United (I) (2011) User Reviews

Brilliant British film

[scattiee-1 · 8/10 · 25 April 2011]

I didn't know what to expect with this film as I'm not a football fan.

I love British films so I thought I'd give it a watch, even though it's not the sort of film I would usually go for.

I'm so glad I did now. It was moving and taught me lots about the Munich disaster (I wasn't even born when it happened).

David Tennant is fantastic (obviously) and all the other actors were brilliant.

My daughter has told me that there has been a lot of controversy about this film but I'm glad I haven't read any of it as it was just a really good film.

Would defiantly recommend it.

Old Trafford

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 17 May 2014]

United is a docu-drama about the infamous 1958 Munich air disaster which claimed the lives of many of the Busby Babes and how the Manchester United team marched on from that dark day and rebuilt.

The focus is less on Matt Busby played by Dougray Scott in a stoic manner because he is sidelined after the crash as Busby was seriously injured and hospitalised for some time.

The focus is on David Tennant as Jimmy Murphy who has to cope with the aftermath, get a side together some from the lower leagues and get them to play. There is also the issue of some of the survivors being emotionally damaged from the incident such as Bobby Charlton who feels unable to play. Then there are the injuries to Duncan Edwards widely regarded as one of the best young players of his generation who survived the crash but later died.

As someone who knew little but the basics of this disaster I found the film informative and emotional. I would acknowledge the film had to condense the story which means some of the characters are sidelined or ignored but it is an affirming story of overcoming the odds that should get even non soccer fans involved.

6th February 1958 shouldn't be forgotten

[paul_benton · 10/10 · 24 April 2011]

I've only just finished watching this film based on the Munich air disaster and how Manchester United cope's with the loss of their players and friends. Now I've never written one of these reviews before and with all honestly it'll probably be my last, but I thought the BBC did such a good job with the entirety of this film that it deserves someone whether they read it or not to give some feedback. I'm not a Manchester United fan but I do love football - not soccer - Football! And I am a fan of well written and directed films and this has an abundance of both. I'm not going to write of the details of the film basically because you should all know your history and I don't want to spoil a perfectly good film. All I can say is David Tennant once again like every performance he gives is outstanding, alongside with Dougray Scott and a young Jack O'Connell whom plays Sir Bobby Charlton (clearly before he receives his knighthood). You don't need to like Football to enjoy this film, you just need to enjoy good films...

Inspiring point of view

[scotteggenberger · 10/10 · 24 May 2012]

Being a United supporter for most of my attentive soccer existence, I've always known about Munich. Watching this portrayal however cast new light and depth into the club's history, characters, and world opinion. I was touched to learn about the other clubs that sent on players and staff to help rebuild the club, especially Liverpool! The casting was incredibly accurate, as were their respective performances: shy boyish Charlton, charismatic Edwards, gaunt gritty yet deep Jimmy, and stalwart Busby. Busby's speaking pace, accent, and intonation, combined with his facial expressions and walk were incredible.

This movie was inspirational, emotional, and surprising. It's well worth viewing. The film makes you want to scour the internet for more information on Munich and affirms Manchester United's validity as one of the top clubs of all time, especially in this age of rich owner club buyouts. Anyone can buy a team and trophies, but only the greatest teams will be respected for creating a legacy. This film highlights that turning point for Man United.

Thanks for this film.

Inspiring, hard to watch

[vchimpanzee · 18 July 2014]

Manchester United is such a great team even I have heard of it.

This is a good movie, even if you don't find soccer interesting. It is a movie about a different time, and that in itself means something. The team is like family to the woman who feeds them where they live. But then there is the inspiring story about Bobby trying to become a starting player and ending up as one of the team's best.

There are lots of good acting performances, and David Tennant is one of the best as Coach Murphy. Dougray Scott is very good too, but he seems more mean and tough than kind and caring.

Jack O'Connell impresses too as Bobby.

Right before the tragic event, the music is very ominous. Everything about these scenes about halfway through points to some terrible event we already know is going to happen.

And afterward, there as a different but even more inspiring story. It is hard to watch but worthwhile. The news anchor is not kind and comforting but he confronts us with the reality. Will this team make it? Well, I did say Manchester United was so great I had actually heard of it.

