egoless acting, tight editing, and intelligent dialogue
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11/27/09
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The Damned United (2009)
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Reviews Counted:104
Fresh:97
Rotten:7
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Better than your average football pic, Damned United is carried by another star turn from Michael Sheen as Brian Clough.
Rated: R [See Full Rating]
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Oct 9, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $315,306
Synopsis: After tackling Tony Blair and David Frost, actor Michael Sheen turns to another driven historical figure: football manager Brian Clough. Talented but abrasive, Clough alienates some of those around... [More]
Starring: Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, Jim Broadbent
Director: Tom Hooper
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Reviews for The Damned United
...nothing like a conventional sports bio-pic; it's a character study of a difficult personality, a charming, enigmatic victim of self-sabotage.
11/27/09
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.
11/24/09
Michael Sheen is pitch perfect again in this tale of a man and his ego
11/17/09
'The Damned United' is a soccer movie that's really about a man's struggle with his most dangerous opponent--his own ego.
11/14/09
The Damn United has a far better chance of turning American blokes onto soccer, errr, football than David Beckham's frosted tips.
11/14/09
As a film inspired by British football, this may hold limited appeal for American moviegoers. But it's also a film about a form of spurned love, which means it's a story about love and hate, which means it's a movie that everybody can relate to.
11/13/09
It’s too easy to dismiss Sheen’s work as basic mimicry; in fact, Sheen’s Clough is his most intricate work thus far.
11/12/09
The Damned United is a most entertaining study in obsession wrapped in a traditional sports movie.
11/11/09
Tou don't need to know your Arsenal from your Hull to appreciate the one fact of life that Clough learns too late: Pride comes before a fall, and the pitch provides no safe haven from the excesses of the self.
11/06/09
The Damned United beautifully demonstrates that, if you pair a truly gifted screenwriter with terrific actors, cinematic magic is possible, perhaps even likely.
11/04/09
The Damned United is a thoughtful and entertaining study on the perils of ambition that has little to do with soccer and a lot to do with being human. Well-played.
10/30/09
Top CriticSheen’s Clough is as good as his Tony Blair and his David Frost -- which is to say he is absolutely remarkable.
10/30/09
A film whose likability lies almost completely on the shoulders of Sheen's Clough.
10/23/09
One of [its] primary pleasures...is that, in choosing a topic as narrow and parochial as the fate of an English soccer club, Morgan has relieved himself of any duty to persuade us that the events he describes are of world-historical import.
10/23/09
Top CriticA finely constructed and fiercely entertaining soccer movie that deals more in pride and obsession than penalty kicks.
10/23/09
Top Critic[Michael Sheen] adds to his gallery of public figures (Tony Blair, David Frost) with a sharp performance here as the legendary UK soccer coach Brian Clough.
10/23/09
Top Critica wonderful story, excellently told and without all sorts of manufactured drama
10/23/09
The Damned United will be savored and appreciated when considered for year-end prize consideration. Don't wait till then to see it.
10/23/09
Parental Content Review
10/23/09
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August 11, 2009:
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March 27, 2009:
The Damned United - A Photo Primer
Today sees the release of The Damned United, which sees Michael Sheen play legendary football manager Brian Clough. Back in 1970s, before the Premiership, Sky TV and WAGS came... More...
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