The Damned United [Blu-ray] [2009] | ![The Damned United [Blu-ray] [2009]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51z6-nyZCiL._SL500_.jpg) | Director: Tom Hooper
Actors: Colm Meaney, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall, Joseph Dempsie
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £24.99
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Rating:  87 reviews
Sales Rank: 5,918
Format: Anamorphic, Colour, Import, PAL, Widescreen
Languages: Hindi (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language), English (Audio Description)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: SBR65559
EAN: 5051124555940
ASIN: B002C4I0YK
Theatrical Release Date: 2009
Release Date: August 31, 2009
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on the best-selling book of the same name, The Damned United is the story of one of Britain’s finest ever football managers, Brian Clough, and his curtailed 44-day reign at the helm of Leeds United. It turns out it’s also the tale of his formative years at Derby County, the story of his rivalry with previous Leeds United boss Don Revie, and ultimately, the exploration of his relationship with his assistant, Peter Taylor. The film explores the story by moving backwards and forwards in time, but always at the heart of The Damned United is its trump card. Michael Sheen has already richly deserved an abundance of plaudits in his acting career, not least for his superb portrayal of David Frost in Frost/Nixon, and he carves out another terrific performance here. Taking on the challenge of playing the larger than life Clough, his work here is tremendous, and the highlight of an already-strong cast that also features Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney. On the screen, the story of The Damned United is actually distilled into quite a straightforward tale, albeit one considerably enhanced by its aforementioned cast. It wisely keeps its running time trimmed, and while you can’t help but suspect that there’s much to the story that’s not explored here, it’s a good, solid telling of a quite extraordinary tale. Sheen won’t, of course, attract Oscar-attention for such a resoundingly British role, but surely his time, on this latest piece of evidence, will come. --Jon Foster
Product Description
Colm Meaney, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall, Joseph DempsieDirector: Tom Hooper
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 87
 Throw your fish'n'chips in the bin! We're having bhuna! March 27, 2009
Alex DeLarge (Lundy Island, devon)
47 out of 53 found this review helpful
The Damned United is a well above average British film, and highly enjoyable. It tells the story of Brian Clough's short reign as Leeds manager, and with good use of flashback shows the main reasons why his tenure was only a month and a half long.
Although The Damned United's a sports film to an extent, you won't need to be heavily into the history of Leeds Utd to get a lot from this film. United is no more about sports than Cool Runnings, Slap Shot, or Any Given Sunday - like these, what it's really about is the journey taken by the characters. (Like in Cool Runnings, the characters are going to be in for a bumpy ride, especially Clough.)
Visuals - 10/10 this assuredly isn't an all flares and Texan bars representation of the 1974. Clever use of the film medium, and seamless editing with genuine 70s footage makes this a treat to watch. The visual direction is uniformly excellent, recreating rather than nostalgising the era in question).
Script - 9/10 almost perfect - doesn't go all out for funny lines, yet there's humour all over the place among the serious stuff and the right balance is acheived. The pace of the script is excellent too - not a dull minute over the entire hour and thirty seven minutes.
Acting 10/10 (Colm Meaney in a particular as Don Revie, even if his true accent does manifest occasionally. Jim Broadbent as Derby's elderly chairman is played with subtle pathos - excellent).
Not much more to say really - except to anyone thinking about making a British film set in the 1970s: watch and learn, kids. Watch and learn.
Seconds Out September 6, 2009
Charles Vasey (London, England)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Don Revie and Brian Clough were great footballers and great managers, both from Middlesbrough (about 10 miles north of where I grew up) but the film sets them up as tragic enemies in a reputational boxing match in which stinging blow after blow is landed by each to the benefit of neither. David Pearce's novel has Clough as the admirer of Revie who turns against his hero. They battle it out at key points of Clough's early career at Derby County, and at his short career at Leeds itself, and finish it off on TV. Revie leaves for disappointment at England, Clough to be reborn at Nottingham Forest, neither are ever the same again.
Michael Sheen is scary as Clough, Colm Meaney brilliant as Revie, both sound like their counterparts and even begin to look like the originals. The Leeds squad is recognisable even to me at this remove; and so is the pre-Thatcher world of self-made men running British sport with all the witless charm that they ran their businesses. The attitudes, the accents, the fashions and the locations are spot on; yet this is not a sports film, you see very little soccer, it's an old fashioned tragedy about rivalry and hubris, about genius and the deadening effect of the mediocre types who seem to run sport (as they run life). The cast are brilliant and the result a great tale.
Golden Era well evoked May 3, 2009
L. Davidson (Belfast, N.Ireland)
24 out of 29 found this review helpful
"The Damned United" is a thoroughly entertaining movie about the early career of the legendary British football manager Brian Clough.It focuses mainly on his brief time as manager of Leeds United in 1974 following a successful few seasons as manager of unfashionable Derby County during which he won the League Championship for them.Clough never liked Leeds' style of football nor their manager Don Revie and publicly slated them in the media , making his decision to become their new boss following Revie's resignation a puzzling one. Clough's abrasive and disrespectful approach to the Leeds players alienated him from them even further and when results went against him early on in the 1974-1975 season, the writing was on the wall for Clough and he was duly sacked."The Damned United" chronicles this whole period.The remarkable Michael Sheen acts Brian Clough superbly in this film and he is ably supported by Timothy Spall who plays his sidekick Peter Taylor and Colm Meaney as his nemesis Don Revie. The acting is excellent throughout and the whole period is portrayed convincingly well."The Damned United" is one of the best films about football that I have seen.
Great film January 25, 2010
Gillybean (Newcastle, UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I saw this, originally, at the cinema and I was a little sceptical. I assumed it was ALL about football, but I wanted to see it as I knew it had a great cast (Michael Sheen - genius!, Tim Spall - multi-talented). I would recommend this to anyone. Guys will love the football and girls will love the story. The film is not really about football, it's about the relationship between Sheen and Spall's characters. I confess, I haven't read the book - but I really did enjoy the film.
A Very Good Film About Football, But. . . . . . January 22, 2010
E. A. Redfearn (Middlesbrough)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I used to live not far from where Brian Clough was born, and never did see him play for Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park since he had already moved to Sunderland by the time I started supporting Middlesbrough.
During the 1960s I used to watch that great Leeds side play often at Elland Road, Newcastle and Sunderland too when they played away. So, watching this remarkable film did bring back a few memories. However, although I do think it is a very good film about football as it was in those far off days, this film does not really explore entirely the difficulties Brian Clough had with the Leeds players during those 44 days when he was in charge. It may well be that the whole truth has never really emerged and perhaps the writer might have thought against providing too much speculation about what really went on behind the scenes taking into account that many of those players at Leeds are still around today.
It does explore Clough's arrogance though, and his lack of respect to the Leeds players and also to his arch enemy Don Revie who had laid down the foundation for the success and failures that Leeds United endured during those ten years from 1964 until 1974 when Clough took over the reins of management.
Michael Sheen as Clough and Timothy Spall as his side kick Peter Taylor are both superb in their respective roles. Their rapport is apparant throughout and both stole all the scenes in which they appeared together. Sheen of course, does come across as Clough, getting his mannerism right and also his dialect. Both actors are a joy to watch. Mention must be made of Irish actor Colm Meany (Star Trek Deep Space 9) who portrays Don Revie superbly
A great film to watch about football, but you need to overlook its weaknesses though.
As for the Blu-Ray discs, its superb. Picture detail and soundtrack are both very good indeed. Also numerous extras abound which are interesting.
Highly recommended.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 87
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