It was always going to be an enthralling prospect- a cinematic take on
David Peace's astounding and controversial non-linear novel charting Brian Clough's disastrous and brief tenure in charge of Dirty Leeds. Our original review said enough about the film itself back on its cinematic review, so I'm looking to offer something slightly different... While most critical reception will have looked little further than Sheen's central performance- and it's a cracker- the supporting cast are exceptional, with the pick of the bunch being a selection of the very best British character actors in the game today-
Jim Broadbent as Sam Longson,
Stephen Graham as Billy Bremner and
Timothy Spall as Peter Taylor- along with the traditionally more functional style of
Colm Meaney, who is exceptional as Don Revie the Clough-styled villain of the piece. Spall deserves as many plaudits as Sheen for his take on Clough's right-hand man, and the dynamic between the two is mesmorising, even if the writer's have manipulated it so it appears as more of a romance than might have really been the case. It is no secret that the men were devoted to each other professionally, and personally (even if some of Clough's actions might suggest otherwise), and it is a jarring tragedy that outside of fictional accounts, the two men were never able to reconcile their differences before the chance was snatched away from them by mortality. There's something delightfully vivid about the way author
David Peace paints his narratives that make his novels infinitely adaptable-
The Red Riding trilogy was as faithful in tone and objectives to Peace's triumverate of books as could possibly be imagined, and suggested an authorial identity that generally gets lost when a book is transferred to film (look at the distinctly un-
Danny Wallace-like
Yes Man). But that's not the case with The Damned United, which is curiously quite devoid of Peace's distinctive voice thanks to a lumbering light-weight script from the usually precise and accomplished
Peter Morgan. Far curioser is that helmer
Tom Palmer couldnt whip up more from his scriptwriter considering how exceptionally
John Adams was created so recently. The major problem with the writing is that it doesnt stick close enough to the original text which would have been admittedly difficult thanks to its style, or to the original character-version of Clough. Instead of the man we knew Clough to be; cock-sure, arrogant, often pig-headed and ultimately deeply flawed we are presented with a far more timid and "likeable" figure, the writer and director perhaps wary of inciting the Clough family to further bad-mouth the project after their loud displeasure with Peace's novel. But really, I for one didnt want or welcome the clean-up:
Brian Clough was likeable despite his flaws because he had enough charm and idiosyncratic appeal that he was always forgiveable, without ever threatening to change. I couldnt shake the feeling that Morgan had abandoned the truer image of Clough and made him more like
Jose Mourinho- a difficult thing to qualify, but there are times when The Special One seems more interested in self-promotion and maintaining a particular affected image of himself than with the business of football- in reality Clough always gave me the impression that he was being true to himself no matter what the cost or consequence. The reason for the script problem is obvious- the majority of the book version dealt with Clough's inner turmoil, his fractured psychological condition, and how those infamous 44 days played on his mind- Peace spends a lot of time and style establishing an intimate psyhological portrait (and remember it's fictional), just as he spends so much time lavishly furnishing his other grim historical novels with painstakingly observed and evocative landscapes that capture both an immediate nostalgia and a more subtle analogious sense of the time. The necessary change of style to accomodate the filmic method means a consequently necessary abandoning of most of the elements that made the book so definably Peace-ian and epically good- a straight adaptation wouldnt have been possible, and it seems the best they could do doesnt really measure up as well as Id have hoped. You have to wonder at some point whether the film is more about its subject or its star- I would hate to think that there are cinephiles out there who consider
The Damned United to be nothing more than another
Michael Sheen gimmick. The actor's chameleon skills should never be considered anything other than an admirable, and almost unique ability, and it would be terrible for Sheen to be put off tackling another real-life figure for fear of arousing suspicions that he's just showing off. After all, even the most ingenious of innovations inevitably and all-too-quickly become tiresome: the mere suggestion of Andy Serkis playing yet another CGI character would probably now draw as many tuts and rolled eyes as his turn as Gollum attracted gaping awe. I hope the same callous turn does not affect Sheen's career decisions. But even as I sat watching Sheen effortlessly step into Clough's considerable boots, something was immediately and obviously wrong. It isnt that Sheen fails to capture Clough's idiosyncracies, or even that he doesnt possess the necessary sporting credentials to take on the part authentically (unlike
Goal's
Kuno Becker or
Escape to Victory'sSly Stallone, Sheen is a good football player, and the authenticity shows), it is merely a problem with his subject. Unlike
Kenneth Williams, or
David Frost, or even
Tony Blair, those of us with any knowledge of Brian Clough recognise that there isnt the same fog of unfamiliarity about him as there was with Sheen's other subjects. While
Fantabulosa,
Frost/Nixon and
The Deal offered viewers the tantalising prospect of getting to know the subjects more- the men behind the public masks, who few of us could claim to be intimate with,
The Damned United couldnt offer the same thing because its subject didnt have a lot hidden. Clough's curse was that he laid everything out for us all to see, and it unfortunately means that
Michael Sheen cant offer us anything new and his mimick act can only drag him so far without offering us something revelatory.
When the script tries to offer something new- the bro-mance between Taylor and Clough, or the somewhat difficult to accept scene when Clough has a moment of self-doubt in his office (I shant spoil), it feels like the scenes are intruding because they arent true to the real man himself. Whichever way you look at it, because of the nature of the subject and their inability to transfer the gripping inner turmoil of the book, the writers were pretty much doomed from the outset to fail. But dont get me wrong, many many film-makers have suffered because of superior source material and
The Damned United is a valiant effort- judged on its own Im sure it would reasonably attract higher accolades than thouse bestowed upon it already, and I would whole-heartedly recommend it to film fans. Just dont expect it to be as good as the book. One more thing. If you do choose to buy it, dont go for the Blu-Ray edition. While the sound is exceptional, and the picture quality is good, the high definition format is not in keeping with the Peace model for gloomy aestheticism, and it gives the film a digital veneer that makes it seem less authentic. If you can get it, Id suggest it on VHS, or Betamax...
Extras For once I can really get excited about a release's extra, as included among the usual deleted scenes (they're of significantly better standard than the usual inclusions in these things) is a set of in-character interviews with Sheen as Clough which are based upon archive footage of Clough himself. I love when film-makers view the extras with the correct amount of dignity, and actually stick to the meaning of the word- this extra content is excellent and makes the release a better prospect than the film alone would suggest, especially for fans of Sheen's particular abilities.
The Damned United is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Monday 31st August.