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The Damned United review
Posted : 9 years, 8 months ago on 20 August 2014 05:00
Fine work by Sheen (though he lacks a little of Clough's toughness while underlining his brash insecurity), and the film is especially interesting for any football fan like me who was a kid at the time. I was pleased that the contribution of Peter Taylor is emphasised but the characterisation of Billy Bremner strikes me as a fault and there's some dubious dramatic licence with the reality
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 9 months ago on 22 July 2012 03:07
To be honest, my knowledge about football (soccer for the US readers) is rather limited but since this movie was starring Michael Sheen, I was quite eager to check this movie. For Sheen who played Brian Clough here, it was already the 3rd famous British figure he impersonated (before that, he had been also Tony Blair in 'The Queen' and David Frost in 'Frost/Nixon'). And once again, the guy was really impressive. I have to admit it, I actually didn't know who was Brian Clough before watching this movie but Michael Sheen gave such a charismatic performance, he made the whole thing really spellbinding to watch. Concerning the story itself, it was pretty entertaining but I'm not so sure if it was completely effective. I mean, according to the movie, Clough was over-ambitious, blinded by his hatred of Leeds and actually not really good without his assistant, Peter Taylor. But then, at the end, they displayed some archive footage with the conclusion that he was in fact the best English manager that ever existed but I thought it was rather contradictory with the movie itself. Anyway, it was an entertaining flick, it gave a good insight about English football back in those days, I enjoyed it and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you are interested by this subject.
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Hilarious and underrated film!
Posted : 14 years, 4 months ago on 9 December 2009 02:18
The Damned United is a film that I wasn't really expecting very much from. I didn't think I would like this film but it was actually good. I love football in general but I love most films about football as well. Best football film is and probably always will be Bend It Like Beckham for me. The Damned United is a film that is really funny which I wasn't really expecting. It is a very typical British film because there is lots of swearing involved and because of the swearing we are really good at expressing our films in a black comedy sort of way. There aren't very many bio-pics that are funny but this is one of the rare ones that did so.
Michael Sheen was the best choice for Brian Clough because he looked almost exactly like the real Brian Clough. Timothy Spall was really good as well as Peter Taylor. He was funny and an idiot which was good for that kind of character. The only flaw for me was that there was a light bit of confusion involved between the time changing. It was like one minute it was 1973, then it was 1969, then 1974, then 1968 and so forth.
Overall, The Damned United was a good film that was good just for fun nothing more. It is a film that I don't think I would watch again but am still really glad I did watch it.
Michael Sheen was the best choice for Brian Clough because he looked almost exactly like the real Brian Clough. Timothy Spall was really good as well as Peter Taylor. He was funny and an idiot which was good for that kind of character. The only flaw for me was that there was a light bit of confusion involved between the time changing. It was like one minute it was 1973, then it was 1969, then 1974, then 1968 and so forth.
Overall, The Damned United was a good film that was good just for fun nothing more. It is a film that I don't think I would watch again but am still really glad I did watch it.
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Sheen and Peter Morgan score Hatrick with United.
Posted : 15 years, 1 month ago on 28 March 2009 01:13
''GOOD LAD!''
A look at Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of Leeds United.
Michael Sheen: Brian Clough
The film effort The Damned United is a delightful inside glimpse at a period in time, focusing on a certain manager, a manager called Brian Clough. Director Tom Hooper incorporates live footage from televised news reels of the time with real time actors and happenings on set. The Damned United is going back to the day, living yesterday and being in awe of the good old days, the days when drinking and smoking before a football match were excepted, the dirty tactics of Leeds United and their brawling babaric methods with opponents, can be over-looked. This is a day when drinking tea on your lap was the norm, and football just wasn't simply about money, it was about pride and real competition.
Peter Morgan the talented Writer of The Queen and Frost/Nixon reunites for a hat trick with chameleonic Michael Sheen. Michael Sheen can tick off another box on his list, of his mimicking magic of iconic Englishmen as his witty performance is a key reason for what makes The Damned United a pleasure to behold. The performances stand out with many well done performances by the leading cast, in particular Sheen and Spall who show a very impressive on-screen bond, as Clough and Taylor.
Michael Sheen's Brian Clough is an entertaining, arrogant but likable character with self-destructive flaws. Obviously he has the best lines (unfortunately many of which feature in the trailer) and some of his best scenes are with Timothy Spall's Peter Taylor, whom finds their friendship severely damaged at various points as the events transpire. Clough's vulnerability and insecurities are explored in his relationship with Taylor and the audience learn that only as a team do they conquer English football. Clough's apparent hatred for Revie stems from being snubbed by the latter at an early Cup match. This experience drives Clough's ambition to not only succeed, but to attempt to eclipse the architect of Leeds United's Golden Age. Along the way we learn about the now familiar friction between the Manager and the Chairman, the task of signing players and the universal theme of pride coming before a fall.
