REVIEW: THE DAMNED UNITED

Although I missed my chance to see The Damned United at TIFF recently, seeing it today finally was well than worth the wait. Welsh actor Michael Sheen has quickly earned himself a place among the great leading men of cinema. His firey portrayal of journalist David Frost in Frost/Nixon and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Queen were magnificent. Both films went on to garner Oscar nominations and since then he was cast in New Moon, the next film in the wildly successful Twilight franchise. This undoubtedly will boost his visibility in North America. Sheen's turn as English football team manager Brian Clough in sports drama The Damned United eclipses his already accomplished recent work.

Clough along with assistant Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall), manage to take the underperforming Derby football team from obscurity to the top in winning a league championship title in 1972. Every hero has its tragic flaw though and Clough's flaw is arrogance. He has no hesitations in claiming full responsibility for his team's success and manages to clash with Sam Longson (Jim Broadbent), the chairman of the Derby team who tries persuading Clough to stage a deliberate defeat to the archrival Leeds team. Refusing to cooperate, Clough then resigns from his position as Derby's manager and this causes a divide in his friendship with partner Taylor who sacrifices his career for his friend.

Two years later, Clough is given the opportunity to play for the enemy, in managing the Leeds team. This however, presents many issues including the fact that he fails to gain their respect in having been their opposition previously. Clough then reaches a crossroad in his career leading him to face his own biggest demon. That is, putting his pride aside and acknowledging that he was never able to reach his greatest success without Taylor.

The Damned United is a touching story which is always conscious of its primarily male audience. It manages tells a very human story with just the right amount of sensitivity, without bordering on saccharine territory. Ultimately though, the film is a one man show and Sheen puts forth an amazing level of committment to his character. I've seen a few of the much-buzzed Lead Actor performances recently including those of George Clooney (Up In The Air), Colin Firth (A Single Man) and Matt Damon (The Informant!). I can say with confidence though that Sheen is well ahead of the pack. This may just be his year. The Sony Pictures Classics film is now in theatres. Grade: A