The Damned United (2009) User Reviews

Excellent character study of depth and resonance. A great Brit-flick.

[iandfleming · 9/10 · 31 March 2009]

I am currently two thirds of the way through the novel. I'm finding it to be a great discovery. Peace's writing has all the energy and pace of Irvine Welsh at his best and having just caught the Red Riding trilogy, he's captured my imagination. What he has truly captured in The Damn United is the true spirit of the 70's and the days when I would watch football dressed in the kit of whatever team I was supporting that week, on my Dad's knee. My Dad loathed Brian 'Bigmouth' / 'Bighead' Clough! But even as a boy I loved him, thought he was hilarious. Reading the novel and seeing the film, we discover a man truly out of time ... more a man / celebrity of the future. The first celebrity football manager? If he'd been a manager in the Britpop era, he'd be a national treasure now ... and may even have been given the England job he so coveted and that the fans longed for him to have. watching Sheen (yet again!) faithfully recreate voice, mannerisms ... inhabiting this character, makes this film (for it is a 'film' in the truly British sense) all the more compelling. Cloughie is complex, sensitive, probably with an inner shyness that he masked outrageously with his outspoken diatribes. He was everywhere when I was a kid ... TV, papers, magazines ... always with a controversial line that makes Noel Gallagher look like he minces his words. The on screen footie from actors is mercifully kept to a minimum, as - as always, actors don't make for convincing footballers. Even the moments from them we do get, they look clueless. But it doesn't detract from the story ... a story of obsessive desire, absolute drive and male relationships, in a time when male bonding usually meant trading a punch or two. This is a good if unfaithful adaptation of the novel. Why in the film do Cloughie and Peter Taylor fall out with a row on the Malaga harbour? In the novel, they trade punches and Cloughie makes a real show of himself ... thus making the reunion all the more difficult. But it's a small gripe. The thing I really took from this was although times have changed for football - when did Man Utd dressing room last have ashtrays??? - essentially, things have changed little. Big star players, vast amounts of money (£150,000 was considered a fortune back then), teams fortunes spinning on their positions in the old division one, the league being dominated by one or four big clubs. And the cheating, and the ref baiting ... little has truly changed.

Good to see a strong Brit-flick that doesn't resort to mockney gangster schlick or the current plethora of cheap horror schlock. This is a character study of depth and resonance. Beautifully, stylistically photographed and wonderfully performed. GO SEE IT!

Michael Sheen is Brian Howard Clough...

[the_rattlesnake25 · 8/10 · 30 March 2009]

Brian Howard Clough. "The greatest English manager never to manage the English National side." Whether you agree with that sentiment or not, everybody knows Brian Clough was one of the great personalities of the game. Based around David Pearce's bestselling novel 'The Damned United' (which Johnny Giles called: "fiction based on fact"), the films narrative follows the events preceding and during those fateful 44-days of management from the perspective of Cloughie (played by Michael Sheen).

Sheen turns in, yet another brilliant performance as the arrogant, stubborn, distant, bitter, intelligent, yet highly flawed man who went on to become a legend of British football. From his mannerisms to the way he speaks, Sheen projects the outward personality of Brian Clough through to the audience to a tee. And more importantly he takes the film away from the touchlines of simply being 'another football film', and instead creates a human drama about one man's battle with jealously, bitterness and ambition and how that can destroy everything around you, quicker than Billy Bremner could break your legs. While Morgan's script keeps up the dry wit and humour, and Hooper's direction carries the colourful scenery of 1960's and 1970's Britain, the film could have spent more time centred around the other players on the pitch, more specifically Clough's second in-command in Peter Taylor and the Leeds United side of the Revie era. They are shown to be Revie's surrogate sons and nothing more. With that said however, I found it a hugely enjoyable film that went way beyond the stereotypical association we have football films today and instead created a profile of a man who encompassed everything that was good, bad and all that in between about the beautiful game.

Whether or not it's fact or fiction it's certainly entertaining!

[thependragon-1 · 8/10 · 24 March 2009]

I went to see this film with a certain trepidation as I don't always understand the true workings of the so-called beautiful game. I'm often rather lost by the offside rule, not too sure what actually constitutes handball and can't quite understand why a good friend can kiss a poster of George Weah and refer to the Liberian as a God. However, I can recognise what a worldwide phenomenon football has become and the massive status that the late Brian Clough held within in the sport.

Clough was one heck of a character and very much of his time and this is where 'The Damned United' really succeeds. You feel like you are truly watching the 70s when men were men and modern players like constant diver Cristiano Ronaldo would have been laughed (or even kicked) off the pitch. Sheen gives an excellent performance and Clough is portrayed as a complex individual with the sort of charisma and wit, which may endear him to cinema-goers who have little knowledge of football or the man himself.

However, I saw this film with a friend who is a huge soccer fan and who confessed afterwards to having certain problems with the accuracy of the story. The film is after all based on a book by David Peace, which merges the facts with his own fiction to show what he thought might being going on behind the scenes during Clough's reign as manager of Derby County and his infamous 44 days in charge at Leeds United. Having recently watched some TV dramatisations of Peace's other novels involving the real life Yorkshire Ripper murders it is easy to see why some people find his particular way of merging fact with fiction lacking in credibility. I personally didn't have such a problem with this film as I felt it really got to grips with who Clough was as a football manager and his probable motives for how he went about the job at Leeds.

While the film's narrative sometimes veers confusingly back and forth between Clough's time at Derby and his short spell at Leeds, 'The Damned United' is a really enjoyable piece of entertainment full of great actors bringing to life intriguing characters. The ultimate strength of the film is that the story manages to become more about friendship (the relationship between Brian and Peter Taylor) and the destructiveness of vanity rather than how many football matches Clough won.

