Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall

A look at Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of Leeds United.

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76% liked it

33,813 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

98 critics

R, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Tom Hooper

Release Date: October 9, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (911)


  • October 31, 2009
    Screenwriter Peter Morgan, having brought Tony Blair and David Frost to the big screen in recent years, tackles a biopic subject far more obscure to an American audience in Tom Hooper's "The Damned United".

    The man is Brian Clough (Michael Sheen) - a self-destructive soccer coac...( read more)h who took over Leeds United in 1974 from their beloved mentor, Don Revie (Colm Meaney). Revie is on his way to coach England's national team, whereas Leeds United, under Clough's rule, is told that everything that they've ever done is completely wrong.

    While Morgan tells of the doomed team under Clough's command, he also introduces a parallel story regarding Clough's successful gig as manager of Derby County five years previous. With help from his right-hand man, the brilliant soccer mind Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall), the two took Derby County from the bottom of the second division to the very top of the first.

    If that cast doesn't have you waiting in line already, add Jim Broadment and the great (but criminally under-utilized) Stephen Graham (from "This is England") in the mix.

    Michael Sheen has, in "The Queen" and "Frost/Nixon", been wonderful support for the powerhouse performances of Helen Mirren and Frank Langella. In "The Damned United", however, he is the undebatable centerpiece. Like his previous roles, his Clough is a similar fast-thinking genius flawed by his own ambition and insecurity.

    "The Damned United" is a sort of anti-sports movie - instead of the young coach bringing his team of misfits closer together, he tears them apart. For some reason, however, Morgan and Hooper's spin on the genre is unsuccessful. Morgan's technique of parallel narratives seems to be used only to bring some life into the material - but even still, the film is penetratingly dull. Clough is an interesting character, but something was lost in translation on the way to screen.
  • March 27, 2009
    ''GOOD LAD!''

    A look at Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of Leeds United.

    Michael Sheen: Brian Clough

    The film effort The Damned United is a delightful inside glimpse at a period in time, focusing on a certain manager, a manager called

    ...( read more)Brian Clough. Director Tom Hooper incorporates live footage from televised news reels of the time with real time actors and happenings on set. The Damned United is going back to the day, living yesterday and being in awe of the good old days, the days when drinking and smoking before a football match were excepted, the dirty tactics of Leeds United and their brawling babaric methods with opponents, can be over-looked. This is a day when drinking tea on your lap was the norm, and football just wasn't simply about money, it was about pride and real competition.
    Peter Morgan the talented Writer of The Queen and Frost/Nixon reunites for a hat trick with chameleonic Michael Sheen. Michael Sheen can tick off another box on his list, of his mimicking magic of iconic Englishmen as his witty performance is a key reason for what makes The Damned United a pleasure to behold. 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 bond, as Clough and Taylor.

    Michael Sheen's Brian Clough is an entertaining, arrogant but likable character with self-destructive flaws. Obviously he has the best lines (unfortunately many of which feature in the trailer) and some of his best scenes are with Timothy Spall's Peter Taylor, whom finds their friendship severely damaged at various points as the events transpire. Clough's vulnerability and insecurities are explored in his relationship with Taylor and the audience learn that only as a team do they conquer English football. Clough's apparent hatred for Revie stems from being snubbed by the latter at an early Cup match. This experience drives Clough's ambition to not only succeed, but to attempt to eclipse the architect of Leeds United's Golden Age. Along the way we learn about the now familiar friction between the Manager and the Chairman, the task of signing players and the universal theme of pride coming before a fall.
    Set in the late sixties/early seventies and seamlessly interspersing the action with real footage and interviews as aforementioned, this film enables the audience to embrace the spirit of the times.

    Peter Taylor: Are you going to stop it?
    Brian Clough: No, I'm going to fight him.

    As with legendary picture Frost/Nixon the story caters for people with very minimalistic knowledge of the subject matter and as such, it can be enjoyed by football fans, history fans and film fans alike. Plus there isn't a huge amount of actual ball kicking by the cast, so people won't switch off. There is an obligatory montage, but it's nicely done and over quickly.
    The only downside to this film is that it's a little bit short if anything, but it leaves you wanting more which can only be a good thing. There's a mild bit of comical swearing throughout, which is justified given the situations the lead characters face.

