The Damned United

We all know Brian Clough, right? This film is a fictionalised account of the 44
days he spent as manager of Leeds United in 1974, and the history that lead
Clough to take the job. The film is based on David Peace's novel, which has
been criticised as being inaccurate, not least by the Leeds United player
Johnny Giles who took some court action on the matter. It also implies that
Brian Clough passed over a job at Brighton in favour of Leeds United, when in
fact he managed Brighton for a year before then.

So, watching with that in mind, that a lot of what you see probably never
happened, it's still an entertaining story. Michael Sheen does a very difficult
job, in that he makes Brian Clough a likeable character, whilst still
portraying him as the egotisical prick that he certainly always seemed to be in
public. I worry for Michael Sheen; Tony Blair, David Frost, now Brian Clough.
Are these really the kinds of people you'd want to be typecast as?

The plot itself concentrates on the reasons for Clough's rivalry with the Leeds
United manager he was taking over from, Don Revie, and his pretty hubristic
intentions to eclipse Revie.

It's a well made film, keeps you interested right to the end, which for a
football film, for me, is some achievement.