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Michael Sheen gives winning performance in United
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The Damned United
Michael Sheen stars as Brian Clough, the celebrated English footballer and manager who took over Leeds United in 1974. When the very successful Don Revie (Colm Meanie) stepped down from Leeds to take over the national team, Clough took his place, which was an unusual choice from the start. Even though Clough had been successful in his own right, he was a bitter rival with Revie and very outspoken and critical of Leeds United, referring to their play as illegal and criminal. Why he then chose to manage this team is one of the many questions and complexities of his character.
Clough was a passionate, outspoken and controversial figure. He was also smart, shrewd and very funny. And he had a drinking problem. As passionate as England is for its sport and its football, Clough was both admired and hated for his antics which led to his ultimate downfall. For as much as he loved the sport, it was all very personal and he placed his ego ahead of the interests for the team and the community.
The period is the mid seventies in gritty, working class cities that worshipped their football clubs. The direction and cinematography captures the feel of this era very well, and the editing paces the scenes effectively, as it goes back and forth in time between 1968 to 1974. The players are a tough lot, often playing in the rain and covered in mud. It was the bond they shared with Revie that Clough could never obtain. The style of the Leeds play had been as brutal as it was effective, which was a chief criticism of Clough's, one in which he sought to change.
Mainly, this is a film about a complicated man - his charm and his flaws - and Michael Sheen seems to excel at such biopic roles. He is simply astounding in this movie and almost unrecognizable as the same actor who portrayed Tony Blair in The Queen and David Frost in Frost/Nixon. Sheen is a versatile and gifted performer and makes this film well worth seeing.
MPAA Rating: R
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