The Damned United

Finally, a movie like “The Damned United” comes along. This movie, directed by Tom Hooper and adapted from David Peace’s book “The Damned Utd,” has thrown out the annoying formulas that have been used over and over again in sports movies. It features fine storytelling, and a fine performance, and is therefore victorious.

“The Damned United” starts in 1974, where Michael Clough (Michael Sheen) has just taken over as the coach of Leeds United. The opening moments reveal that Clough is dismissive of the previous manager, Don Revie (Colm Meaney). Much of “The Damned United” centers on Clough’s rise as a soccer (or football or whatever you want to call it) coach, and the film eventually details why exactly Clough is so hateful towards Revie. As it turns out, when Clough was manager of Derby County, he was not offered a handshake by his rival Revie of Leeds. Beaten not only personally but also on the field, Clough swore revenge, to beat him if it was the last thing he ever did. Along with his talented and loyal assistant (played by Timothy Spall), he builds up Derby County, frequently arguing with its chairman, played by Jim Broadbent, until Derby County and Clough become a terrific success story.

Clough has become a wildly arrogant individual. He is a man of an incredible work ethic, but it must be noted and understood that a high work ethic does not necessarily translate to proper ethics. There is nothing wrong with using one’s enemies as motivation for success, but with Clough’s case, there is a serious abuse of principals. Clough taunts the chairman with the resignations of he and his assistant (who does not want to leave Derby County), and finds that his trailblazing path to burn bridges is destroying far too many, including the relationships with his friends. But eventually he gets the management position of the coveted Leeds, but cannot find the success on the field that his predecessor could. His players won’t play for him, and the very mention of Revie’s name sends him into a tirade. Something is not working, the stakes are rising, and everyone is turning against Michael Clough. This is a nice story about a man who is in way over his head.

So a noble becomes a fool, and must become noble again.

Unlike so many other sports movies that use such hackneyed formulas, this one does not. Sheen’s Clough is not a typical sports movie coach/hero. He is filled with hubris, ambition and a lack of empathy. Usually, a movie like this is supposed to feature a humble man who comes out of nowhere and offers a bunch of stupid motivational speeches to his players, who are all inevitably struggling in some way or another. Instead, the exposition describes that Clough has seriously insulted Revie and his players, whom he now must coach. His first speech to them is anything but inspirational. After noted their successes, he is dismissive. “You’ve all cheated.” Things are going to be a little different around here, he tells his skeptical audience. His pride is excessive: “I wouldn’t say I was the best manager,” he tells an interviewer, “but I was in the top one.” Muhammad Ali, the world’s most famous arrogant sportsman, orders Clough on television to stop it, because there can only be one Muhammad Ali. Are you going to stop it? Clough is asked. “No,” he says with a grin, “I’m going to fight him.”

Michael Sheen is a wonderful actor. Even in less-than-stellar films, like “Underworld,” he is a terrific performer and a joy to watch. This is the third non-fictional character he has played from a written work by Peter Morgan (the first was as Tony Blair in “The Queen” and the second was as David Frost in “Frost/Nixon”). Sheen is more handsome than the actual Clough, but he definitely has the voice down. Whether or not all of this happened (as some have argued it has not) is not really worth writing about; instead, the focus should be on the acting and the way the story is told. Fortunately, Sheen is joined by other very talented actors like Spall, who is effective here as he always is, but this is essentially Sheen’s movie. There are few actors who can “play anybody,” but Michael Sheen might possibly become one of them.