Not bad, young man.

[chrismartonuk-1 · 9/10 · 28 March 2009]

The life of the egocentric one gets the big screen treatment - another feather in his cap, and one to put over Shanks, Busby, Mercer, Allison, Paisley etc. The fact he shares the spotlight with Don Revie would be his only disappointment. One may find the numerous anachronisms and inaccuracies distracting, i.e. Dave Mackay had left Derby before Clough and Taylor's resignation, and that 5-0 Leeds triumph came the year after County's championship triumph (or robbery as devout Geldard Enders would maintain) - I know, I was there that great day wallowing in revenge for the previous year's injustices.

Without resorting to caricature, Sheen effortlessly conveys Clough's rampant narcissism and hubris. His obsession with Revie is portrayed as something he needs to work out of his system before getting his life back on keel. Revie is depicted as such a cartoon villain that one is almost disappointed that he doesn't appear clad in top hat and black cloak, chuckling evilly as he twirls his moustache and ties Cloughs' two sons to the railway line. Colm Meaney is uncanny in his depiction of the Elland Road supremo and his face captures the haunted look of the man who must have felt the fates were against him at times. Spall seems physically miscast as Taylor but puts across the fact that Pete was Clough's often unheeded moral conscience - a fact illustrated by how Clough went to the bad in his later years at Forest when Taylor wasn't around. Jim Broadbent is every provincial businessman made good as Sam Longson who must have needed the patience of a saint in his latter years at Derby.

Occasionally, the script's pace works against it. Clough and Taylor have barely signed the contract with Mike Bamber when they're off to Majorca. It might have been better to have a scene or two showing their tribulations at Brighton which increased Clough's desire to snatch at the first decent offer that came his way. I still remember hearing the humiliating defeat they suffered at home to Bristol Rovers on the coach back from Elland Road on the radio - and the ensuing hysterical laughter. To think, one year later, we were laughing the other side of our faces.

Sheen is Clough

[lee-1031 · 9/10 · 28 March 2009]

Having read the book, I did expect a darker film, however, it is not to the detriment of the film that it attempts to give the interpretation a 'feel good factor. Sheen is utterly brilliant as Clough and captures the ego, charisma and above all weakness of the man. The support cast are excellent, although Spall did struggle to look comfortable in a sporting film (Taylor was en ex goalie and poor Tim's got 10 to 2 feet etc). There are a lot of factual inaccuracies, but it is based on a 'faction novel' so one should not allow this to spoil a memorable film and if it does nothing else it does make you feel extremely nostalgic to this era.

Sheen is excellent as Clough

[eastbergholt2002 · 8/10 · 13 March 2010]

I enjoyed Damned United particularly Michael Sheen's performance as Brian Clough. The film is cleverly written and fun to watch. The film makes Clough seem a much more sympathetic character than he appeared at the time. Many people including myself felt that Clough was an arrogant twit with an amazing ability to lose friends and alienate people. Sheen makes him seem likable. Clough had his demons and was a complicated man. Clough's methods were unique. He was essentially a dictator, and not always a benevolent one, often punching or slapping his players. What can't be argued was that he was a great and very successful football manager.

Clough's record was remarkable. He won the English championship with different provincial teams, neither of which is currently in the Premier League. He won the European Cup twice with Nottingham Forest. In 1973 his Derby team lost in the semi-finals to Juventus. Clough called the Italian team "cheating bastards." A later London Sunday Times investigation claimed that Clough was right and Derby's opponents had bribed the match officials. Nothing was ever done about this by FIFA or EUFA, some things never change.

As a Leeds United supporter, who lived through Clough's 44 days at the club, I don't feel the film portrayed the events fairly or accurately. I don't remember the Leeds team being particularly violent, the game was certainly more physical then and players received less protection from referees.

The film depicts Billy Bremner, Norman Hunter and Johnny Giles as boorish thugs. Bremner was a hard man but he was also a very skillful player. He was captain of Scotland in the 1974 World Cup and has been inducted into both the English and Scottish Halls of Fame. Giles was at the time also the manager of the Irish national team. Hunter played 28 times for England. Don Revie was a great man who took Leeds from the old Second Division to two First Division championships and two European trophies. The film doesn't really explain how he was able to win the loyalty of the Leeds players. In movies it's just easier to show everything in black and white terms.

One thing the film does get right is the lack of money in football back then. When Peter Taylor was at Brighton he offered my best friend a professional contract. My friend decided to go to university instead. With the DVD this is an additional feature in which three idiots masquerading as "experts" discuss football in the 1970s. One of them thought Norman Hunter was Scottish. Another couldn't believe that the Leeds players were educated enough to understand Revie's tactical reports. Anyone who has played the game at any level knows that football intelligence does not correlate with academic success. I've played football with very smart streetwise kids who left school at 16, on the field they were tactically astute. Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United, was a shipyard worker before he became a footballer.

Overall I enjoyed the movie. It was clever and well written and Michael Sheen is brilliant as Clough.

a witty biopic and a joy to watch

[JonSnowsMother · 8/10 · 13 March 2009]

Peter Morgan (Writer of The Queen and Frost/Nixon) reunites for the third time with Michael Sheen (Leading actor of The Queen and Frost/Nixon) as the two men look to complete a hat-trick. Michael Sheen can tick off another box on his list of his portrayals of iconic Englishmen as his witty performance is a key reason for what makes The Damned United a joy to watch. 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 relationship.

The film can get confusing at times as it follows two different stories, switching frequently from Brian Clough's miraculous time at Derby County and his disappointing and shambolic time at Derby's then rivals Leeds United. The film doesn't get involved in Clough's personal life but focuses on his career with both clubs, starting off with Clough viewed firstly as a small-time 2nd Division manager to a arrogant manager on top of the Division 1, another key issue is his close friendship with his assistant Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) and hatred of the man who preceded him as Leeds boss, Don Revie (Colm Meaney). While at Leeds the key points of focus is Clough's determination to replace Don Revie as a hero in Leeds and 'father figure' as well his poor relationship with the players and the end to his arrogance. Many people may feel that The Damned United is just for football fans, and even though it may appeal more to football fans it's an entertaining film and a joy to watch.

Knowing Absolutely Nothing About British Soccer Was Not A Hindrance, In Fact, It Was A Help To Me!

[Michael-70 · 9/10 · 23 October 2010]

It is no joke that other countries around the world take their soccer seriously. I won't say that there have never been riots or fights at American sporting events, but when you look at the death tolls from soccer disagreements worldwide, they make America seem positively civilized by comparison.

That said, as a complete non-fan of soccer (any sport where you can't use your hands or arms is not much of a sport) and as someone who knows next to nothing about the game's history, it would seem odd that I recommend The Damned United so highly, but I do.

While the names Brian Clough, Peter Taylor, Don Revie and Sam Longson may bring forth exciting memories to British soccer fans, they mean nothing to me. But, if there is a film written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) and starring Michael Sheen (Unthinkable, Frost/Nixon), Timothy Spall (Sweeney Todd, the Harry Potter films) and Jim Broadbent (Bullets Over Broadway, Moulin Rouge, the Harry Potter films), I will certainly fork over my nine bucks to see it.

The Damned United follows the true story of Brian Clough (Michael Sheen), who was brought in to manage the Leeds United football club in 1974 replacing the team's beloved manager Don Revie (Colm Meaney). Clough's controversial 44-day stint at Leeds United was full of hubris, jealousy, betrayal, incompetence and was such a condensed human drama that it has spawned novels, plays, countless hours of critical analysis and now a film.

Not knowing anything about the real people involved, or how they have been portrayed in the newspapers enabled me to perhaps see the film with fresher eyes than a knowledgeable fan may have. So, while I can't comment on the films historical accuracy, I can say that the dramatic accuracy is spot on.

We meet Brian Clough and learn how he adopted Muhammad Ali's boisterous braggadocio as a personality template much to the chagrin of players and fans alike. We see what a constant headache Clough was to the team owners and how he had little regard for the huge amounts of their money he was spending.

But we also learn how effective Clough was. One thread of the story shows us how Clough managed to take his previous team, Derby County, from a national joke to serious first division competitors.

We also see that behind the outrageous public persona of Brian Clough lay the unheralded strategist Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) who handled the games play books, starting line-ups and the other day-to-day minutiae that make up the running of any professional sports team.

And we see how Clough's reckless egomania nearly destroyed this decades long friendship. I wasn't expecting an affecting bromance when I went into see The Damned United and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the theme of how a friendship can survive through fame, fortune and failure was what The Damned United was really about.

The soccer was incidental.

So, even if you know nothing about British soccer leagues, The Damned United works as a powerful well-written drama, full of great acting and unforgettable characters.

We're from the north, Pete. What do we care about Brighton? Bloody southerners.

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 8 July 2010]

Michael Sheen (The Queen, Frost/Nixon), Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge! , Longford), Timothy Spall (Michael Sheen), and Colm Meaney (How Harry Became a Tree) are all great actors, and their presence means that this film is worth watching even if you don't particularly like football. I doubt however, you would be watch if you weren't a fan.

Brian Clough (Sheen) brings Derby out of obscurity to the top and ends up managing his archenemy Leeds United. He hates the team, he hates the style of football they play, and yet, he signs on to manage them. A recipe for disaster, and a disaster it was.

The film is not so much about football, as it is about Clough. He makes enemies everywhere he goes. No wonder he only lasted 44 days.

A fantastic film with brilliant performances by Sheen and Spall.

Bigmouth strikes again

[Lejink · 6/10 · 4 September 2009]

Perhaps I'd have given this movie a higher mark if I hadn't read the David Peace novel before-hand. The latter is a much more scabrous affair, real no-holds barred stuff and you really get inside the head of Mr Brian Howard Clough, one of football's most talented, successful and yet eccentric managers.

Let me start by saying how refreshing it is to get a film on a cult UK sports hero - it seems so rare, especially with Hollywood's track record of foisting any number of baseball, American football or basketball movies on us. Clough was a larger than life character, blessed, unlike many in the football fraternity, with real intelligence and the ability to mould a team of average players into a genuine team, raising them many times above their erstwhile standard of playing talent, taking unfashionable teams like Derby and later Nottingham Forest to improbable levels of success. Opinionated and outspoken at the same time, he was a natural for the burgeoning area of TV punditry in football, with a never to be forgotten drawling voice which only made his remarks live longer in the memory.

So does this movie do justice to the great man - yes and no. On the plus side Michael Sheen gives a terrific, bravura performance in the Clough role, looks reasonably like him and gets off his mannerisms and accent superbly. For one thing, it's well known however that in response to criticism from the Clough family and other real-life characters played in the film, notably Leeds' Irish midfield maestro Johnny Giles, the movie plays down significantly, for example,the novel's propensity to show Clough's alleged growing dependence on alcohol as well as the dynamics of his non-relationship with the Leeds squad, especially with the still-alive Giles.

The movie is really about Clough's relationship with three men over the late 60's - early 70's period depicted here; his Derby County chairman Sam Longson, excellently played by Jim Broadbent, who he thinks he can wrap around his finger but in the end pushes too far once too often, his right-hand man Peter Taylor, the calming voice of reason and football talent-spotter whom he fatally fails to take with him to mighty Leeds and lastly his nemesis in football, Don Revie, his predecessor as Leeds manager and the elephant in the room that Clough can't, despite his massive arrogance-bordering personality, expunge from the minds of the Leeds team. Timothy Spall gives a good performance of light and shade as "behind every great man" Taylor but the effect of his performance is weakened by his looking completely unlike his real-life prototype. No problems on that score with Colm Meaney as Don Revie (apart from a lack of height!), who nails Revie's distinctive accent to a "T".

The underlying theme of the young revolting against the old - Clough appears to be younger than most of his players, never mind the board members of the teams he manages, can only culminate in failure as Leeds show him the door after only 44 days when it's really the players who should have been sacked, although as all UK football fans know, Clough (sensibly combined with Taylor again) rose phoenix-like from the ashes to prosper at Nottingham in the late 70's.

The football scenes disappointingly, are only average however and their artificiality is pointed up even more with real-life TV inserts from the era itself, plus again the fact that the actors playing key figures in the team like captain Billy Bremner and the afore-mentioned Giles don't remotely resemble them, takes away veracity and credibility. The settings in mid 70's working-class Britain are mixed in effect and perhaps a little more contemporary background could have been sprinkled around (the miners' strike of 1973, the minority UK government political background, etc) to add local flavour. I didn't get the music chosen as the soundtrack either - Fleetwood Mac's "Man of The World" and David Bowie's "Queen Bitch" hardly seem to chime in with the story and most people know that Clough himself was an avid Sinatra fan - only hinted at here.

The screenplay does utilise some of his best-known sound bites and Michael Sheen has a great turn and volley, but whilst I enjoyed the film and certainly believe Clough worthy of cinematic elevation, the unreality of much of what I saw played against what could have been better. Perhaps artistic vision was stunted by the background furore caused by the book, ironically compromising the story of a man who rarely took a backward step himself and like old Frankie himself, truly did it "his way".

A hat trick of great acting.

[Prichards12345 · 8/10 · 28 March 2009]

The Damned United was a controversial book, hardly flattering to the man who, love or hate him, was one of the most fascinating and brilliant managers the English game has ever produced - ol' Big 'Ead himself, Brian Clough.

This film version takes a softer approach to "The Greatest Manager England Never Had", being a warm, affectionate, funny and heart-felt portrayal of Clough and the miserable 44 days he spent as manager of Leeds United during 1974, then one of the best teams in the world and one of the most disliked; often resorting to gamesmanship that brought shame to the sport of football. Clough, according to the film, thought he could tame them, turn them into sporting heroes, winning with flair and style that would win hearts as well as trophies.

Also covered extensively is Clough and Peter Taylor's time at Derby,contrasting his success from 1968-1972, building a third-rate team into the champions of English football, with his failure at Leeds. Taylor, Clough's longtime assistant manager, is superbly portrayed by Timothy Spall as the heartbeat that guided Clough's genius to unprecedented success, only to stay loyal to Brighton after the duo's resignation at Derby, leaving Clough a lonely and desolate figure as he tries to impose his own stamp on Leeds.

The football scenes are very brief, mostly using real footage from that era, as the film is mainly about the relationship of the two men and Clough's long-time rivalry with Don Revie, the hugely successful Leeds manager departing to manage England. Michael Sheen gives an astonishing performance as Clough, capturing the man effortlessly without resorting to an over-egged impersonation. Colm Meaney is also brilliant as Revie, his brooding shadow looming over everything Clough tries to do. A hat trick of great acting performances, and mention must also be given to Jim Broadbent as Derby's incredulous chairman.

An engaging, entertaining and highly recommended drama. British cinema is alive and well when it can deliver movies as good as this.

A perfect movie for me

[agmoldham · 7/10 · 1 April 2009]

I had a few reservations about this film. Firstly we have seen Michael Sheen play a number of real life people in the last couple of years. Would it be possible for Sheen to cast aside these previous roles and play another big well known (in the UK) character in Brian Clough. I also had the distinct feeling that this may be a made for TV film that was bumped up to a theatrical release based on Sheen's recent success. My final reservation was whether the football would look good as it is frequently very poor when played by actors.

I have got to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The main focus of the film is the relationship between the young pretender in football management Clough and the master in Don Revie the Manager of Leeds United. The film focuses on Clough's short tenure as the manager of Leeds after replacing Revie in 1974. The lead performances by Sheen and Meaney are excellent and it is at least as enthralling as the Frost/Nixon interplay.

It is a perfect film for me as it covers a period when my football passion was at its peak as I was about 10 years old at the time. As for the reservations I had nothing to worry about with Sheen. He transforms into Clough and it is truly a remarkable portrayal. I still tend to think that the film wouldn't lose very much on the small screen. Finally the film cleverly uses real life footage and we see very little of the actors playing football. That's probably just as well as they seemed a little older than the real players were. I'll have to check their bios to confirm that, but Bremner and Clarke looked the wrong side of 40 to me.

I suspect that to get the most out of the film you'll probably need to like football, but if you do you're more or less guaranteed to enjoy it.

