Review: THE DAMNED UNITED

THE DAMNED UNITED is a sports film but it’s not really about sports. If you’re looking for one of those movies about the underdog team who defeats the odds and achieves a rousing and inspirational come-from-behind victory, look elsewhere. Instead THE DAMNED UNITED tells the true story of Brian Clough, one of the most famous British football (that’s soccer to you and me) managers ever and focuses on the brief period in 1974 where he ran one of the most popular soccer teams in England, Leeds United, and how he was able to achieve that position. THE DAMNED UNITED has been a big hit in England, but since most Americans don’t give a crap about soccer, and much of the dialog represents the inside politics of the sport, I can’t imagine it finding much of an audience this side of the Atlantic. It’s produced with great skill and attention to period detail, but THE DAMNED UNITED is not very accessible.

Brian Clough (played by Michael Sheen) was apparently a very well-known English soccer personality and THE DAMNED UNITED focuses on Clough’s first success managing the Derby County team from 1967 to 1973 and then his disastrous stint managing arch rival Leeds United in 1974. The United had been previously managed by his bitter long-time nemesis Don Revie (Colm Meany) who coached an aggressive, dirty style of play. Clough had long been a harsh critic of Revie and he immediately alienates the Leeds players, publicly trashing his predecessor and criticizing the players for their tactics on the field. Clough may want the team to play clean, but he’s a cocky arrogant blowhard himself and the players make his job very difficult for him. He’s ultimately unsuccessful, and sacked by the owners after just 44 days.

Apparently this is a very well-known story in England but it didn’t translate well to this American filmgoer. Marketed as a sports movie, THE DAMNED UNITED is really a character study of Clough, attempting to illustrate what may have inspired him to make many of his controversial decisions. There is much more talk about sports in THE DAMNED UNITED than actual playing. The movie has some scenes of Clough on the field coaching, but never stops to take in the full action of the game and spends much of it’s time in boardrooms and press conferences. Some of the athletes are played by talented actors, notably Stephen Graham (who recently played Baby Face Nelson in PUBLIC ENEMIES) as the hot-headed Billy Bremner, but too much of the film is about the relationship between Clough and his all-business assistant manager Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall), the best friend with whom he had a fragile friendship long before he took the managing position at Leeds United. But their relationship isn’t compelling enough to overcome all the dull sports minutia. The detailed recreations of key games that Clough oversaw while in charge of the Derby and Leeds teams will no doubt be more exciting to those who have a built-in interest in this history. It’s not an uplifting or universal story and while the performances are all fine and it captures the ’70s atmosphere well, I think THE DAMNED UNITED will appeal only to a limited audience.