United (2011)

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 movie starts with two men, apparently hurt, sitting in what may be airplane seats in the middle of nowhere in the snow. It takes a long time for us to realize what is going on, and at first it appears they may be dead.Then we see men playing or practicing soccer. And then a bunch of jerseys hanging up in the locker room.It is 1956. A group of people are watching the news in a movie theater. The great Manchester United soccer team is mentioned, and it is soon obvious that members of the team are there in the theater.Bobby Charlton is a player on Manchester United, but he hasn't done a lot of playing. He complains to his coach Jimmy Murphy, who expects Bobby to work for his position. And he does. Murphy sees potential in him, but it will happen only after a lot of effort.Meanwhile, Murphy's superior Busby is arguing with the league about what his team is capable of doing. In this movie, Busby doesn't appear to be a hands-on coach but someone who works on the business end; I have found out that wasn't true. Still, the league doesn't want Manchester United competing in Europe. Busby thinks they can and is determined to make it happen.Manchester United is turning out to be one of the great teams in the league this season. Bobby is one reason.And then comes that one game they maybe shouldn't have played. There is a deadline for them to return to England. It is snowing in Germany and they might not make it. Twice, the plane tries to take off, and twice, it can't. Then the third attempt is made ...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.

Plain crash and soccer team left in a ruin, a tragedy that has been milked since day one from the events of 1958. But this film is not very good, beside David Tennant is acting which is brilliant so I give 5 star for that alone. the rest not so much, so if you want account on the disaster just track down the episode that was part of the air crash investigation series, and watch that instead. Beside Tennant's acting its not much to say about this film, and Tennant is the only reason why I bothered to watch this in first place. Other than that there is to say about this effort, truth to be told you don't care about the characters or the disaster as portrait in this film, with expectation of Tennants character.

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.