Only the shallows

[paul2001sw-1 · 4/10 · 12 June 2011]

Brian Clough was an enigma: a man whose record as a football manager was (given the resources at his disposal) second to none, but who relied on his assistant Peter Taylor to spot players, had no great technical expertise and whose approach to man management was decidedly eccentric. He was brilliantly quick minded but also an alcoholic; a supposed socialist who was accused of taking unauthorised commissions on transactions; and a man who went to Leeds United, a club he hated, and was famously sacked in just 44 days. David Peace's ambitious novel, 'The Damned United', offers one imaginative take on Clough's psychology during this period; but as a film, it's a poor effort. Michael Sheen, Tony Blair in a number of other screenplays by writer Pter Morgan, doesn't quite convince as Clough, and makes him seen more like a blustering fool than an intelligent man. Of course, that famous Graham Taylor documentary may have punctured our illusions about so-called football genius; but still, I was looking for some clue as to what Clough did well (except, of course, at Leeds) and didn't get it. Bad wigs abound. And Clough's complex relationship with Taylor is reduced to a piece of routine male bonding, with Tomothy Spall playing Talor as a man with the charisma of a lead balloon and whose importance to Clough remains totally mystifying. From Peace's book, one gets a view of a talented and ambitious man who over-reached himself, an unique individual both arrogant and exposed. This translation lacks the depth; and sadly, therefore, also the point.

View from Germany : Not to factual, the more entertaining

[NewInMunich · 8/10 · 6 April 2010]

There is only so much you can do on an (no advertising) Emirates 6hrs flight, so i fell upon this movie completely unaware of it and its true content. I didn't know much about Brian Clough before other then being the manager of two times European Champion Nottingham Forest end of the seventies, but this was truly a fascinating movie on a versatile, to say the least, character. It seems, that after the departure of J. Mourinho, you don't have this types anymore in English football, at least at the top with business guys like Ferguson, Ancelotti, Wenger and Benitez. I was truly fascinated with the movie, the key characters and their development. The goof section for this movie shows, that not too much of the facts of the movie or the source book are really confirmed, but even the more entertaining. You may need to be a fan of football (soccer) to love it, or you may take it as a fascinating character study of somebody with high potential in his job, but also high potential for self destruction.

The best manager England never had...

[ianlouisiana · 9/10 · 8 June 2017]

...Brian Clough.I met him once,a few years down the line from the events depicted here.It was a Leyton Orient where Notts Forest were set to play an evening cup tie they could well have done without as the pitch was like a bog and it was lashing with rain.Clough was on the pitch wielding a fork as he attempted to disperse the pools of water seeping up from the underground river that flooded frequently back in the days before proper drained grounds were the order of the day. "Surely that's not your job,gaffer?",I said. "If I don't do it no other bugger will,and the last thing I need is for the bloody game to be postponed",he grumbled. We chatted for a minute or two and I asked him about an International defender the papers said he was trying to buy. He leaned on the fork for a moment and said,"Well,lad,he wanted me to pay his fxxxxxx mortgage off and give him 30 grand under the table,so I thought "bollocks to you,young man" and that's the end of it". This frankness was typical of him and accounted in a large measure why he was disliked by the game's governing body.And his (justified) self - confidence,nay,arrogance which is well bought out in "The Damned United". Only he will ever know why he chose to try a Don Quixote job on Don Revie's team which was reviled throughout English football except for a few square miles of God's Own County. He failed because of poisonous personalities in the team who hated him intensely and he was sacked after six weeks when the directors would have been better off sacking those players who sought to do him down. They must have felt sick when six years later he collected his second consecutive European Cup with a team on paper less talented. Mr M.Sheen is superb as this strange contradictory man,capturing his mannerisms perfectly.Mr T.Spall matches him in the rather more subdued role as his partner in bromance Peter Taylor. The actors playing footballers look exactly like that - actors playing footballers. The staged football scenes are not very convincing but the point is made that Leeds United were pariahs in the First Division and thoroughly deserve their current obscurity. Some where in that great manager's office in the sky,Clough is turning to Jock Stein and Mat Busby and saying "I told you so".

The Beautiful Game

[JamesHitchcock · 8/10 · 16 June 2011]

Brian Clough (1935-2004) has some claim to be regarded as the greatest ever club manager in English football. Others, such as Bob Paisley and Sir Alex Ferguson, may have won more in terms of trophies, but they did so after taking over clubs which were already wealthy, successful and established. Clough's unique achievement was to take over a struggling, unsuccessful Second Division club, Derby County, turn them into English champions, and then to repeat this feat with a second struggling, unsuccessful Second Division club, Nottingham Forest, who went on to become not only English champions but also European champions.

Clough's career in football management, however, was not an uninterrupted success story, and "The Damned United" tells the story of his greatest failure, his 44-day tenure as manager of Leeds United in 1974. Over the past decade, under the management of Don Revie, Leeds had become one of the leading clubs in England, and in 1974 were reigning League champions. They were, however, also the most hated club in England, having become notorious not only for a cautious, defensive attitude to the game but also for gamesmanship and violent play.

Although Clough and Revie loathed one another, they had much in common. Both came from the same town, Middlesbrough, growing up only a few streets apart. Both had enjoyed successful playing careers, playing at centre-forward, both had been capped for England, and both had played for the same club, Sunderland. Revie had also taken over Leeds United as a struggling Second Division club and had turned them into champions. Yet they had very different attitudes to the game. In contrast to Revie's "win-at-all-costs" attitude, Clough was an idealist with a firm belief in fair play and open, attacking football; he frequently referred to "the beautiful game", long before this phrase had become the cliché it is today. When Revie was appointed as England manager, Clough therefore seemed a strange choice to replace him as Leeds manager, especially as he had been one fiercest critics both of the club and of Revie. (Many other managers, in fact, agreed with Clough's opinions in private, but few had dared to express them quite so publicly).

