Believe has been released in cinemas and simultaneously for download and on Sky Movies. That may well be a distribution model that will become more common over time. However, there is little here to encourage you to make the effort to go to the cinema to see it, either in terms of spectacle or quality.
Brian Cox stars as Sir Matt Busby, the legendary Manchester United manager. Haunted by the Munich air crash and newly retired, he chances upon some young boys playing in the streets and volunteers his services as their team manager, although they do not know who he is. It was a curious choice to make a film about this completely fictionalised story when Busby’s life and career were rich and interesting. It also lacks a feeling for time and place. I think it is meant to be set in the early 80s, but the street scenes depicted seem to be set at least 10 years earlier.
Cox is a class act, so is fine as Busby and the strong supporting cast (including Anne Reid, Natasha McElhone, Kate Ashfield, and Philip Jackson) all do their best. However, this feels like an old Childrens’ Film Foundation effort and it is hard to see it appealing to much of an audience, even die hard Manchester United fans.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10