Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Damned United Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 28, 2009

Tom Hooper's "The Damned United" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are a commentary with director Tom Hooper, actor Michael Sheen and producer Andy Harries, "Perfect Pitch: The Making of The Damned United", "Creating Clough: Michael Sheen takes on ‘Old Big ‘Ead", deleted scenes and more. All of these supplemental features are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players and PS3s. Region-Free.

I want Leeds United!

The Damned United opens up with Brian Clough’s (Michael Sheen, Frost/Nixon) arrival at Leads United. After being incredibly successful with Derby County, Clough has agreed to become the new manager of the reigning champions. He is eager to prove that he is better than Don Revie (Colm Meaney, Claire Dolan), the club’s previous manager.

Things get out of control when the Leeds United players make it very clear that they are still loyal to Revie. They do not like their new manager and his constant dismissal of everything Revie has achieved with them. A streak of loses quickly forces the club’s board of trustees to meet with Clough and question his coaching methods.

44 days later, Clough is unceremoniously sacked. He is told that neither the players nor the fans nor the owners of Leeds United like him. Incredibly hurt but determined to prove that he could surpass Revie’s record, Clough reunites with the man who helped him become a legend at Derby County, Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall, The Last Hangman). The two take on the provincial Nottingham Forest and go on to win the European Cup twice.

Based on the novel by David Peace, The Damned United is structured as a collage of flashbacks from Clough’s days at Derby County and his short tenure at Leeds United. Other topics, such as the personal feud between Clough and Revie, are extensively covered in the film as well.

The rocky relationship between Clough and his partner Taylor is also well documented. Between their initial success at Derby County and their painful separation after Clough decides to move to Leeds United, the creators of The Damned United focus on a number of events that had a profound impact on the relationship between the two men.

Generally speaking, the film offers two very different looks at Clough and his controversial career. The first one allows the audience to understand why the man was such a polarizing figure for those who were around him but not necessarily friends with him. Driven by his ambition to always be the best, Clough is seen hurting a number of people. The second one has very little to do with football. It reveals a man whose inner world is in total chaos.

Peter Morgan’s – who contributed to such hits as The Last King of Scotland (2006), The Queen (2006) and Frost/Nixon (2008) – script is terrific. It allows the creators of the The Damned United to tell a very entertaining story while at the same time chronicle the career of a man who many still refer to as “the best manager England never had”.

The cast is exceptional. Michael Sheen literally becomes Clough once he appears on the screen. The manner in which he talks, gestures and handles himself in front of his friends and enemies is utterly convincing. Colm Meaney’s performance is just as impressive, and I have absolutely no doubts that it would bring back a lot of memories amongst older hardcore Derby County and Leeds United fans once they see this film. As usual, Timothy Spall is great.

The Damned United Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tom Hooper's The Damned United arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures.

This is a very strong transfer from Sony Pictures. Contrast is excellent, clarity very good and detail fantastic. The color-scheme is also very convincing. Blues, grays, browns, blacks and whites are terrific looking. I particularly liked how a lot of these colors were used to enhance the period atmosphere. Neither edge-enhancement nor macroblocking are a serious issue of concern with this Blu-ray release. If anything, I spotted a bit of digital noise but I doubt you would be annoyed by it. There are no stability issues to report either. When blown through a digital projector, The Damned United looks very impressive. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing scratches, flecks, debris, or stains to report in this review. (Note: Even though this disc is marketed as Region-B, it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL content preceding the main menu).

The Damned United Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blu-ray disc contains two audio tracks: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and English Descriptive Service 5.1. For the record, Sony Pictures have also provided optional English, English SDH, and Hindu subtitles for the main feature.

The English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is convincing, through it would most certainly not test the muscles of your audio equipment. The bass is strong but not too prominent, the rear channels are intelligently used, and the high frequencies are not overdone. There are no problematic audio distortions to report in this review. The dialog is crisp and clear, though I did have to turn on the English subtitles as the accents some of the main characters have are quite thick.

Robert Lane's score is not overly impressive, but it certainly is an integral part of The Damned United. There are no balance issues to report with it. I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts either. To sum it all up, the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is bug-free and very convincing.

The Damned United Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Commentary – director Tom Hooper, actor Michael Sheen and producer Andy Harries deliver an incredibly informative commentary that addresses not only The Damned United but also a number of important events from the history of British football. The comments the three gentlemen offer on the famous interview at the very end of the film where Brian Clough and Don Revie attack each other in front of the camera are excellent. With optional English subtitles.

Deleted Scenes – nine deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Tom Hooper: "Leeds 1974, Whose Desk is this, Love", "Leeds 1974, Is Everything Alright, Brian!", "Leeds 1972, That was as Perfect a Half of Terrible Football as I have ever seen!", "Leeds 1974, Never Got It", "Leeds 1974, I am not fucking English", "Leeds 1974, Fucking Scot", "Leeds 1974, Never come between a footballer and his motor", "Leeds 1974, Keep Fighting, Version 1", and "Leeds 1974, Keep Fighting, Version 2." (1080p).

Cloughisms - this footage was shot with Michael Sheen to create some of the television interviews that appear throughout The Damned United. With optional commentary by director Tom Hooper. (1080p).

Perfect Pitch: The Making of The Damned United - this is standard efaturette where the creators of the film talk about how David Peace's book was adapted, some of the technical difficulties they had to overcome, etc. (17 min, 1080p).

Creating Clough: Michael Sheen takes on 'Old Big 'Ead' - actor Michael Sheen reflects on what it took to become Brian Clough. He also talks about his personal impressions of the famous manager.(11 min. 1080p).

Remembering Brian - football coach and choreographer Simon Clifford. actor Michael Sheen, Former Derby County, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest player John McGovern, former Leeds United player Eddie Gray, and former broadcast journalist Austin Mitchell talk about Brian Clough's legacy. (10 min, 1080p).

The Changing Game: Football in the Seventies - former Leeds United player Eddie Gray, former Leeds United and Manchester United player Gordon McQueen, and former broadcast journalist Austin Mitchell, and David Silver, a Leeds United ticket holder for 40 years, and Dr. Jon Dart, Senior Lecturer, Leeds Trinity & All Saints talk about how the beautiful games has changed during the years. They also talk about how Brian Clough changed British football. (20 min, 1080p).

Trailers - trailer for The International, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Angels & Demons, Terminator: Salvation, and Year One.

BD-Live functionality -

The Damned United Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A terrific film! Michael Sheen is incredibly convincing as the legendary football manager Brian Clough. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Sony Pictures, is of very good quality. It is also packed with excellent supplemental features that are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players and PS3s. Don't miss The Damned United. Very Highly Recommended.