Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

David Love It is possible to make an entertaining and reasonably accurate football docu-drama. Take The Damned United as an example. It needs a lively script, good characterisation and some top actors.The problem with United is that the main characters themselves are not particularly memorable. Bobby Charlton, National Treasure though he is, is a bit boring,. Director James Strong has tried to liven up dour Scot Matt Busby by giving him an air of menace, when in real life he was a much gentler kinder man. Deputy Manager Jimmy Murphy is not so well known and so David Tennant is free to stamp his own character on him and in so doing does give the best performance of the film.The story itself is so well known, any attempt at suspense would fail. A group of players are emerging but cut down in their prime by an air crash. The surviving members must somehow rebuild from what remains.Overall although beautifully photographed, United is just too slow and drawn out to be a classic of its genre.

raiyanaali I'm going to say it straight from the off; this movie will play your emotional heartstrings better than Jimi Hendrix on his best day. Right from the beginning you are introduced to a post-crash scene where a young Bobby Charlton (played by Jack O'Connell) sits, injured, next to a team mate in the exposed harshness of a German winter. Just so you know what's coming ahead.The movie follows the happenings of the events leading up to and after the air crash mainly from the perspective of Bobby Charlton. It begins with training day for a promising Manchester United squad where, as usual, David Tennant dazzles in his role as Jimmy Murphy, the head coach for the team. His portrayal of Murphy gives us a realistic idea of footballing days 40-50 years ago when boots were plain and sturdy, the football was hard and reliable, and first team opportunities were hard to come by. Of course, the main man behind the selection of a team is the manager, Matt Busby, played by Dougray Scott. His portrayal of Busby has its ups and downs. You clearly get the idea that he is a respected man, a disciplinarian but fair, and someone that everyone strives to impress. However, this reviewer has his reservations about a few things; namely the accent. Yes, Sir Matt Busby was Scottish but did the accent have to be so thick? Some parts of his dialogue was hard to understand which hindered the overall effect of the film. Despite that, the camera shots really did let the viewer experience an aura about the man, like you were in the presence of greatness even while watching from a television screen.I mentioned earlier that there was an emotional aspect to this film. And there is. In buckets. Especially if you're a United fan. Charlton fights with his emotions about whether or not he wants to come back to play for the team, arguing that "it's not the team without them" when referring to the deaths of his team mates. And it's true, and the fact that I can say that speaks volumes about the acting making me feel like I experienced the deaths of my team mates. Overall, this film has its ups and downs, and if you're looking for a "Goal!" kind of movie where a player leads a team to glory - look elsewhere. This is a team sport, and this movie reflects it better than a mirror. The bond between each other, the euphoria of being in the Manchester United dressing room, being surrounded by talented players destined for glory, the emotional roller-coaster of triumph and despair, and the eventual victory all make this film not just an excellent insight into what life was like in the 1950s, but also made the viewer feel like they were part of a team, like they lost their friends, like they were united.

johnmaxmena I know it's a story about how the people prevail after a horrible accident. But really, a movie about a football club with no football action? You see them training and thats about it. We see the players excited in tunnel then after they walk off they put the score up. It's like in Monty Python, "This scene missing" Then cut to, "oh that was exciting!"I thought the actors did great. Although I don't think Matt Busby was such a dark character. It's a shame since this was made, a better telling of this story won't be made for awhile.

grumpy-3 this is a typical bbc production, the story of what happened in munich 1958, is such an emotional and tragic one, but what the survivors did after that and the way they came back is beyond astounding. this is the story that should have been told the amazing triumph from devastating tragedy. but what we got was a film badly written and even worse direction, the camera lingering on nothing, slowly panning across empty space, the performers were all good but wasted, what should have been tear wrenching emotion was made flat. they did not tell the full story and also got quite a few very important bits wrong, busby was in a coma for a very long time, yet here we see him talking and listening to matches, this was just sloppy. a total wasted opportunity