Set in the late sixties/early seventies and seamlessly interspersing the action with real footage and interviews as aforementioned, this film enables the audience to embrace the spirit of the times.
Peter Taylor: Are you going to stop it?
Brian Clough: No, I'm going to fight him.
As with legendary picture Frost/Nixon the story caters for people with very minimalistic knowledge of the subject matter and as such, it can be enjoyed by football fans, history fans and film fans alike. Plus there isn't a huge amount of actual ball kicking by the cast, so people won't switch off. There is an obligatory montage, but it's nicely done and over quickly.
The only downside to this film is that it's a little bit short if anything, but it leaves you wanting more which can only be a good thing. There's a mild bit of comical swearing throughout, which is justified given the situations the lead characters face.
Overall, The Damned United provides historical entertainment, laughs galore and fun beyond most fantasy and blockbuster films dream of achieving. This is one of those Michael Sheen triumphs you want to be there for, especially at the end when we even see the end results for the characters in the aftermath of Clough's 44 day management of Leeds. This for me was a wonderful climax, a beautiful conclusion and an absolute pleasure to experience. Plus the fact I say again, that my friend whom is a football/film fan, plus me whom loves history and film, plus acting and brilliantly portrayed characters, this is a golden movie to watch and for a universal audience. The Damned United is a perfect adaptation and tribute to a man who wasn't afraid of burning ambition, perhaps showing off a tad too much but in doing so he did some amazing things. His friendship with Peter Taylor is beautifully captured here, Spall and Sheen shine, Damned United shines.
''If you want to be loved, you're going to have to change.''
A look at Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of Leeds United.
Michael Sheen: Brian Clough
The film effort The Damned United is a delightful inside glimpse at a period in time, focusing on a certain manager, a manager called Brian Clough. Director Tom Hooper incorporates live footage from televised news reels of the time with real time actors and happenings on set. The Damned United is going back to the day, living yesterday and being in awe of the good old days, the days when drinking and smoking before a football match were excepted, the dirty tactics of Leeds United and their brawling babaric methods with opponents, can be over-looked. This is a day when drinking tea on your lap was the norm, and football just wasn't simply about money, it was about pride and real competition.
Peter Morgan the talented Writer of The Queen and Frost/Nixon reunites for a hat trick with chameleonic Michael Sheen. Michael Sheen can tick off another box on his list, of his mimicking magic of iconic Englishmen as his witty performance is a key reason for what makes The Damned United a pleasure to behold. The performances stand out with many well done performances by the leading cast, in particular Sheen and Spall who show a very impressive on-screen bond, as Clough and Taylor.
Michael Sheen's Brian Clough is an entertaining, arrogant but likable character with self-destructive flaws. Obviously he has the best lines (unfortunately many of which feature in the trailer) and some of his best scenes are with Timothy Spall's Peter Taylor, whom finds their friendship severely damaged at various points as the events transpire. Clough's vulnerability and insecurities are explored in his relationship with Taylor and the audience learn that only as a team do they conquer English football. Clough's apparent hatred for Revie stems from being snubbed by the latter at an early Cup match. This experience drives Clough's ambition to not only succeed, but to attempt to eclipse the architect of Leeds United's Golden Age. Along the way we learn about the now familiar friction between the Manager and the Chairman, the task of signing players and the universal theme of pride coming before a fall.
Set in the late sixties/early seventies and seamlessly interspersing the action with real footage and interviews as aforementioned, this film enables the audience to embrace the spirit of the times.
Peter Taylor: Are you going to stop it?
Brian Clough: No, I'm going to fight him.
As with legendary picture Frost/Nixon the story caters for people with very minimalistic knowledge of the subject matter and as such, it can be enjoyed by football fans, history fans and film fans alike. Plus there isn't a huge amount of actual ball kicking by the cast, so people won't switch off. There is an obligatory montage, but it's nicely done and over quickly.
The only downside to this film is that it's a little bit short if anything, but it leaves you wanting more which can only be a good thing. There's a mild bit of comical swearing throughout, which is justified given the situations the lead characters face.
Overall, The Damned United provides historical entertainment, laughs galore and fun beyond most fantasy and blockbuster films dream of achieving. This is one of those Michael Sheen triumphs you want to be there for, especially at the end when we even see the end results for the characters in the aftermath of Clough's 44 day management of Leeds. This for me was a wonderful climax, a beautiful conclusion and an absolute pleasure to experience. Plus the fact I say again, that my friend whom is a football/film fan, plus me whom loves history and film, plus acting and brilliantly portrayed characters, this is a golden movie to watch and for a universal audience. The Damned United is a perfect adaptation and tribute to a man who wasn't afraid of burning ambition, perhaps showing off a tad too much but in doing so he did some amazing things. His friendship with Peter Taylor is beautifully captured here, Spall and Sheen shine, Damned United shines.
''If you want to be loved, you're going to have to change.''
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