The damned united movie review

Rating: 8.7

Being the avid football fan that I am, I was excited to see this film. I, however, have never heard of Brian Clough before in my life. Therefore, going into this film, I wish to learn a little bit of football history. I wanted to learn the history of the once great Leeds United, although truths may have been altered to create drama in the film.

I was curious how football is going to be portrayed in the film. I was curious how well the Oscar winning director Tom Hooper have done with this low budget film. I expected good things from this movie.

The Damned United is BASED on the story of Brian Clough, a former English footballer, as he takes on the challenge of managing one of the biggest football clubs at the time, Leeds United, after having successful years at Derby County. He has one objective during his career as a manager, to beat his rivalry, Don Revie.

The film flashes back and forth between the year 1974, as Brian manages Leeds, and the years where he managed Derby County with his long time friend and assistant Pete Taylor. The Damned United depicts the friendship between the two and the fights they had because of Brian Clough’s personality.

I loved The Damned United. It was fascinating in every aspect; the directing, acting, and especially the story and the message/theme of the film. Tom Hooper won an Oscar the following year for directing The King’s Speech, and I have no questions about it. The work he did with The Damned United is spectacular.

The way he constantly flashes back and forth between Brian Clough’s days in Leeds and Derby is just genius. It shows how Brian has changed, how his life has changed, and how people around him have changed. The way he films the football sequences is also fantastic. I feel like I was watching football in the 70’s. The choreography in this film is beautiful. With everyone constantly smoking in every scene, the film gave me realistic sceneries of what it would have been like in those days.

As I mentioned, I am a huge football fan, therefore, it gave me more the reason to love this film. In my opinion, the reason why I loved this film so much is because the story of the film and the message it tries to convey. I love the idea of how one’s egotistic personality can build him and destroy him at the same time. I love the idea of how one’s friend can save him/her from disaster and without him/her, he is nothing.

Brian Clough is nothing without his friend Pete Taylor and Pete is nothing without Brian. They are a pair of shoes. If it’s missing a shoe, it won’t work. This film is just one big example of this theory. It shows when they were together, and the shoes worked perfectly. It shows when they were apart and it didn’t work. It shows when they are reunited, and the shoes worked again.

Another aspect of the film that I can’t ever forget is the performances in the film.  Martin Sheen is perfect as Brian Clough. He brought him to the screen with perfection. He brought the emotions, feelings, and personality of Brian Clough to life. He also resembles the real Brian Clough which is a good thing. He is one of the main reasons why this film works so well. Without his performance, I would not have liked this film as much as I did.

Another performance that was equally great is Timothy Spall as Pete Taylor. He helped Martin Sheen carry this film to perfection. The chemistry between them on screen is just beautiful. When they were apart, you really want them to get back together. And when they got back together, there’s a smile on your face. That’s a sign of a great chemistry on screen.

One minor problem I had with the film is that there are so many factual errors with the film. I believe that they could tell the story just as great with the facts being correct and true. However, the film still told the story it set out to tell and told it perfectly.

I believe that this film is not about football. It’s about friendship and how one’s ambitions can build and break him. Football is just a small aspect of the story. Therefore, I don’t believe that one needs to be a football fan to truly enjoy this film. This film tells a beautiful story that anyone should hear and experience. It will give you a smile on your face and a new perspective on life.

Anyone can enjoy this movie. It’s barely a sports film. Football/soccer should not get in your way of enjoying a well made movie. I recommend anyone to watch this film, football/soccer fan or not. It is not getting the attention it deserves because of the football aspect of the film. Please watch this film, it tells a beautiful story. I can’t express enough how much I’m impressed with this film. It’s completely underrated, please watch it.