Yes, it's really a winner.

Very Well Done, Nostalgic

[raleighgranprix · 7/10 · 24 May 2012]

Simply put, I like this movie because it really, really does give one a feel for the 'old time' game... and in fact, showing actual games might have taken away from the story line. I know we get that in movies like Goal but in one of the best Soccer/Football movies ever, The Damned United, it is kept at a minimum. Besides that, a lot of people praise The Damned United but that movie in the end is based very loosely on the David Peace book, a work of fiction to begin with, the movie was a great improvement on the book.

Those who enjoy reading about soccer/football in the old days like the William Hill sports book of the year; "My father and other working class heroes" or books on Sirs Tom Finney or Stanley Matthews most likely will find this movie very entertaining. And I have to say, it is a quite moving and introspective motion picture as well, a bit more of a somber movie. Perhaps a parallel to an American sports movie might be to compare it to the great "Fear strikes out" where the sport itself is a bit secondary to the plot. I'm not a Manchester United fan at all, but with this movie, I could envision other soccer/football movies that might not always be following the "Team overcomes great odds and wins" i.e. "Rocky" formula.

Epic.

[Dipankar91 · 10/10 · 31 May 2011]

Just finished watching it. Let me admit, I'm a huge United fan. That might have biased my approach to this 90 minute gem, but nevertheless I'll try and keep it as neutral as I can possibly be. Its touching, and really well made. Even a non-United fan will second my opinion of this movie. Been a long time any movie could get me this emotional. The acting and the music to go with all the different stages of it, pure brilliance. Won't want to ruin a perfect 90 minutes for ya, so won't get into the details. To keep it simple, for a football fan, its a must watch, even if thats the last thing you ever do. For a United fan, this will be the first of the many times you're gonna watch it. Masterpiece.

good sports inspirational movie

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 18 August 2013]

United is based on the true story of Manchester United's legendary "Busby Babes", the youngest side ever to win the Football League and the 1958 Munich Air Crash that claimed eight of the their number. Jimmy Murphy (David Tennant) is the assistant manager and Bobby Charlton (Jack O'Connell) is one of their young players.

It's a good story and another inspirational sports story. It doesn't play as well in the US. Nobody cares about "FootttBall". But I'm sure it's incredibly powerful in UK. It's like a Hockey movie in Canada or a Baseball or Football movie in US. I don't see anything exceptional here. Just a well done inspirational movie. Certainly I don't know anybody portrayed in this. Afterwards, I don't necessarily care much more about what happened.

"All right lads, back on the plane"

[richardchatten · 8/10 · 25 November 2022]

A sombre drama unlikely to see service as an in-flight movie for any airline carrying fans to Quatar to see the current World Cup. Containing remarkably little footage of football itself, it instead concentrates on the office politics that culminated in Busby's Babes taking that ill-fated flight in 1958. As manager Jimmy Murphy David Tennant's eyes are ablaze with both the fire of fanatical passion for the game and wide with grief in the aftermath of the Munich air crash. An interesting use of colour is the use of the bright red of the Man United strip against the otherwise drab depiction of fifties Britain.

moving and well done

[mompaxton-481-121381 · 7/10 · 8 April 2016]

I have watched football (here we call it soccer) and know the passion other countries have for the sport. I know how people bond as well as become bitter enemies over teams. So this movie had to be made very carefully to show respect for a horrible tragedy that befell upon Manchester United that fateful night. I think, in my opinion, that it did just that. it was well made and well performed. Showing the proper emotion and heartbreak of the time. Not to mention the will and strong spirit of the fans, team and support staff. Unfortunately it takes a tragedy to bring people together it seems. This movie is right up there with the other sport greats for an inspirational, motivational, and uplifting movie. Very well done.

A worthy attempt but not a classic

[ogdendc · 5/10 · 6 November 2016]

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.

This is why I love British movies.

[batudingin · 25 April 2011]

Great movies does often set itself on great story. even then it might not do the movie justice. But this one do.

Motivational movie is something else. But at the end of the day it is a genre. I do hate people that categorizes things like art. But it does happens.