Clough's main weakness as a manager appears to have been his lack of tact and diplomacy. He was fond of speaking his mind, and despite winning the Championship with Derby had been ousted as manager of that club following clashes with the club chairman Sam Longson. According to this film, Clough's first act as Leeds manager was to tell his players to throw away all their medals and trophies, "because they won them by cheating". Given this attitude, it is hardly surprising that Clough was disliked by the Leeds players, most of whom had idolised Revie. They were determined not to take Clough's message of "good, clean attractive football" to heart; during his first match in charge of Leeds, the Charity Shield against Liverpool, the club captain, Billy Bremner, was red-carded for brawling on the pitch with an opponent. (He received an 11-game suspension and never played again under Clough's management). Discontent among the players was a major factor in persuading the club's directors to dismiss Clough after a run of poor results.

The film is not a comprehensive biopic of Clough; it concentrates on his brief spell at Leeds, with the story of his days at Derby being told in flashback. It does not deal with his early life or playing career at all, only briefly touches on his private life outside the game, and his successes with Nottingham Forest are only mentioned in passing in an epilogue at the end. It presents a fictionalised version of his life and occasionally takes liberties with the facts. (Contrary to the impression given here, Dave Mackay, a one-time Derby player who succeeded Clough as manager, was not on the club's playing staff at the time of his appointment).

The film's main virtues are an excellent script from Peter Morgan and some equally excellent acting. Michael Sheen seems to specialise in playing real people, and although he bears a certain physical resemblance to Clough he avoids the mistake he made when playing Tony Blair in "The Queen", that of trying to imitate his subject too exactly as though he were a Mike Yarwood-style impressionist rather than a dramatic actor. The other excellent contributions come from Colm Meaney as the self-righteous Revie, genuinely unable to understand why anyone might object to his team's playing style, from Jim Broadbent as Longson, a self-important small-town businessman who has attached himself to the town's football club despite an almost total ignorance of the game, and from Timothy Spall as Clough's assistant, Peter Taylor. Unlike Sheen and Meaney, Spall bears very little resemblance to the man he is playing, but as Taylor generally kept a much lower profile than Clough this does not really matter. Taylor, a more substantial figure than most assistant club managers, nevertheless played a key role at Derby, so he is an important character in this drama. He did not follow Clough to Leeds; had he done so, Clough's appointment might have been a greater success.

Despite its international popularity, football has inspired surprisingly few good films, and virtually no great ones. In the 2000s, however, the British cinema managed to produce two very good films about the sport, of which this is the second. (The first was "Bend It like Beckham"). The film's main appeal will, I suspect, be to sports fans and to those with an interest in football history, especially those who, like myself, are old enough to remember the events of the 1970s. Nevertheless, there is enough human drama in "The Damned United" to appeal to film-lovers who have only a passing interest in football. 8/10

Even for a handball player : gorgeous

[mr-poloniais · 8/10 · 7 June 2010]

To begin with, before watching "The Damned United", I had some preconceived ideas because, I think that, nowadays, the spirit of football has changed. About the film: first, the lead cast are great: Michael Sheen, that I did not know before the film, is brilliant, and I love the actor who is Peter Taylor (I don't remember his name) and who has played in "Harry Potter". Sheen's performance is thoroughly wonderful and very professional because without knowing Brian Clough, I caught the complex personality portrayed by Sheen about Clough. He captures the man's mannerism and through Sheen's performance, I could guess Clough was bitter, arrogant, ambitious and straightforward. The best moment when Sheen shows us his huge talent is when he breaks his friendship bonds with Taylor on a beach of South England. At that moment, frankly, Sheen is Clough! Moreover, Sheen's game is so perfect that it can't leave us indifferent: we have a personal reaction, whether by loving him or hating him. So I think it is less a football film than a study of characters. In effect, although we are included in the football world of the 70's, there are some brief moments of soccer game. And truly, it is a very good thing to have not fallen in the stereotypical traps of football films. But... there are some drawbacks too. Some little drawbacks. I feared there might not be a lot of women in this film, and I was right. Just some cameo parts. Moreover, we have to follow two stories at the same time and it is quite difficult to not be lost! To conclude with, this film is finally a biopic. Without taking the drawbacks into account, it is absolutely wonderful and perfectly performed. Clough was a very complex character and Sheen is very good in this role. Thanks to his talent, and the quality of the plot of course, I have another view of football. Now, it is high time to make a film about the only great sport all over the world: HANDBALL!

More than a film about UK football history, but how a true friendship endures - brash brilliance 'be-tamed'.

[ruby_fff · 8/10 · 8 March 2010]

It's another fabulous collaboration of screenwriter Peter Morgan and actor Michael Sheen following "The Queen" and "Frost/Nixon." "The Damned United" is not exactly a football movie, it tells the dramatic story of an enduring friendship against all odds, breakup and make-up, hurts and forgiveness, of two men (Brian Clough and Peter Taylor) who happened to share their love of football, both have supportive family, and their partnership in training football teams turned out to be successful for Derby County and latter European fame beyond England.

Michael Sheen portrays Clough, his glibness, arrogance, and over-confidence personality certainly comes through, yet his bond with Taylor, at once fragile and solid - fragile as Clough was selfishly reaching out for fame and running after popularity in the lime light, solid as Taylor understood Clough and not stood in his way and let him be - is sensitively delivered in subtle shades. Tim Spall is truly a match to Sheen in portraying Taylor. It's master-acting at play. (Quite 'floored' by Spall's powerful nuanced performance in Mike Leigh's "All or Nothing" 2002 and he dependably delivers in supporting roles like "The Last Samurai" 2003 opposite Tom Cruise or being Nathaniel, a small part in "Enchanted." 2007).

