I was fortunate enough to see "
Borg vs. McEnroe (2017)" on opening night for the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival. Without giving away too much (especially if you're like me and you didn't know much about this 1980s tennis rivalry coming into it), I will say that this is a fabulous film and everyone involved in the making of it should give themselves a huge pat on the back. They have done an incredible job in crafting a story that successfully explores, analyzes and pays homage to two contrasting albeit equally fascinating personalities in sports history.
Both of the titular characters are played to perfection thanks to virtuoso performances from
Sverrir Gudnason and
Shia LaBeouf, the latter of whom was practically made for the role. Regardless of what you think about Shia, his commitment to any role is always awe- inspiring and here he gives a performance that so perfectly combines loud-mouthed arrogance with an icy determination that he actually makes it difficult for you to route against him. He creates a fascinating character alongside the calm, cool and collected persona of Björn Borg, played exquisitely well by Gudnason. Another performance that deserves a mention is that of
Stellan Skarsgård, whose quiet loyalty really helps to anchor the film in the more pivotal emotional moments.
In a lot of ways this film reminded me of "
Rush (2013)", another excellent film that deftly explored an iconic sports rivalry and how each athlete helped to shape the other. Like Rush, "
Borg vs. McEnroe (2017)" transcends the sport at hand to become an exploration of human suffering, resilience and, ultimately, redemption. Aside from the themes at hand, the technical brilliance of the film completely grabs your attention and never lets go until the final frame. In what is the first full-feature length film of
Janus Metz, he creates a film that perfectly captures a game-changing moment in sports history and the contrasting personalities of the men who changed it.
I really enjoyed this film and encourage anyone reading this to go see it!
