Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In – Amazon Prime Movie Review

Hard Work Is A Talent

There will never be another manager like Alex Ferguson. In a recent interview, Ferguson revealed that “Hard work is a talent.” It seems like such a novel concept but hard work is truly the difference between a good and a great team. Through the years, Alex Ferguson completely changed the landscape of Scottish and English football with this philosophy.

Directed by Jason Ferguson, Never Give In turns the attention away from the outward success of Fergie’s teams over the years to shift the focus across to the manager. With some slick editing and gripping storytelling throughout, Never Give In tells the Alex Ferguson story from the mouth of the legend himself.

From his early days as a player through to the dramatic last-gasp winner as a manager in the Champions League final, Never Give In charts the rise of Alex Ferguson’s success. Interwoven through this success story however, is a far more humbling narrative, as shots of Ferguson’s health scare back in 2018 are cut through the middle of this.

A face to face interview with Alex Ferguson essentially strings these two narrative together, with Ferguson’s unwavering passion and love for the sport clear to see. This is a man who lives and breathes football, even to the detriment of raising his own family. As Ferguson admits himself, he wasn’t there for his kids but this sacrifice was rewarded on the pitch.

One of the more fascinating components of this film however, comes from seeing the magnitude of the job Ferguson had when he moved from Aberdeen to Manchester United. 19th in the league and with an angsty crowd ready to throw him out, Ferguson managed to change the very culture of Manchester United from the ground up.

With an emphasis on youth and a glimpse at Fergie’s own notebook with scribbled thoughts and suggestions, it’s clear to see this man had a vision and he was prepared to do whatever it took to make that come to fruition. And it paid divided.

All you need to do is compared the time United had under Fergie to the mixed success they’re experiencing in his absence to see have experienced in his absence only exemplifies that.

As a minor gripe, the movie does feel like it cuts short before its time. This film is so enthralling and so in-depth that it easily could have gone on for another hour. If there was ever a call for Fergie time – this documentary is it! The list of guests that appear to lend their voice to Ferguson’s success story is quite short too, with Gordon Strachan, Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona a few of the bigger names alongside Fergie’s own family appearing on-screen.

Despite that though, if you’re a football fan then Never Give In is essential viewing. This intimate, eye-opening documentary is a glittering, respectful and beautiful tribute to one of the greatest managers to ever grace the game.

Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In releases on Amazon Prime worldwide on Saturday 29th May 2021!

Click Here To Go Back To Our Movie Reviews!