The Damned United

THE DAMNED UNITED (15)

D: Tom Hooper

Columbia/BBC/Left Bank (Andy Harries & Grainne Marmion)

UK 🇬🇧 2009

98 mins

Sports/Biopic

W: Peter Morgan

DP: Ben Smithard

Ed: Melanie Oliver

Mus: Rob Lane

Michael Sheen (Brian Clough), Timothy Spall (Peter Taylor), Colm Meaney (Don Revie), Jim Broadbent (Sam Longson), Stephen Graham (Billy Bremner)

I'm not old enough to experience Brian Clough's managerial history but I know him by reputation and Michael Sheen does an excellent job bringing one of football's most famous characters to the screen.

I'd recommend this movie even to those who haven't any interest in football because it's a great study of sporting rivalries and the relationship between avaricious businessmen and ambitious managers. In fact, there's hardly any football action in the movie and what little there is is mostly footage from the archives.

The subject matter would probably work best as a stage play, but as a film it's still enjoyable, even for those who don't follow the beautiful game.

6/10