This may not be a film for every taste. It's certainly not a Hollywood 'commercial' product. Director Tom Hooper (of HBO series "John Adams") gave us a film that focused on Clough and Taylor - there is plenty of heart among the technical jargon, true to life football profession situations which were carefully depicted, down to the Leeds United and Derby County team members. Steady supporting roles by Colm Meany as Don Revie at Leeds and Jim Broadbent as Sam Longson at Derby. The music by Rob Lane matches the mood of Brian Clough's attitude and predicament, internal tangles and external mockery of himself. It is maturing the hard way in character for Clough and the test of enduring friendship with Taylor delineated.

I'm hardly into football, yet the story focus and the exceptional combination of Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall in the same film - that was enough incentive for me to see "The Damned United." Give this film a chance, you just might grow to like it as the story unfurls.

Go see! Go see!

[sp2303 · 9/10 · 13 April 2009]

A perfect 1970's homo-erotic love story between pure arrogance and footballing brain, beautifully and humorously realised over fat, fag smoking (that's cigarettes for our US cousins) footballers! Superb. It is the only football film I have ever seen that smelled right for the 1970's. The game was male ego out of control and the film allows fiction to just get on with it and not worry about upsetting the footballing equivalent of trainspotters or anyone still living who doesn't like being portrayed as a git! An absolute blessing to have a British film that doesn't prance around the subject like a Guardian journalist. Unashamed sweat, mud, rain and tears. Could have watched another hour of it at least.

Unworthy impression of the man that lacks insight about his genius

[tony-1310 · 6/10 · 14 April 2009]

Brian Clough was one of Britain's greatest personalities. I am just about old enough to remember the buzz generated when he was interviewed on TV. Life and TV were grey but Cloughie was not. He sparkled and spoke his mind freely, where other pundits were too scared to do so; with so few channels many could not risk upsetting the status quo. For that reason a grateful nation admired and loved the bright young manager. Whatever his insight about football you respected it because he'd proved he knew what he was talking about. His teams won. And with limited resources he won big. This tells of the years Mr Clough achieved his greatest success and how through belligerence, pride, passion and belief he threw it all away. It does not however give insight into the man himself, which I believe should have been the core of the story. I am still non- the wiser as to what made Clough such a great team manager. Yes he had beliefs and conviction but his real talent was getting Derby County to play his way on the field, not his gift of TV chat. All of Mr. Clough success was based on his ability to motivate a team to outplay and outwit the wealthy and powerful. Watching the recent ITV Documentary 'Clough' calls attention to this point. Only one scene in the film touches on this, when he has a quiet word with players in the changing room before sending them out to do exactly what he'd asked against Leeds United. For me these scenes were real highlights I'd have liked more. Instead Dammed United leans heavily on the topsy-turvy relationship between Manager and Assistant Manager during this time to give the story narrative. To its credit this is not a film about football - but then even a few weeks after seeing it – I'm still not sure what it is about. It fails to give a insightful portrait of the man, manger or times. One last though is it did not make any attempt to compare today's soulless media controlled game with the old days – I'm sure Mr Clough would have had a lot to say about that.

Leed-ing by Example

[khs_thereddevil · 9/10 · 11 March 2011]

This is definitely one of the BEST sports movies I have seen yet. Goal series does not stand even close to this one... Chronicling the rise to fame and glory of one Mr. Brian Howard Clough at Derby County, and his burning desire to 'defeat' Don Revie, who was the manager of Leeds United then, this film has all the elements of a great movie. It shows how a desire can fuel one to great success, and even overboard...

Yes, there are anachronisms and false facts, even misplaced footages, but that does not make the film any less interesting. If one whines for complete factual accuracy in a film, it may as well become a stoic documentary...

and, best of all, here is the last words from the movie :

Brian Clough remains the greatest manager the England team never had.

Now, you'll surely want to see this... wont you now ??

Another triumph for Michael Sheen

[estebangonzalez10 · 9/10 · 22 July 2010]

¨I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the country. But I'm in the top one. ¨ The Damned United is one of the best sports movies that I have seen recently, and it's very different from other films in its genre because it focuses more on defeat and humiliation than it does on overcoming obstacles and victories. It's based on the life of Brian Clough, a very successful football coach in England during the 70's who really was ahead of his time because he probably was the first celebrity-coach and became famous for his cockiness and big mouth. If I would have to compare him to any coach from the present it would probably be Jose Mourinho. However, The Damned United doesn't focus on all of Clough's triumphs and his glory days in Nottingham Forrest; it focuses on the disastrous campaign he had with Leeds United that only lasted for 44 days, and his personal rivalry and obsession with Don Revie, the coach he replaced at Leeds. The film is directed by Emmy Award winner Tom Hooper who is mostly known for his TV miniseries Elizabeth I and John Adams; and it is based on David Peace's novel The Damned Utd. The screenplay was written by Peter Morgan who has worked with Michael Sheen in the past in The Queen and Frost/Nixon. This is the third historic figure that Sheen has played in a movie and in each one he is truly outstanding and difficult to recognize because he changes so much, but he truly does justice to each character.

The movie opens in 1974, the year when the English national team wasn't able to qualify for the World Cup, so highly successful Leeds United coach, Don Revie (played by Colm Meaney), seemed to be the right man for the job. Revie turned Leeds United into a powerhouse in the 70's and dominated the league over the past few years. With Revie in the national team, Brian Clough (Michael Sheen) is offered the position as the Leeds boss, although he was known for being a critic of Leeds style of play which he called dirty and constantly criticized coach Revie for cheating. It makes perfect sense now why Clough wasn't the right man for the job and that he was doomed to fail from the get go, even more so considering he wasn't joined by his assistant Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall). The movie takes place in 1974, but we have constant flashbacks informing us how the rivalry between Clough and Revie began. The first flashback takes place during 1968 when Clough and Taylor were training a bottom placed second division team, Derby County. Clough was excited that his team was going to face first placed division one Leeds United for the FA Cup. He admired coach Revie because they grew up in the same neighborhood, but when the team arrived at the stadium, Revie completely ignored Clough (probably because he didn't even see him) and thus the bitterness and rivalry began. The movie continues in the present (1974) with the tense relationship Clough had with the Leeds players, while returning through flashbacks from 68 to 73 focusing on the rivalry with Revie, the arguments with Derby chairman Sam Longson (Jim Broadbent) and Clough's relationship with Taylor that help explain the present situation.