Justify the feeling. Being chosen for something. The thrill of something new. Tragedy of a situation that is uncontrollable. Human spirit is a presence that is most likely a compelling presence.

I love Man United. For obvious reasons. But this one opens my eyes on the history. Bobby is a legend. But Then, they were not as much known as today. The richest FC in the world for pete's sake..

I love the movie. The acting is Humanic. No overacting even in corny moments. I do hope more British movies follows suit and with more publicity.

An informative and artistically accomplished TV film about the Munich disaster

[fredrikgunerius · 7/10 · 16 August 2023]

Truthful and conscientious rendition of The Busby Babes' infamous Munich disaster, seen through the eyes of assistant manager Jimmy Murphy (wonderfully played by David Tennant). The film's great production values bring this TV movie on par with high-quality cinematic experiences; it is filmed with a wonderful set of lenses which capture the time in question in a wondrous, almost mythical way. Of the many possible character relations the focus is on a handful few (notably Murphy and Bobby Charlton), something which works quite well for this format. Covering more ground could have become messy and would arguably have required a different format. As it is now, however, United is an informative and artistically accomplished film, albeit with a few factual errors and shortcomings, but that seems almost inevitable when filming an incident as well-known, discussed and documented as this one.

Decent production.

[LW-08854 · 6/10 · 28 December 2023]

A fairly simple TV drama about the Munich air disaster of 1958. The story follows Bobby Charlton as a young footballer training with the Man U team and given a chance at playing for the first team. The series gets the point across in countless ways that this was a simpler time for football and for footballers, they were well known and liked but riches and glamour were a long way off still. One thing I noticed fairly early on was this is a bit of an ugly looking picture, the picture has an annoying habit of chopping the top of the heads off the actors, it also has this warm muddy brown and rather soft look to it, the 1950s though is quite well produced in the props, the furniture and wallpaper. The early bits is mostly training scenes which appears to have been filmed in a local park, this looks like it's got a really tiny budget, they really struggle to sell the idea they are really in Yugoslavia or Germany because it's all just indoor shots, the CGI plane is especially poor. The film also really missed an opportunity to introduce us properly to all of the players and their individual characteristics and traits. Equally after the disaster there's no real focus on how their wives and parents are affected by it, another really obvious missed opportunity to show real grief. We don't even see any football, not one match, again I think it probably goes back to the budget. Where the drama does work though is in the final 30 minutes and the effort to really rebuild the squad. David Tennant is really good in those scenes.

United damn good

[davesleepjones · 9/10 · 25 April 2011]

I was once in a play about Hillsborough and that started my interest in foot ball a bit morbid i know but you have to start somewhere.I new nothing of the details about the 1958 air disaster in Munich and i feel after see this nostalgic drama i should. While watching United there was a wonderful reminiscence rather than a desperate pot boiler the plot and performances led you by the hand and cared for you throughout the hour and a half. The only thing i could relate this to would be Dead Poets Society or Remember The Titans. I did feel that David Tennant was far better than anything i have seen him in before and Dougary Scot should not only have played wolverine but is the only choice for a Sean Connery the life of film.

Captures Manchester of that era perfectly.

[cathyannemoore-66196 · 10/10 · 7 May 2022]

First time I watched this I took it as little more than a made for TV movie. Second time a decade later I really appreciate the story it has to tell and how it captures the Manchester of my childhood. I'm not old enough to remember the Munich air disaster but United winning the European Cup is one of the first matches I remember. Thanks mostly to the outstanding performance of Georgie Best. Now I'm old enough to fully appreciate the impact the crash had on the Nation not just Manchester. The script is very powerful and enlightens us as to the contrast between the earnings of players of today and players of recent history. I think the casting was brilliant - Tennant especially gave a credible and 10/10 performance as Jimmy Murphy. I highly recommend this film. As a Mancunian I am very proud of how the club rose like a phoenix - but more so incredibly sad for the tragedy told so sensitively by this film.

a good watchable emotionally challenging drama

[robertsimmons-95246 · 10/10 · 17 July 2016]

Jimmy Murphy was one of my family and very supportive of myself after illness coming down to Wales to visit me during my teenage convalescence so I could relate to Tennants portrayal as favourable and as an actor he had certainly done his homework.The script and general production showed not only the tide of events surrounding the disaster but also embraced the relationship between Jimmy and Charlton.Setting aside the potential criticisms of how true to life other characters were portrayed it must be emphasised that the spirit of determination compassion and rebuilding was embellished in this relationship between the younger and older man and the effect that it had had on not only the team but the Nation.In other words the film went beyond football and this is possibly what the writing/production team had intended.A first rate unique film for a unique story which played objectively well.

