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October 23, 2009

At the Movies: Cocky coach comes to life in ‘Damned United'

By CHRISTY LEMIRE
AP Movie Critic

You don't have to be a soccer expert, or even know all that much about the sport, to get sucked into the competing personalities and personal dramas of “The Damned United.”


THE DAMNED UNITED

Director: Tom Hooper

Cast: Michael Sheen, Colm Meaney, Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent

Rating: R for language

Running time: 98 minutes

Sure, it probably helps in terms of appreciating some of the details and nuances, especially if you're a fan of the British football depicted here. But director Tom Hooper doesn't actually include very much action on the field: “The Damned United” is more about the larger-than-life figures behind the scenes, mainly Brian Clough, the real-life manager of Leeds United for a brief and tumultuous period in 1974.


 
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