    Overall, The Damned United provides historical entertainment, laughs galore and fun beyond most fantasy and blockbuster films dream of achieving. This is one of those Michael Sheen triumphs you want to be there for, especially at the end when we even see the end results for the characters in the aftermath of Clough's 44 day management of Leeds. This for me was a wonderful climax, a beautiful conclusion and an absolute pleasure to experience. Plus the fact I say again, that my friend whom is a football/film fan, plus me whom loves history and film, plus acting and brilliantly portrayed characters, this is a golden movie to watch and for a universal audience. The Damned United is a perfect adaptation and tribute to a man who wasn't afraid of burning ambition, perhaps showing off a tad too much but in doing so he did some amazing things. His friendship with Peter Taylor is beautifully captured here, Spall and Sheen shine, Damned United shines.

    ''If you want to be loved, you're going to have to change.''

  • November 15, 2009
    A look at Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of Leeds United.

    I really enjoyed this. Of course, it helps if you have an interest in football, and know the background story, but even if you don't, the movie is as much about friendship as it is about the beautiful game.
    ...( read more)
    Amazing performance from Michael Sheen as Brian Clough. He has impressed me in every movie I've seen him in. Props also to Colm Meany who I thought was great as Don Revie. Well worth a watch!
  • September 10, 2009
    The man was always a great manager and a great tv personality but this film goes a long way to show the real man behind the persona. It isnt as much about football as some would think but more about the way he dealt with people and this was particularly well done by Sheen.
  • April 3, 2009
    This isn't so much a film about football as a Life on Mars-esque nostalgia piece, a treatise on the power of obsession, a portrayal of bromance and a warning as to when passion turns into a destructive force. The acting is particularly superb; Meaney, Spall and Sheen; the period ...( read more)setting is stunningly realised and the documentary style footage is very effective. It makes me nostalgic about a time I never lived through, and I don't even like football.
  • November 16, 2009
    Beautifully shot and well directed tale of obsession in '70s UK football tends to spell things out a bit, but it's still riveting. Michael Sheen is brilliant, but then again, so are most of the cast!
  • November 8, 2009
    Truthfully, I had never heard about Brian Clough. No idea who he was or what he was known for. All I knew was that Michael Sheen was to play him. I think he is one of the most talented British actors at the moment and it definitely shows here as well as in his other movies. I...( read more) understood the fascination for Brian Clough even though I never knew who he was or anything because it was sold to me by the great acting in this flick. Although the movie itself might have threaded on usual ground, it is saved by the performances. Great work as usual by Sheen.
  • November 3, 2009
    Brilliant and masterfully played by Michael Sheen.
  • October 30, 2009
    Beautifully shot, with a unique color palette and many interesting compositions. The story is well paced and engaging.
  • October 30, 2009
    Surprisingly this was quite a good movie. Funny, intense and a good glimpse into the world of managerial soccer.

Critic Reviews


October 23, 2009
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

While there's plenty of action, much of it satisfyingly wet and muddy, the reason to watch this film is its splendid cast. full review

October 15, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The enigma of Brian Clough has long fascinated British fans. The Dammed United offers no easy explanation, but plunges into the mysteries of the personality. full review

October 9, 2009
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

The rare sports movie that deals with humiliation and disappointment. full review

October 9, 2009
Kyle Smith, New York Post

As the two coaches head for a faceoff in a climactic live TV interview, writer Morgan starts to seem like a rip-off -- of himself. full review

October 9, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

What vaults the film above the standard sports movie is the stellar performance by Michael Sheen. full review

October 5, 2009
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

The parallel-tracks structure smoothly reveals cause-effect relationships even as it sometimes feels designed to gussy up the narrative's straightforward rise-and-fall arc. full review

October 5, 2009
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Quite enjoyable, even for those of us who don't follow British "football." full review

March 27, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

Morgan, scanning the book and deciding (perhaps shrewdly) to lighten it up, has fashioned for Michael Sheen, the actor formerly known as Tony Blair and David Frost, his best comic role yet. full review

View more The Damned United reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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