Björn Borg, winner of five consecutive Wimbledon's. John McEnroe, winner of four US Open's and three Wimbledon's. They met for the first time on the court in 1980 in London. Borg was seeking the fifth title of Wimbledon winner, for McEnroe it the first final in this tournament. Their game is considered to be one of the best final ever played. Can you be thrilled by a movie that you know the ending of?
The (hi)story The importance and tension, both in true life and in the movie, leans towards Borg (Sverrir Gudnason). He is not only defending the title, but coming to achieve what was never done before - winning five consecutive Wimbledon's. The real Borg was under a lot of pressure and it was shown on the screen. At the beginning we mostly see him, how he is dealing with the stress and Gudnason made an amazing job. It would seem that every Swedish person could star a reserved, cold and withdrawn tennis player, but not showing the emotions does not mean not having any. And Gudnason used all shivering muscles and gestures to express suppressed feelings without using words. With time more scenes with McEnroe (Shia LeBeouf) come in. For both of them we see some flashbacks from their childhood and/or moments that influenced their career. There is nothing about the plot you don't already know (and DON'T GOOGLE IT if you don't know the outcome of the final. Watch the movie, hate me, bite your nails, thank me). But how the story was told is another pair of shoes.
The (hi)story The importance and tension, both in true life and in the movie, leans towards Borg (Sverrir Gudnason). He is not only defending the title, but coming to achieve what was never done before - winning five consecutive Wimbledon's. The real Borg was under a lot of pressure and it was shown on the screen. At the beginning we mostly see him, how he is dealing with the stress and Gudnason made an amazing job. It would seem that every Swedish person could star a reserved, cold and withdrawn tennis player, but not showing the emotions does not mean not having any. And Gudnason used all shivering muscles and gestures to express suppressed feelings without using words. With time more scenes with McEnroe (Shia LeBeouf) come in. For both of them we see some flashbacks from their childhood and/or moments that influenced their career. There is nothing about the plot you don't already know (and DON'T GOOGLE IT if you don't know the outcome of the final. Watch the movie, hate me, bite your nails, thank me). But how the story was told is another pair of shoes.