Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough, a British football (soccer) coach with a gift. He can take a nobody team and in a very short time make them the dominate team in the country. This leads to pride and being a jerk and the movie explores his character growth.
This is a movie that normally I wouldn’t give a second look. I’m not a fan of soccer by any stretch of the imagination and I really don’t like bio movies because they’re frequently boring. The reason is, a movie should not be about a person. It should be about something. Benjamin Button was boring because it had no plot, it was just his life. Contrariwise, Amazing Grace was a great movie because while it was about William Wilberforce, it was more about William Wilberforce trying to end slavery in the UK. Now, that being said, I looked at this movie because I like the lead actor. I was happy to find out though, that while it is about Clough, it’s more about Clough’s obsession with fellow coach Don Revie. Beating him at every turn becomes his white whale and the extent to which he tries to go to accomplish this goal is both sad and engaging.
Damned United does have its weak points. Pacing is a little slow but you’re okay with that because the scenes in the slow spots are still entertaining. There’s also a few unexplained things. At one point, Clough’s wife and daughter disappear and he’s with his sons alone. Whether they got a divorce or what is unexplained. Adding that drama would’ve brought the movie down but they still could’ve mentioned what happened.
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