Russell Harvard as

Raymond J. Barry Raymond John Barry (born March 14, 1939) is an American film, television, and stage actor. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the film ''Steel City (film), Steel City''. Personal life ...

as Stanley, Hamill's grandfather *

Shoshannah Stern Shoshannah Stern (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress and writer. Life and career She was born in Walnut Creek, California, into an observant Jewish and fourth-generation Deaf family, the daughter of Ron Stern and Hedy Marilyn Stern (née U ...

as Kristi, Hamill's girlfriend *Lexi Marman as Kelley, Kristi's roommate *Michael Anthony Spady as Jay, Hamill's roommate * Bob Hiltermann as Purdue Professor *Benjamin Kally as BenC'moe Also in the film are Robin Walton (nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Short Film, Nice IFF 2018), Gavin Bellour, Stephen Dodd, Theodore Conley,

Courtney Halverson Courtney Halverson (born June 14, 1989) is an American actress. Life and career Halverson was born in Orange County, California and graduated from high school at the age of 15. She has been nominated twice for a Young Artist Award, once in 20 ...

, and Susan Gibney. One of Hamill's former opponents, Rich Franklin, also appears in the film as

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

wrestling coach Pruitt who cuts Hamill from the team.

Production

''The Hammer'' is directed by Oren Kaplan based on a screenplay co-written by Eben Kostbar and Joseph McKelheer, who are also the film's producers. Matt Hamill is played by Russell Harvard, who is also deaf. The filmmakers spent over five years developing the project, and they sought out deaf cast and crew members for the film. According to McKelheer, the writers performed "roughly" 75 rewrites to ensure Hamill's support and that the film would not be cheesy. Kostbar was originally intended to play Hamill, but they decided to cast a deaf person as the wrestler to appeal to the deaf community. They first noticed Harvard in his brief role in '' There Will Be Blood'' as the adult son of Daniel Day-Lewis' character but were not sure initially if Harvard could portray an athlete. After additional searching that was inconclusive, they chose to cast Harvard as Hamill. Kostbar and McKelheer produced the film with their independent film company Film Harvest. For the production, they sought financing and found it with Fifth Year Productions, which was founded by the

Farrelly brothers Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, collectively referred to as the Farrelly brothers, are American screenwriters and directors. They have made eleven films together, including ''Dumb and Dumber'', '' Outside Providence'', and ''There's Something ...

Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...

, and Bob Bartosiewicz. Most of the film was shot in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, home of Hamill's college, Rochester Institute of Technology. Scenes at

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

were actually shot at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

. The film alternates between use of sound and absence of sound as well as the use of subtitles, frequently with words missing.

Release

''The Hammer'', titled ''Hamill'' at the time, had its world premiere at the AFI (

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

) Film Festival in November 2010, where it won a Breakthrough Film audience award and a $5,500 prize. From then to May 2011, the film was screened at film festivals in Newport Beach, Florida, Miami, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, winning audience awards at each festival. The film was released as ''The Hammer'' in theaters on , 2011. It will be distributed by D&E Entertainment. The film will also be distributed on DVD, Blu-ray, and video on demand by ARC Entertainment.

References

External links