Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Taking over Leeds United, Brian Clough's abrasive approach and his clear dislike of the players' dirty style of play make it certain there is going to be friction. Glimpses of his earlier career help explain both his hostility to previous manager Don Revie and how much he is missing right-hand man Peter Taylor.
The Damned United is elevated almost entirely by Michael Sheen's extraordinary performance as Brian Clough — a towering, mercurial portrayal that captures the man's contradictions with rare precision. Timothy Spall is equally strong as Peter Taylor. The plot, adapted from David Peace's novel, is a compelling but fairly conventional rise-fall-redemption sports biography, structured around the famous 44-day Leeds tenure and the Clough-Revie rivalry. It's engaging but not particularly inventive in its storytelling architecture. Cinematography is competent period recreation without being visually distinctive. Novelty is moderate — it's a football film that shrewdly focuses on managerial psychology and male friendship rather than on-pitch action, which is a smart angle, but the biopic framework keeps it within familiar territory. The ending is satisfying in a low-key way, resolving the emotional throughline about Clough and Taylor's partnership without sentimentality, which suits the film's tone.