United

I'm not a soccer fan, but it really doesn't matter. The people involved in this event, from fan to surviving player, were all courageous each in their own way. Their stories are important to tell. This is also a very fine production. Well done, and enjoyable.

This is an infamous story of the loss by air accident of a large portion of the Manchester United football team during a time, the mid-1950s - following WWII but well before the uptick in interest in English Premier League football (soccer) which has grown steadily each decade along with the advent of television coverage from the 1960s to today's sophisticated, global array of sport-specific networks. Well told, with steady pacing that belies the modern maxim of Hollywood filmmaking that you cannot take the time to get to know a large cast of characters. It combines simplicity and clarity with technical proficiency and good old fashioned storytelling to convey a complex and challenging situation. If you are unaware and uninitiated into the world of 1950s professional football in England, you will still be able to enjoy the film. Mostly because it is told through its characters, and handled with sensitivity to the delicacy of the moment - careful not to turn it into an overly-flogged hero worship film yet also employing painstaking efforts to capture a time, and a city community that while far to the North of its nation's capitol of London, nonetheless had its key place in British society. There will be some for whom the film falls short in either direction - too slow without not enough dramatics on one hand, too detailed in showing the effects of the crash on the other. For me the nuances are well served, especially within the lead characters, as they put their lives back together, and as the love of the game gets to rise again in each individual, each in their own way, and each with a unique place and role in the overarching story of a community coming back together. It's a story told without affectation. We in the Americas revere English football and the qualities of those Brits intimate with the game, far beyond their accent, yet sometimes too forgiving of their technical deficiences - they may have invented the game (codified it through the FA, England's organizing body, which the international governing body, FIFA, has mostly adopted) but they have rarely dominated it on the world stage. (Their one World Cup victory itself is rife with controversy, in 1966 on home soil.) The chief English contribution to the game remains a healthy balance of passion with a solid dose of reality, a respect for the game and all its participants. A bit ironic as the English style had been known to be a brutal one. This film gives a good foundation to understanding the place the game holds within the English psyche (and heart) by focusing on this one moment in time and how they responded as human beings at that particular time.In terms of catching English football at this moment of football history, it's worthwhile to note that one fulcrum of the story revolves around the emerging European club competition which is currently reflected in the popularity of UEFA Champions League action - the universally recognized pinnacle for football clubs. (The club World Cup competition brings in several other regional champions in a quasi-tourney in Japan each year but the format highly favors the Europe representative. It has yet to truly take hold.) This film is also a good precursor, and companion to, the 2009 Michael Sheen film, The Damned United, that focuses on Brian Clough, a notorioius EPL coach from the decade that follows the one in this film. Though quite different in tone and delivery, it too captures an era of football, and in the background you sense and see the game as it evolves. Both movies are English productions. United receives top marks here because it fully achieves what it sets out to be, and is an ideal DVD for home viewing, as well as an important volume in any collection with a soccer theme. There's a reason it is often placed in the top 10 of soccer/football movies. Enjoy!

I didn't really understand what happened during these tragic events. This film helped open my eyes and give me a deeper respect for the club I love.

This story is loosely based on a true happening. In 1958, the Manchester United soccer team played a match in a European competition. On the flight home, the plane stopped in Munich to refuel. The winter weather aborted 2 takeoff attempts, on the third the plane never got of the ground, crashing and burning off the runway. Several people died, including 8 young team members and injuring several others. Most of this movie is about the aftermath, and what the staff and players did (and coped with) afterwards. It is not a "happy feeling" movie for the most part. And if you cannot understand the accents of the English/Scottish charactors, you will lose out on some of the dialog. However, if you are a Manchester United fan, as I am, you will want to see this film as it depicts the demise of the famed Busby Babes and the resurection of the team after the famous if horrendous accident.

An amazing story. When watching this movie I felt as though I was there. Part of it /well done Wish it was longer. Seems there was so much more to t3ell These poor lads , the team. It could almost go deeper. Surreal that anyone survived this flight. TO not give away = The ending was beautifully done. Just beautifully done.

