Hell On Wheels

Title:               Hell on Wheels
Director:              Bob Ray
Producer:            Werner Campbell (Exec.), Bob Ray, Jerylyn Orlandi
Cinema:                Bob Ray, Jen White
Editing:                 Conor O’Neill, Cory Ryan
Music:                   Britt Myers, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
Year:                     2009 (90 minutes)

Synopsis: Before the Lonestar Rollergirls, before the Texas Rollergirls, before the emergence of 300+ roller girl leagues across the globe… before all of this, there were the pioneers.

In 2001 a rowdy group of Austin women were determined to resurrect an old sport, but with a new spin. This is the beginning of a revolution:

Hell on Wheels is the ###-kicking documentary film telling the story of a group of Texas women who band together to resurrect roller derby for the 21st century. Emerging from the Austin music and arts scene, these women create a rock and roll fueled version of all-girl roller derby that has spawned the derby craze that’s sweeping the nation.

Review: Take a bunch of tough talking, tattooed woman, dress them in skimpy costumes, put them on rollerskates in front of hundreds of screaming fans, and you have the makings of an insane evening and an interesting documentary.

Hell on Wheels is a look behind the scenes of the re-birth of roller derby in the U.S. From its modest beginnings in 2002 in Austin, TX to its worldwide popularity less than a decade later, the film features the women who were at the forefront of a sporting revival.

Director Bob Ray does an excellent job of telling the story of the Bad Girls, Good Women (BGGW) Roller Derby League from its birth, near death, and eventual resurrection. He also chronicles the beginnings of the BGGW’s rival league, the Texas Rollergirls, which was started by former skaters for the BGGW.

Hell on Wheels is a great ride through the history of modern-day roller derby. It’s a history that is wortn seeing.

(3.5 out of 5.0)