The 1980 Wimbledon Championships and Bjorn Borg is seeking a record breaking 5th consecutive title, whilst up and coming John McEnroe is vying for his first. The Iceman versus Super Brat. Using flashbacks to give us context as to what drives them the film contends that these two superstars of the sport are not so different after all.

Whilst there are two sportsmen in the title this is really a film about one. Borg is the focus here and any context supplied for McEnroe’s drive is done so as comparison to Borg. This is not a drawback though, it gives the film a singular focus and still allows it to draw McEnroe’s character well. The revelation here is just how good Sverrir Gudnason is at portraying Borg. He has a magnetic quality on screen and is able to display the building pressure in Borg’s life with few words. Shia LaBeouf also delivers a very good performance as McEnroe, proving that he is not just a performance artist, but still a good actor.

Personally I was rapt by the build up to the final more than the climactic sporting scenes. This in part because the film lets slip at the beginning how many sets the final extends to and in part that I already knew the result. Despite this minor drawback it is a film I would very much recommend.

A great character study and a good sports film.