I dont think its true that only a true Football fan can really enjoy this film as Football is really incidental to the relationships between the characters, and it's primarily a character driven film. Football really just happens to be the background against which the characters, and the relationships between them, developed.
Clough was a very charismatic man and his (and Taylor's) achievements (Winning league titles with provincial sides - Derby and Forest, and 2 European Cups with Forest) are probably deserving of a film of their own - both are real rags to riches tales of underdogs come from nowhere to conquer. And it happened twice, with the same people.
The Damned United isnt about football. Its about ambition, ego, rivalry (albeit pretty one-sided) and the relationship between Taylor and Clough. I thought the device of making the Revie "snub" of Clough at the cup match in '68 the prime factor in driving Clough all the way to Leeds 6 years later was well done. The subtext being that Clough went to Leeds for all the wrong reasons (ego, jealousy, being rejected by someone he looked up to), which is why he failed. When he cleansed himself of that experience he went on to Forest and achieved greater success than even Revie had at Leeds.
Ive gone off Football a lot over the last 8 or 10 years or so, and i thought it was just a great film.
The indication of how good the FILM is, is that missus loved it and she hates, and has always hated, football.
Really great film.
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TrevorReznick
14 years ago
"The indication of how good the FILM is, is that missus loved it and she hates, and has always hated, football."
LOL!
I'm in the States, but my girlfriend's from Yorkshire and she hates football--non-American or any other kind! [Not too loyal to her home, hmmm? ]
I had to drag her out to see it, but she ended up loving it too.
Like everyone says, it's the characters who drive the film. It's not the football that drives the film, but it happens to make for a very good setting.
I was glad my girlfriend was with me--she was able to translate a lot of the northern-England dialogue.
As you know, the fortunes of war vary. But if you desire a good outcome, you must keep your courage intact.
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