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IMDbPro

The Damned United

  • 2009
  • R
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
45K
YOUR RATING
Michael Sheen in The Damned United (2009)
A look at Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of Leeds United.
Play trailer2:09
16 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaSport

The story of the controversial Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of the English football club Leeds United.The story of the controversial Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of the English football club Leeds United.The story of the controversial Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of the English football club Leeds United.

  • Director
    • Tom Hooper
  • Writers
    • Peter Morgan
    • David Peace
  • Stars
    • Colm Meaney
    • Henry Goodman
    • David Roper
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    45K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Tom Hooper
    • Writers
      • Peter Morgan
      • David Peace
    • Stars
      • Colm Meaney
      • Henry Goodman
      • David Roper
    • 98User reviews
    • 152Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 nominations

    Videos16

    The Damned United -- U.S. Trailer
    Trailer 2:09
    Watch The Damned United -- U.S. Trailer
    The Damned United - UK Trailer
    Trailer 2:01
    Watch The Damned United - UK Trailer
    The Damned United - The Dossier
    Clip 1:06
    Watch The Damned United - The Dossier
    The Damned United - Team Talk
    Clip 1:39
    Watch The Damned United - Team Talk
    The Damned United - On the road
    Clip 0:51
    Watch The Damned United - On the road
    The Damned United - Management
    Clip 0:58
    Watch The Damned United - Management
    The Damned United - Mallorca
    Clip 0:50
    Watch The Damned United - Mallorca
    The Damned United - Game Plan
    Clip 2:02
    Watch The Damned United - Game Plan
    The Damned United - FA Cup  Draw
    Clip 1:07
    Watch The Damned United - FA Cup Draw
    The Damned United: TV Interview
    Clip 1:00
    Watch The Damned United: TV Interview
    The Damned United - New Players
    Clip 1:20
    Watch The Damned United - New Players
    The Damned United: Don Revie
    Clip 1:04
    Watch The Damned United: Don Revie

    Photos117

    Michael Sheen in The Damned United (2009)
    Colm Meaney in The Damned United (2009)
    Mark Cameron and Stephen Graham in The Damned United (2009)
    Michael Sheen in The Damned United (2009)
    Colm Meaney in The Damned United (2009)
    Michael Sheen in The Damned United (2009)
    Michael Sheen and Colin Harris in The Damned United (2009)
    Mark Cameron, Stephen Graham, and Maurice Roëves in The Damned United (2009)
    The Damned United (2009)
    Michael Sheen in The Damned United (2009)
    Timothy Spall and Maurice Roëves in The Damned United (2009)
    Stephen Graham, Michael Sheen, and Ross Donnelly in The Damned United (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Colm Meaney
    Colm Meaney
    • Don Revie
    Henry Goodman
    Henry Goodman
    • Manny Cussins
    David Roper
    • Sam Bolton
    Jimmy Reddington
    • Keith Archer
    Oliver Stokes
    • Nigel Clough
    Ryan Day
    • Simon Clough
    Michael Sheen
    Michael Sheen
    • Brian Clough
    Mark Bazeley
    Mark Bazeley
    • Austin Mitchell
    Timothy Spall
    Timothy Spall
    • Peter Taylor
    Maurice Roëves
    Maurice Roëves
    • Jimmy Gordon
    Stephen Graham
    Stephen Graham
    • Billy Bremner
    Peter McDonald
    Peter McDonald
    • Johnny Giles
    Mark Cameron
    Mark Cameron
    • Norman Hunter
    Frank Skillin
    • Younger Nigel Clough
    Dylan Van Hoof
    • Younger Simon Clough
    Sydney Wade
    Sydney Wade
    • Younger Elizabeth Clough
    Elizabeth Carling
    Elizabeth Carling
    • Barbara Clough
    Jim Broadbent
    Jim Broadbent
    • Sam Longson
    • Director
      • Tom Hooper
    • Writers
      • Peter Morgan
      • David Peace
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film has been criticized by the Clough family as they state it was not a true story of events.
    • Goofs
      The tie against Leeds shows Derby being so badly fouled by the Leeds players they have to field reserves against Juventus. While Derby did suffer some injuries in the tie against Leeds that year, it actually came before their quarter-final match against Spartak Trnava, which Derby still won despite missing some key players. Moreover, the injuries were not as serious as implied in the film, and all the injured players had recovered by the time of the eventual 3-1 defeat by Juventus which was with a near full-strength Derby squad minus two players who were suspended.
    • Quotes

      Brian Clough: [to the assembled Leeds players] Well, I might as well tell you now. You lot may all be internationals and have won all the domestic honours there are to win under Don Revie. But as far as I'm concerned, the first thing you can do for me is to chuck all your medals and all your caps and all your pots and all your pans into the biggest fucking dustbin you can find, because you've never won any of them fairly. You've done it all by bloody cheating.

    • Connections
      Featured in De wereld draait door: Episode #4.124 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Leeds, Leeds, Leeds (Marching On Together)
      Performed by Leeds United A.F.C. (as Leeds United Team) and Supporters

      Written by Les Reed / Barry Mason

      Published by Universal Music Publishing Ltd / Dick James Music Ltd / Barry Mason Music Ltd / MCS Music Ltd

      Licensed from Chapter One Records Ltd

    User reviews98

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Whether or not it's fact or fiction it's certainly entertaining!
    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.
    helpful•58
    12
    • thependragon-1
    • Mar 24, 2009

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    FAQ1

    • Who was managing Derby in the match that Brian Clough snuck into, if Dave Mackay hadn't been appointed yet?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 27, 2009 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Sony Pictures (France)
      • Sony Pictures (United Kingdom)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Đội Bóng Chết Dẫm
    • Filming locations
      • Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK(Assistant manager, Peter Taylor's home)
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • BBC Films
      • Screen Yorkshire
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $10,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $449,865
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $32,065
      • Oct 11, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,091,378
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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