300. Sir Alex Ferguson - Never Give In; movie review

 

SIR ALEX FERGUSON - NEVER GIVE IN

Cert 12A

130 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language

The prospect of losing one's memory is terrifying to all of us but to someone who has experienced as many highs and lows as Sir Alex Ferguson, it must be even more pronounced.

Sir Alex suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2018 and it was touch and go whether he would survive.

There was also a genuine possibility that life-saving surgery could have cost him the ability to remember a life which has certainly been well led.

The words of arguably Britain's greatest football manager during this documentary are raw and honest because it is directed by his son Jason.

Nobody else would have been able to ease that famous guard down quite so far.

Ironically, as the recent sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjær has demonstrated, the current hire and fire culture in football would have probably meant Sir Alex wouldn't have been given the chance to earn success at Manchester United.

He had several fallow years before winning the FA Cup in 1990 and the vultures were not only circling but were swooping.

However, as this documentary shows, Sir Alex has a steely backbone from his days growing up in the shadow of the Govan shipyards.

He tells his story from his childhood in Glasgow and shines a light upon key moments which led to a career in football.

The man known as giving hairdryer treatment to badly behaved players, also admits that he was on the wrong track for a while.

And he goes into the heartache of he time as a player at his beloved Rangers where he was on the end of racism because he married Cathy, a Catholic girl.

It soon becomes clear how important she has been in his life - keeping him on the straight and narrow during his time as a player and being the bedrock of the family while he dedicated his time to football management.

Of course, the documentary alights upon his huge achievements, firstly at Aberdeen, where, because of the low base, the league and cup wins were arguably more impressive than those at Manchester United.

There are contributions from people in football and those closest to him.

All in all, it makes for an intoxicating profile which should even grab non-football fans.

Reasons to watch: Digs deep into the psyche of a winner

Reasons to avoid: Non-football fans many not find it easy to follow

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? Alex Ferguson was the longest-tenured manager in “Man U” history and led the club to more than 30 domestic and international titles, including 13 Premier League championships, five Football Association (FA) Cup victories (1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2004), and two Champions League titles (1999 and 2008)

The final word. Jason Ferguson: "The film is about a life, a career... but you know, for me, it's about memories and about family. My core intention was to make a film that wasn't about football - and how he did what he did, as opposed to a series of goals and trophy lifts." Four Four Two

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