Lucy Walker's "The Crash Reel" Explores Risks Of Action Sports

HBO tonight at 8:00pm ET will debut "The Crash Reel," a documentary that centers on snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who sustained a brain injury in '09. The film documents the "price athletes pay for pushing themselves to the limit in high-thrill, high-risk sports" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/15). Staff Writer Tripp Mickle recently spoke to filmmaker Lucy Walker about the documentary.

The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE's Neal Justin writes Walker "has gathered some amazing footage – some stunning, some shocking." NEWSDAY's Neil Best: "The film does not sugarcoat the elephant in the room of modern action/extreme spots: Should society – and the competitor's friends and relatives – allow this sort of thing to go on?" The AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS' Chip Chandler: "Walker doesn't settle for a simple story of triumphing over a tragedy, instead spending time asking hard the questions about why Pearce was so willing to risk his life to return to competition."