SnoopyStyle It's July 1974. Leeds United is the dominant team. Manager Don Revie (Colm Meaney) leaves his United job to take over England's FA team. Brian Clough (Michael Sheen) takes over the Leeds Unite job and changes the prevailing dirty style of play. He had a hostile history with Revie and the changes cause lot of friction within the team. The movie flashes back 6 years to see Clough struggling as the manager of Derby County. Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) is his loyal assistant.This is more than a soccer movie. This is a great character study. It owes a lot to the masterful acting from Michael Sheen. Colm Meaney is also terrific as the movie baddie. There is no need to be a soccer fan to see this human story. It's definitely not just the usual sports movie.

Henry Hudson This was a very good film, probably one of my favourite films of all time. When I watched this film, I was of course aware of Brian Clough and Don Revie but I had no real prior knowledge of their rivalry, nor the exploits of Clough at Leeds United but this did not hinder my enjoyment of this piece.To have Michael Sheen as Brian Clough was a superb casting decision, he portrayed Clough brilliantly throughout the film. Timothy Spall did a great job playing Brian Clough's long-suffering assistant Peter Taylor. The two actors were not only great as individuals but as a duo they worked very well together in this film.I would highly recommend this film to any football fan but even if you are not really interested in the sport 'The Damned United' is a very good piece of drama that is definitely worth a watch.

hall895 The Damned United tells the more or less true story of Brian Clough's catastrophic 44 days as manager of Leeds United. As with many movies based on a true story some facts are changed, embellishments are made. But the heart of the real-life story remains. And what a story it is. Those unfamiliar with the story may wonder why a movie was made about a man who failed. That is certainly not the typical sports movie narrative. But the story of Brian Clough is so much more than those 44 days. And this movie tells that story very well. We see his triumphs, we see his misery. We see him at the pinnacle and at the lowest depths. Through sheer force of personality Brian Clough made himself a success. And then that same forceful personality would be his undoing.Michael Sheen plays Clough and turns in a truly outstanding performance. Clough's personality and brilliance shine through in Sheen's performance. The haughty pride, bitterness and resentment which were a part of Clough are also laid bare. Clough was certainly a flawed character but an undeniably fascinating one. Sheen brings him to life perfectly. There are some key supporting players who help. Timothy Spall plays Clough's right-hand man Peter Taylor. Jim Broadbent plays a club chairman. And Colm Meaney plays the villain of the piece, Don Revie, the Leeds manager whom Clough is obsessed with bettering. In truth of course Revie is a villain only in Clough's mind. Revie's teams won but in Clough's mind they did not win the right way. Clough was out on a crusade to win soccer matches properly, without resorting to the dirty tactics of Leeds. All well and good until you go to Leeds yourself and tell your new players they're a bunch of cheaters.Rather then tell a straightforward tale, following Clough from his successes at Derby to his disaster at Leeds the film jumps back and forth in time, between the two story lines. We see Clough floundering at Leeds, jump back to his glory at Derby, then go forward to Leeds again. The film maintains this setup throughout, bringing the two stories together wonderfully. Even with all the back and forth the story still flows very well. And doing it this way ties everything together much better. Rather than seeing a simple rise and fall we are taken on quite a roller coaster ride, the highest of highs followed by the lowest of lows and back again. Seeing Clough's struggles at Leeds gives a different perspective when we then see him at his best at Derby. All the way through Sheen is spot-on in every moment. He owns the character. The likes of Spall, Broadbent and Meaney make their contribution but make no mistake this is Sheen's film through and through. There are some little quibbles to be made with the film. You do wish they could have stuck a little closer to the truth at times, some of the events here are twisted around rather unnecessarily. The facts of the story should have been good enough, the movie is let down somewhat by some of its fiction. The soccer action we see is not always convincing but it works well enough. And we really only see limited bits of action anyway. This is not a film about the players, not about the sport, but about Brian Clough. We see Clough succeed beyond anyone's wildest expectations at little Derby and we see him cut down to size at big, bad Leeds. It is a film which provides a compelling look at a truly fascinating man. Brian Clough is such a great character, the flawed hero you can't tear your eyes away from. The Damned United is a movie which does that hero justice.

hbaird-609-716575 For me, in addition to the fine writing, acting and directing, "The Damned United" was a movie to cause some self-reflection as I saw myself in the character of Brian Clough. The self pride and arrogance that results from fixating on a particular goal for vengeful purposes which, in my professional life, I have been guilty of myself.The collateral damage caused to the ones who care about you in those circumstances can be devastating and result in the loss of friendships. Thankfully in the case of Mr. Clough it is eventually a lesson learned but even then comes the rebuilding of bridges.This movie has become one of my favorites as I was able to apply the moral to my own self in a way that can have a positive result while entertaining me with all the humor, drama, action and emotional passion that is the mark of a solidly good film.Although I feel that the movie is presented in a manner that provides entertainment to a wide scoping audience, fans of European Soccer as well as fans of competitive sports overall would particularly appreciate this movie.