Don't have to be a soccer fan (which I'am not) to love this extraodinary film. Don't have to be British to love this film, (I'am not). Their is a very small amount of actual socccer in this movie. It is more about the emotional and phyisical effects of the 1958 plane crash that killed most of the very young Manchester United team. This movie is very comparable to the American "We are Marshall" story. The acting from David Tennant and Jack O'Donnell is over whelming. David Tennant's portrayal of Couch Jimmy Murphy, who has to bury his dead boys, and get his injured players back to England and then replace his team in less than two weeks to fulfill team obligations is just extraordinary. This is very much a film about the triumphant human will overcoming a tragic event. This movie is well worth watching for any fan of great drama's.

The history, ideology and tragedy behind the most successful club in English football.

A young team did their best to be a great team.

I LOVE THIS FILM. I remember the terrible days following the air crash amongst the people where I lived. People continually knocked at our door to get news of Duncan Edwards from my father who knew so many people in Manchester and Stockport's grass roots. Men publically cried which was not usual in those days. You'd see a newspaper shaking held by a bus passenger and know that behind it was a weeping man.My father died in 2010 so never saw this film. My Dad learnt how to be ambidextrous with his football footwork shown exactly the same way up against a factory wall opposite where he lived.On the morning of a day in 1939 or 1940 as he sat eating breakfast before leaving for a trial with Preston North End club he received a buff envelope - his call up papers. Got accepted by the club but the Army needed him more. Later home in late 1945 he had missed bullies chance. Younger players were now rising and on top.As a semi professional and amateur player he played against the Babes quite a few times in charity matches and such. He had to cover Bobby Charlton amongst others including Eddie Colman. I wish I'd know this when I met Sir Bobby Charlton and had the pleasure of sitting between him and his brother Jackie at a charity dinner in about 1973. They taught me to eat cheese placed on rich fruit cake. Try it.This film brought back painful and good memories of the wonderful game.

The film tells the story of the Manchester United football team just before and in the aftermath of the 1958 Munich plane crash that left so many of the players dead, with special emphasis on the amazing comeback of the team under the guidance of Jimmy Murray, beautifully portrayed by David Tennant. Much screen time is also given to the young up and coming player Bobby Charlton, who is played by Jack O'Connell. While the acting is solid throughout, two other performances that stand out are Dougray Scott as Matt Busby and Sam Claflin as Duncan Edwards.The film is well made, a sensitive telling of a terrible tragedy and the way it could be overcome, with painstaking attention to detail. Sets and costumes are in perfect keeping with the period, as is the demeanor of the characters, both players and officials, right down to the regional accents of the players from various places around the region. A lot of research has gone into the making of the film and the extra features of the DVD are a welcome addition to the feature. Some of the small details which are easily missed or instantly forgotten, take on a whole new significance once you hear that these are the things friends and family of the actual people portrayed in the film remember from that time.There seems to be some confusion as to which extras are included in which edition. I purchased the DVD version, which includes all the advertised extas:- Feature commentary with David Tennant, writer Chris Chisnall, director James Strong and producer Simon Heath- Preparing to be United featurette- United: Behind the Scenes (including cast and crew interviews)- Deleted Scenes with commentary

I was 12 years old in 1958 when The Munich Air Disaster happened. I was a fan of Manchester United back then and I'm a bigger fan these days. For me, this movie is about MY heroes of that time, yet for anyone else, it becomes much, much more. The actors are superb. When Dougray Scott (Matt Busby) first opens his mouth, I actually thought it was Matt speaking, WOW! David Tennant is brilliant as Mr. Murphy and the guy who plays Bobby Charlton is fantastic. It was such a tragedy to lose so many talented players, staff, journalists & their wives.This movie portrays the events leading up to the crash; the disaster itself and the aftermath with a certain sensitivity only good film makers can achieve. I've watched this movie 5 times now, and it never fails to create the most deepest emotions. Fabulous, fabulous movie about a disaster that should never have happened.

A poignant story, quite nicely done in places, but Dougray Scott's performance as Matt Busby cancels out any positives. I can't even describe it. Maybe there are some clips on YouTube you can see. Outside of Tommy Wiseau I'm struggling to remember a worse performance.

I received this DVD today and I think it's totally amazing and so sad as I've been a Manchester United supporter for almost all of my life, my Mum and Dad used to take me to watch Manchester United in the 1970s when I was a baby and a small boy to watch Bobby Charlton and George Best and I had a small triangular flag signed by Bobby Charlton.I love and I've always loved Manchester United so this film breaks my heart but it is totally fantastic⚽️