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Damned United, The

EMAILPRINTSony Pictures Classics

Damned United, The reviews
81
9.5 User Score:

Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Peter Morgan

Directed by: Tom Hooper

Release Date:
Theatrical: October 9, 2009
DVD: February 23, 2010

Running Time: 97 minutes, Color

Origin: UK

Summary

RATING: R for language

Starring Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Graham, and Peter McDonald

Set in 1960’s and 1970’s England, The Damned United tells the confrontational and darkly humorous story of Brian Clough’s doomed 44 day tenure as manager of the reigning champions of English football Leeds United. Previously managed by his bitter rival Don Revie, and on the back of their most successful period ever as a football club, Leeds was perceived by many to represent a new aggressive and cynical style of football - an anathema to the principled yet flamboyant Brian Clough, who had achieved astonishing success as manager of Hartlepool and Derby County building teams in his own vision with trusty lieutenant Peter Taylor. Taking the Leeds job without Taylor by his side, with a changing room full of what in his mind were still Don’s boys, would lead to an unheralded examination of Clough’s belligerence and brilliance over 44 days. This is that story. The story of The Damned United. (Sony Pictures Classics)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

It's a classic and even charming yarn of vanity, hubris and redemption, played out against the bizarre, intense alternate universe of '70s English soccer.

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100

The New York Times A.O. Scott

The rare sports movie that deals with -- indeed positively relishes -- humiliation and disappointment.

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100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

There's barely any on-field footage in The Damned United. What we get instead is fine acting and directing, splendid dialogue and a story too outrageous to be made up.

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100

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

A pitch-perfect portrait of a man full of inspiration and ambition - and full of himself.

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100

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

It stands out as one of the best films of the genre, on the strength of the storytelling and wonderful performances.

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100

Washington Post Desson Thomson

It's more than a detailed account of one man's petty vindictiveness in a bygone era. It's about how our hatred can consume us so deeply that we lose sight of everything.

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91

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

It’s a fascinating story about ambition and vanity and pride, and in Sheen’s performance and the atmosphere capture by Hooper it contains truly fine and rare things.

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90

Film Threat Elias Savada

Elevates a significant moment in the history of this massively passionate spectator sport.

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88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Avoids all sports movie cliches, even the obligatory ending where the team comes from behind.

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83

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Sheen is startlingly good here, and so is Timothy Spall as Clough's trusted and much abused lieutenant.

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83

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

What's lost in translation is recovered easily enough in Michael Sheen's astonishing performance as Clough.

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80

Village Voice Chuck Wilson

A movie about soccer that doesn't spend a lot of time on the field, The Damned United, like everything Morgan writes, is an intimate character study, one that is enriched by a stellar ensemble of British pros, including Jim Broadbent as Derby's team owner.

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80

Time Out New York Joshua Rothkopf

Hardly the heady stuff of "Frost/Nixon"--or then again, maybe exactly the same thing. This one’s more rude and fun.

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80

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Ultimately it's Sheen, finding new facets of his character in every scene, who shoots and scores.

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80

NPR Bob Mondello

A dramedy laying out the dueling coaching philosophies of guys who doubtless meant a great deal to fans, but of whom I'd been blissfully unaware for decades -- is enormously engaging. Enormously.

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78

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

The Damned United is Shakespearean in its tragedy.

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75

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Joe Williams

Two things that the British know that most Americans don't: Michael Sheen is the best actor in the English-speaking world; and soccer is the only football that matters.

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75

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Hooper, the director, doesn’t include lots of amazing football sequences to upstage his star. He just moves everyone out of Sheen’s way. It’s about time.

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75

USA Today Claudia Puig

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

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70

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Director Tom Hooper ("John Adams") ably balances the games (surprisingly little football footage, actually), the personalities and the drama.

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70

Variety Leslie Felperin

Telling with a light, surefooted touch a legendary tale from British soccer history, The Damned United reps the latest collaboration in factual fiction between chameleon thesp Michael Sheen, screenwriter Peter Morgan and producer Andy Harries ("Frost/Nixon," "The Queen").

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70

New York Magazine David Edelstein

More Eurocentric but quite enjoyable, even for those of us who don’t follow British “football.”

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70

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Michael Sheen, who adds to his gallery of public figures (Tony Blair, David Frost) with a sharp performance here as the legendary UK soccer coach Brian Clough.

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67

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Meaney’s Flintstone-ian brute makes a terrific foil to Sheen’s prissy arrogance, but the other supporting players don’t make much of an impression. Ditto for this slice of history itself, though mileage may vary for soccer fans.

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63

New York Post Kyle Smith

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.

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60

Empire William Thomas

Sheen thrives in the guise of the idiosyncratic Clough in a brilliantly candid, if bitty, football parable.

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50

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Like a skill player who just can't score, The Damned United is all dazzle and no finish and, ultimately, damned frustrating.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

eggy g. gave it a9:
Capture all the football drama & moments without any of sport movie cliche..incredible. Another superb Michael sheen's movie.

Chris J. gave it a10:
Just simply personal favorite movie of the year.

Teri gave it a9:
Excellent film, great acting.

Andres B. gave it a10:
Wonderful. Sheen gave a terrific performance.

springonion gave it a9:
Superb film which sees Sheen capture the memory of Clough in his own way. Indeed the whole movie seems to capture the era that was 1970s football in Britain; wonderfully engaging.

Qwerty gave it a9:
Michael Sheen is superb, and Colm Meany and the rest of the cast are great as well. And, you need know nothing about soccer (or, as the Brits call it, football) to enjoy and appreciate the film.

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