Brilliant!

[massive-twat · 10/10 · 10 February 2014]

I'm a big Manchester United fan of 23 years old, and am from Manchester too. This may bias my opinion but I truly think this is a magnificent film! I really don't remember the last time I watched a movie as gripping and inspirational as this.

From the first minute to the last, I had goosebumps, found myself short of breath (not exaggerating), and I had tears coming to my eyes at many scenes.

I've watched the film quite a few times now, and I've never got bored of it. A pretty accurate portrayal of events (to my knowledge - I studied the air disaster while in secondary school), and I would recommend it to all who are looking for a good inspirational, well written/portrayed movie about the events included.

*A warning to any big United fan - it can get emotional!

A great football movie

[rangerdelraval · 8/10 · 13 April 2015]

Is not easy to find movies about the beautiful game, and definitely harder, to find good ones. "United" is one of the last. Just the realistic description of the professional football and the picture of the society of the 50's make the film worth to be watched. Divided in two parts, before and after the crash, I preferred the first one for the reasons just given above. The setting and costumes for the film are so well done and realistic, the locker room, the club offices, the pitch, the stands, the surroundings and the outside view of the recreated Old Tradford are superb, and really help to get you into the story.A must watch for any football fan, and very specially for any football movies fan.

The Manchester United Tragedy and Triumph

[gradyharp · 5/10 · 9 June 2012]

Likely if the viewer is a soccer fan and already familiar with the 1958 tragic airplane accident that resulted in the loss of lives of the majority of the Internationally famous soccer team during a blighted takeoff in Munich, this film will be profoundly affecting. Certainly the 'based on true events' aspect of this film makes it affecting, especially the manner in which the citizens of Manchester responded to the deaths of their heroes and came to the fore with support for their beloved winning team. But as written by Chris Chibnall and directed by James Strong, UNITED relies too heavily on established information and fails to develop the characters portrayed by the actors to the point that the non-soccer fan audience has a difficult time identifying with the members of the team and the film plods along in a maudlin, saccharine manner that without some history of the boys on the team becomes a bit trying to watch.

But as the PR states, 'United is based on the true story of Manchester United's legendary "Busby Babes", the youngest side ever to win the Football League and the 1958 Munich Air Crash that claimed eight of the their number. The film draws on first-hand interviews with the survivors and their families to tell the inspirational story of a team and community overcoming terrible tragedy.

The few team members who are allowed personality are portrayed by Sam Clafin as Duncan, Thomas Howes as the pipe smoking Mark, and Jack O'Connell as the newest member of the team Bobby (good in the first half, maudlin and weak in the second half). The spokesman for the team is owner Matt Busby (Dougray Scott) - the team is known as Busby's Babes - and the redoubtable champion team leader Jimmy Murphy is well portrayed by David Tennant. The hard-nosed athletic commissioner Alan Hardaker is portrayed by Neil Dudgeon. The rest of the cat is fine but their characters are so ill-defined that it is difficult to remember who they are.

Undoubtedly a sad but true story and also one of overcoming odds, but as a film for the general public without soccer connections, it is a poorly conceived movie.

Grady Harp

Real life played down for not very dramatic effect.

[fostrhod · 5/10 · 10 March 2022]

United, film about the Munich disaster of 1958. Tom O'Connell plays Bobby Charlton. Obviously any film based on real events will struggle to convey the pain and anguish of such a traumatic event. It was boring and all the obvious football cliches played out . 5/10.

Don't watch unless you're already invested

[dontdwellinthepast · 5/10 · 3 July 2022]

It's clearly a film made for fans of the team who don't care about things like plot or character development. If you want a decent dramatic portrayal of an obscure event in UK soccer history, this is the movie for you. If you want an engaging film, this is not the movie for you.