bowmanblue I don't mind football, but I doubt I could watch a movie containing lot of it, which is probably why I enjoyed The Damned United. It charts Brian Clough's ill-fated move from Derby to Leeds where he comes uncharacteristically unstuck in his managerial attempts.Martin Sheen is (as always) brilliant at playing the self appointed 'greatest manager in England' and he's backed up by the equally excellent Timothy Spall and Jim Broadbent.You don't have to love, or even know much about, football to like this film. It's about someone who isn't quite as clever as he thinks he is. Therefore you can't help but take a little bit of evil delight in his fall from grace. However, although Clough isn't always the genius he believes himself to be, he's never far from it. So, even when he's down, you know he won't be there for long.Good British drama - very entertaining.

hall895 The Damned United tells the more or less true story of Brian Clough's catastrophic 44 days as manager of Leeds United. As with many movies based on a true story some facts are changed, embellishments are made. But the heart of the real-life story remains. And what a story it is. Those unfamiliar with the story may wonder why a movie was made about a man who failed. That is certainly not the typical sports movie narrative. But the story of Brian Clough is so much more than those 44 days. And this movie tells that story very well. We see his triumphs, we see his misery. We see him at the pinnacle and at the lowest depths. Through sheer force of personality Brian Clough made himself a success. And then that same forceful personality would be his undoing.Michael Sheen plays Clough and turns in a truly outstanding performance. Clough's personality and brilliance shine through in Sheen's performance. The haughty pride, bitterness and resentment which were a part of Clough are also laid bare. Clough was certainly a flawed character but an undeniably fascinating one. Sheen brings him to life perfectly. There are some key supporting players who help. Timothy Spall plays Clough's right-hand man Peter Taylor. Jim Broadbent plays a club chairman. And Colm Meaney plays the villain of the piece, Don Revie, the Leeds manager whom Clough is obsessed with bettering. In truth of course Revie is a villain only in Clough's mind. Revie's teams won but in Clough's mind they did not win the right way. Clough was out on a crusade to win soccer matches properly, without resorting to the dirty tactics of Leeds. All well and good until you go to Leeds yourself and tell your new players they're a bunch of cheaters.Rather then tell a straightforward tale, following Clough from his successes at Derby to his disaster at Leeds the film jumps back and forth in time, between the two story lines. We see Clough floundering at Leeds, jump back to his glory at Derby, then go forward to Leeds again. The film maintains this setup throughout, bringing the two stories together wonderfully. Even with all the back and forth the story still flows very well. And doing it this way ties everything together much better. Rather than seeing a simple rise and fall we are taken on quite a roller coaster ride, the highest of highs followed by the lowest of lows and back again. Seeing Clough's struggles at Leeds gives a different perspective when we then see him at his best at Derby. All the way through Sheen is spot-on in every moment. He owns the character. The likes of Spall, Broadbent and Meaney make their contribution but make no mistake this is Sheen's film through and through. There are some little quibbles to be made with the film. You do wish they could have stuck a little closer to the truth at times, some of the events here are twisted around rather unnecessarily. The facts of the story should have been good enough, the movie is let down somewhat by some of its fiction. The soccer action we see is not always convincing but it works well enough. And we really only see limited bits of action anyway. This is not a film about the players, not about the sport, but about Brian Clough. We see Clough succeed beyond anyone's wildest expectations at little Derby and we see him cut down to size at big, bad Leeds. It is a film which provides a compelling look at a truly fascinating man. Brian Clough is such a great character, the flawed hero you can't tear your eyes away from. The Damned United is a movie which does that hero justice.

Chris L The Damned United belongs to the the very limited category of the good biopics.The viewer is quickly sucked in by the story that deals with just a fragment of the incredible career of the legend that was the charismatic Brian Clough.The scenario is precise, almost surgical, and very dynamic from end to end so that it is impossible to get bored. It is carried by excellent actors, Michael Sheen on top, disconcerting of ease in its Clough role.As for the direction and photography, they are very polished and Tom Hooper offers us strong shots that emphasize the story perfectly.Fond of biographies, the latter will less successfully direct two years later The King's Speech, proving that the biopic genre is a risky one.

suvopyne49 Sports movies have always fascinated me; and this one should count as a great one at that. The movie starts off with showing Brian Clough (Michael Sheen) taking over the coveted position of Manager in Leeds United. The movie is basically about Clough's tenure at Leeds. But with various other events shown in the movie, the movie itself becomes a masterly act.The best feature of the movie is that it grows out of 'Just a sports movie' to become much more. It portrays rivalry, bitterness, ambition and certainly ego. Peter Morgan's screenplay from David Peace's novel played a large and significant part in that. And if the screenplay played a part in making this movie such a treat to watch, then certainly the performance of the cast would be the other part. It may be just me, but I found that Michael Sheen's performance is one of the most underrated performance I have ever seen. I understand that there were many factual errors regarding the story of the movie. But it's a shame if those had stopped Michael Sheen getting all the plaudits he deserved. He was wonderful in his deliveries of dialogue, especially, at those 'Interview' scenes. Another great performance was there from Timothy Spall, as Clough's longstanding subordinate and friend, Peter Taylor. Colm Meaney and Jim Broadbent were good too, as Don Revie and Derby County's Chairman Longson respectively.All in all, this movie is a great sports drama which is only a little less great that director Tom Hooper's next one after this.