The Damned United (2009)
The Damned United (2009): 5.1/10
The Damned United focuses on the period of time when seminal football (soccer in American terms) manager Brian Clough managed Leeds United, taking over from rival manager Don Revie. As opposed to being a period of success for Clough which he would enjoy in abundance later in life, the film depicts his failure to manage Leeds and his inability to get his rivalry with Revie under control.
When I first saw the trailer to the film, I really was not too interested in it. I am not a big sports film fan and this did not look like it would really appeal to me at all. Despite this, I still wanted to see it because of the films excellent cast. Michael Sheen continues to impress at every turn and then we have the exceptional Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney (always great at playing jerks) and Jim Broadbent.
The film did not exceed any expectations I had going into it. The film is certainly decent, there is no question about that, but it failed to engage me on any sort of significant level. It avoids a lot of sports film clichés by not focusing on the team but focusing Clough’s lack of the focus on the team. The most successful aspect of the film is the friendship between Clough and Peter Taylor (Spall). A lot of time is spent dealing with it to the point where the repair of their friendship is the last scene of the film.
Of course the cast does a fine job. Sheen clearly has made a habit of playing people who actually exist and it has continues to work for him here. Spall is the heart of the film and fulfills his job perfectly. The problem with the film that I had was that it never really sucked me in. This has more to do with my personal taste in the films that I find interesting than a reflection of the film itself. Also, not being part of the British culture, I feel like I am missing that need to demystify Brian Clough and to see a film representation of him. Since that is not a part of my life or a part of anything I know, the film is just another sports movie to me.
The Clough character comes off as annoying as his obsession with Revie gets out of control and he becomes too set in his ego. I know that the point is to show his inexperience as a manager and his poor prioritizing skills but he just came off as a baby much of the time. I was so sick of hearing him whine about Don Revie throughout the film. Again, I understand that this is the point but eventually I was not given much of a reason to be invested in his success.
Overall, while the film is well made and well acted and does avoid sports film clichés, it was not a film I could connect with and I found myself a little less than invested I am surprised by the near unanimous reviews and that everyone found themselves as involved as they did. For me, the film was adequate enough but it failed to thoroughly engage me and I was left much underwhelmed by its end.
The Damned United focuses on the period of time when seminal football (soccer in American terms) manager Brian Clough managed Leeds United, taking over from rival manager Don Revie. As opposed to being a period of success for Clough which he would enjoy in abundance later in life, the film depicts his failure to manage Leeds and his inability to get his rivalry with Revie under control.
When I first saw the trailer to the film, I really was not too interested in it. I am not a big sports film fan and this did not look like it would really appeal to me at all. Despite this, I still wanted to see it because of the films excellent cast. Michael Sheen continues to impress at every turn and then we have the exceptional Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney (always great at playing jerks) and Jim Broadbent.
The film did not exceed any expectations I had going into it. The film is certainly decent, there is no question about that, but it failed to engage me on any sort of significant level. It avoids a lot of sports film clichés by not focusing on the team but focusing Clough’s lack of the focus on the team. The most successful aspect of the film is the friendship between Clough and Peter Taylor (Spall). A lot of time is spent dealing with it to the point where the repair of their friendship is the last scene of the film.
Of course the cast does a fine job. Sheen clearly has made a habit of playing people who actually exist and it has continues to work for him here. Spall is the heart of the film and fulfills his job perfectly. The problem with the film that I had was that it never really sucked me in. This has more to do with my personal taste in the films that I find interesting than a reflection of the film itself. Also, not being part of the British culture, I feel like I am missing that need to demystify Brian Clough and to see a film representation of him. Since that is not a part of my life or a part of anything I know, the film is just another sports movie to me.
The Clough character comes off as annoying as his obsession with Revie gets out of control and he becomes too set in his ego. I know that the point is to show his inexperience as a manager and his poor prioritizing skills but he just came off as a baby much of the time. I was so sick of hearing him whine about Don Revie throughout the film. Again, I understand that this is the point but eventually I was not given much of a reason to be invested in his success.
Overall, while the film is well made and well acted and does avoid sports film clichés, it was not a film I could connect with and I found myself a little less than invested I am surprised by the near unanimous reviews and that everyone found themselves as involved as they did. For me, the film was adequate enough but it failed to thoroughly engage me and I was left much underwhelmed by its end.
Cinema is Truth
Cinema is Truth