By The Washington Post | April 19, 2018 at 8:00 am By Ann Hornaday | Washington Post Sometimes a movie comes along that, devoid of a noisy publicity push or festival buzz, quietly ambushes the unsuspecting viewer with an absorbing, skillfully executed, meaningful and thoroughly entertaining experience. Ladies and gentlemen, “Borg vs. McEnroe” is just that kind of film. Directed by Janus Metz from a script by Ronnie Sandahl, the movie dramatizes of the historic 1980 Wimbledon final during which four-time men’s singles champion Bjorn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) sought to secure his fifth title against the brash American up-and-comer John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf). The match, a grueling test of stamina, strength and psychic will, turned out to be spectacular and improbably moving. Anyone who watched it – in person or during a memorable TV broadcast – will attest to the fact that, up until that point, and for many years to come, it was the greatest tennis game ever played. “Borg vs. McEnroe,” conveys every bead of sweat and every ounce of rising tension in that titanic showdown. Thanks to adroit performances from perfectly cast lead actors and seamless visual effects, movie audiences will believe that they’re watching the real thing, right down to the muffled scrape of tennis shoes on the grass of Wimbledon’s famed Centre Court. But most intriguingly, “Borg vs. McEnroe” is shaped, not as a ticktock of a legendary sports event, but as a psychological portrait of competition, friendship and a complicated, temperamental prodigy, whose outbursts… [Read full story]
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