The strongest thing about this movie is that it takes a different spin in the sports genre that usually focuses on overcoming adversity and turning a bunch of losers into winners. This time Clough has the difficult task of filling in for a successful team and a group of winners and somehow his ego gets in the way and ends up having one of the worst opening campaigns for the team. The team was destined to fail from the beginning after so much criticism and rivalry built over the years. Clough was a very successful coach and even went on to win back to back European titles with another club, but the film decides to focus on his failures instead. The movie really works outside of the conventions of the sports genre and Michael Sheen is excellent in his portrayal of Brian Clough. There are some very strong performances from the supporting cast as well: Jim Broadbent, Colm Meaney, and Timothy Spall all give strong performances that helped build this movie. I really enjoyed this film and recommend it even though you are not sports fans because Clough had such a unique personality and was loved by some and hated by others. It is said that he was the greatest English manager to have never coached the national team.

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

Damned Good

[jdesando · 31 October 2009]

"The best football coach the England team never had."

So goes the last line of the best sports film you never saw. Or maybe I can change that condition by urging you to see one of the best recent sports films, better than current favorites such as We are Marshall and Gridiron Gang. Brian Clough (Michael Sheen) rose in the late sixties and early seventies to become coach of the premiere British football (soccer) team in England. But his tenure lasted an ignominious 44 days.

Director Tom Hopper skillfully navigates parallel scenes: 1974, when Clough was made coach of Leeds, back through the years from his coaching the little Darby team to Leeds. And beyond.

What makes this film so unusual is the uncompromising portrayal of that flawed coach with his ambition, ego, inferior complex, and, of course, his genius with football. Or I should I say with choosing Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) as his assistant, a bowling pin shape of a man gifted with insight about players' strengths and a perfect complement to the abrasive Clough. However, if the film is flawed it makes apparent Taylor's humanity and never reveals, except with locker room pep talks, the humanity Clough must have had to lead so many teams to greatness.

The actual playing, both original footage and reenacted version, occupies a relatively small part of the film because the emphasis is on character, primarily Clough and Taylor, who border on "bromance," but also minor characters such as Darby club president, Uncle Sam (Jim Broadbent) and rival coach, Don Revie (Colm Meany). Everyone is in character, so when the real people show up in the usual credit roll at the end, you could easily pick out the actor to match, so close even in appearance.

Because this tale tells mainly about the Clough flaws that lead to his disgrace, The Damned United is uncompromisingly, sometimes painfully, real in the most satisfactory way. Even though Clough lost, the film wins.

But wait, the suspense continues because the credit sequence will tell you the next act in Brian Clough's career. Second acts fit honest films like this.

Entertaining yet showing an accurate insight into the earlier days of the game.

[koriandr_star · 8/10 · 28 March 2009]

How accurate the film is in regards of the characters id not really important, not when a film like this effectively shows the footballing culture of the 60's and 70's but of the tenuous relationship between chairman and manager. As much as its about Brian clough it is also about the football at that time and for better or worse, the footage of Leeds gives those who have been born and bred in the premier league a perfect insight into the over physical sport.

The film's strength is to suck us into this strange footballing world, the demands and politics, some of it is still reoccurring in the currant football league such as the demand of promotion, nature of spending etc and the collision of egos. This is something no football film has caught and it is captured here, we do not see a one sided show of Brian Clough but of the consequences of his actions, sometimes we marvel the arrogance as it fixes the problems, but some show a folly display.

Even if some of these events were not true it was still a great film, and the film focuses on the pressure and demands of the game which is the best way to do it really because why show the recreation of football on the pitch it does not have the same rallying cheer as it does to seeing it when it matters to you.

Football has no predicted ending, movies (to an extent) do and that is why it decides to minimise any recreational football by the actors. It does show key moments but only with the documentary footage and the footage speaks for itself and makes you understand why many had such a hate to Leeds.

And the film doesn't show the folly of arrogance in a clichéd or politically correct way, clough is not seen to rethink by the poor kid or friend but by his enemies who put it straight to him. And his enemies are not 'Leeds' but those who refuse to buckle under his demands, including his friends which is perhaps the greatest irony of it. However the success and failure that swaps between don and Clough lies in the ability for either to change their ways.

In the end one learns that his own way is not the right way and a reunion with a friend brings out the best of a man who goes onto to become England's best manager. The other who leaves Leeds with so much success and has successfully crossed swords with clough is 'dammed' by his arrogance or the unwillingness to change it. His ending embraces shame and humiliation.

It is without question the best football/soccer game to date highlighting rivalry, ego's, a game where football was poor and how arrogance whilst charismatic can become self destructive.

THE UNITED IS DAMNED, BUT THE MOVIE IS BLESSED

[Rino_Bortone · 10/10 · 20 December 2019]

One of the best films ever produced on sport and in general on football. The cast is brilliant, Michael Sheen's performance with Timothy Spall steals the show most of the time. Director Tom Hooper is simply masterful and I stress "simply", because it is a film made with a fluency in narration never seen before. This movie, if followed properly in its construction, can bring more movies in this style and I call Tom Hooper a pioneer of this directing style. Again, simply brilliant.