Number 17: United Passions (2014)
I have been looking forward to this one.
Ever since I first looked at the list of the films, this was
the one that jumped out. As a big football fan, it was inevitable I’d have to
watch this film at some point. A film made for $30 million but returned just
$607 at the box office. A film that star Tim Roth described as ‘a crap movie I
did for the money.’
In part a FIFA biopic, in others a biopic of one Joseph
‘Sepp’ Blatter. At time of writing, Mr Blatter is up to his eyeballs in
allegations of corruption, receiving illegal payments and new charges coming
seemingly every day. If you’re reading this in the future, he may be sitting in
a prison cell right now or he may have got away scot-free (though personally,
my money is on the former).
I’ll fill in the early part of the movie but if you want to
know, 56:34 is when Blatter comes into it.
It starts in 1904, with the coming together of the heads of
various football variations across the world to form a global governing body of
football. An invitation to join is given to the English FA but as the inventors
of the game, they turn up their noses at the chance to join this little
organisation. The English are probably the closest this film has to villains,
being portrayed as arrogant, snobbish, racist and sexist. Which to be fair, may
well have been true of the gentlemen in question.
The group is formed anyway, taking the name ‘Federation of
International Football Associations’ (it is implied the ‘Football Association’
part of the name was a deliberate slight against the English FA). It is
actually interesting to see throughout the film how FIFA grew from one small
room in Paris to the vast, lavish headquarters it now has in Zurich.
Skip on a few years and we meet now President of FIFA, Jules
Rimet played by Gerard Depardieu. This covers the period between 1924-1950. It
starts with Rimet’s attempts to launch the first World Cup tournament in
Uruguay. They present it as fairly straightforward here but in reality it was
fairly shambolic with countries withdrawing (only 13 out of 24 invited took
part) and stadiums barely finished on time. Heck that would make for a film of
itself.
It’s a success but FIFA is still considered a small time
organisation at this point and limps along. Tensions rise throughout the
Thirties between Rimet and the Italian and German delegates as real world
politics threaten to tear the world apart.
Skip forward to 1942, and they tell what is known in
football folklore as the ‘Death Match’. It’s the story of a Ukranian youth side
in Kiev who played a team of German soldiers. They were supposed to lose the
game but ended up winning the game 5-3 to the delight of the watching crowd.
The Ukranian players were believed to have been executed soon after. Much of
this is now believed to be myth but what is true is that it showed the power
sport can have as an inspiration for an oppressed people. On a lighter note, it
was the inspiration for Escape to Victory
(though that is actually a more brutal film than many remember. Irish
international Kevin O’Callaghan deliberately breaking his own arm anyone?).
Happier times come with the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. This
is Rimet’s last World Cup as FIFA president, though he still has time to thank
the English for ‘joining our little organisation’. Which is a nice call back to
an earlier conversation. Or at least it would be if Rimet had actually been
present for that conversation.
And this is where the film should have ended. This should
have been the film, the life of Jules Rimet, the visionary who launched a
tournament nobody thought would succeed, ending in front of a crowd of over
100,000 people at the Macarena stadium in Brazil with millions more following
the game around the globe. It’s a shame about everything that follows, as the
first half of this film is actually really good.
There is a bit of filler until we reach the year 1974, when
we have our main event. Enter Sepp Blatter (Tim Roth) and the film becomes his
vanity piece.
The FIFA president is now Joao Havelange, Blatter’s mentor
and a man some believe to have been even more corrupt. He’s played by Sam
Neill, who speaks with a Brazilian-Portuguese accent whenever he remembers to.
FIFA is in trouble, they are losing money. Only one man can
save them: Super-Sepp! You see, he has an ‘ability for finding money’ (films
words). He can ‘create new revenue streams’ (films words).
See how Super-Sepp saves the world of football as he:
- - Brings football to Africa and Asia
- - Saves FIFA brokering deals with Adidas and Coca-Cola, just by asking for it
- - Tackles corruption in FIFA by not actually doing anything
Now to give Blatter his dues, in his time as FIFA Secretary
General and later President, football has grown massively in Africa and Asia.
Women’s football is the biggest it’s ever been. Whether Blatter can take as
much personal credit as he does here though is highly questionable.
FIFA is more profitable now than it’s ever been but again that’s
more down to its business practices where the host country of a World Cup pay
all the costs but FIFA take all the profits.
And corruption. Blatter talks big about corruption in the film,
how the gravy train is over but again, he doesn’t actually do anything about
it. Maybe this was the film-makers subtle hint to the audience that Blatter is
either a liar or an idiot.
Corruption within FIFA was the world’s biggest open-secret,
everyone in football knew about it. Where they went wrong though, was screwing
over the USA for the 2018 World Cup. Screwing over little European nations is
fine but you don’t fuck with America. God bless you, America!
All that remains to be seen is how much Blatter was
personally involved.
The film, first half was good but very poor display in the
second half. Substituting Rimet for Blatter was a bad idea. The boy Blatter was
brought on to be a hero but at the end of the day, his performance left much to
be desired.
I'll leave the last word to Tim Roth:
