Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The Man The Myth I hated this in every way. I'll be honest, I hadn't heard of Kusturica before seeing it but I've since learned he's regarded as a genius in filmmaking.Even though Maradona is a cheating, egotistical little fool, there's no escaping the fact that he's a colourful individual and was one hell of a footballer.However, I learned very little more than I already knew about him. Everything was done so obviously on Maradona's terms. It was nothing more than an arty Maradona love-in. He hates the USA, he hates Britain, he loves Castro, he loved cocaine, he played a good game of football. That much we did learn. However, I and anyone else who follows football, already knew that. But, let's not forget, he cheated time and time again. Whilst he comes across as remorseful for the effect him doing drugs had on his family, he clearly sees himself as a victim for the effect it had on his career. The man was a professional sportsman, an idol and role model for millions around the world, yet he's bitter and feels hard-done-by about the fact that he was one of those to get caught out.Any cheating on the pitch, namely the infamous 'Hand of God' against England, was portrayed as no more than a schoolboy prank he got away with. How did Maradona get away with it? According to Maradona it was because of God (further proof of Maradona's deluded mind)! Then, frequently during the film, Kusturica depicts the second goal in the same game (reputedly the best goal ever scored) as some sort of political comment on the Falklands War, with a cartoon Maradona slaying Prince Charles, the Queen and Margaret Thatcher to name a few. Sorry, but whilst the goal was a stroke of genius, it was no political comment; it's just convenient to suggest it was.A footballer surely doesn't justify such an arty piece of filmmaking. If a filmmaker's intention is to profile a footballer, then surely a chronological study from the start to present day is what's needed, not philosophical ramblings over what made him what he is/was. If these ramblings taught us anything, then fine, but they didn't. He wasn't a revolutionary (although he clearly believes he is), he wasn't the great ruler of a nation (I'm sure he believes he's this too). He was a footballer and a cheat. A brilliant footballer, yes, and arguably the best to have ever lived and his life off the pitch is thought to be equally as (if not more so) fascinating as his life on it. That's why I'm so frustrated to have learnt so little from this. I wanted to hear him discuss in greater detail his humble beginnings, his rise through the ranks in footballing terms, his experiences with drugs, more details around his time at Barcelona and Napoli etc. The lack of facts and the general sycophantic tone that shrouded the whole film left me none the wiser and even less enamoured by Maradona than I was to begin with.It's amazing (and again very odd) to see just how revered he is in Argentina but I wished the film would have stopped dwelling on the fact and get on with some steadfast facts on the man himself. I don't wish to see some weird looking Argentine couple supposedly getting married at the church of Maradona, nor do I want to see Maradona singing a song (presumably about himself) for what seemed like an eternity. This was just further evidence of his God complex. I found both these scenes to be really peculiar.Aside from it being mind-numbingly dull, I found the whole thing a bit sinister really. Kusturica especially so. His voice-over was horrible, his bedraggled appearance horrible and then you get him fawning all over the supposed great man.Maradona's autobiography, El Diego, whilst interesting at times, was like reading a true Rock 'N' Roller's autobiography without any mention of the sex, drugs and excesses that go with it. Whilst a different approach was taken here, it was by no means a more interesting one.Total garbage.

Carson Trent About 15 years ago it was regarded almost as blasphemy to dislike Kusturica's work. The loud gypsy trumpet music and Balcanic blabber with poverty charm was suddenly hip and splattered all over the screen and no longer hidden behind glamorous designer shops in the back alleys of Europe. I have never socially discussed the fact that I didn't particularly enjoyed his stuff except Arizona Dream, because experience taught me that a flavor of the month is a guaranteed magnet for more or less imbecile follow up. Kusturica then announced he will retire from movie making, and for a while things calmed down. Then he came with this. Dios, man...Maradona was a super footballer with a funny physique, that's that. No multiple layers worth exploring. No multiple layers, period. To present his goals as political comment is ludicrous and the whole display is completely tasteless. K says at one point that he feels like a paparazzi waiting to shove the microphone in the star's face...well, talk about the moment of the truth. Maradona is presented taking a bath and talking about Fidel while compromising up his own simplistic viewpoint while K blabbers on about the Balcans and capitalism, Bush and the Queen. I'm surprised K didn't find a connection between Maradona and 12.12 of the Mayan calendar. My question is why did he feel the need to drag Maradona's name into his ego trip? Stay gone K, just stay gone...

naseby ...but that IS what you expect from Diego Armando Maradona! Being English, I'd be expected almost to hate the man, after the notorious goal. After all, the 'El Magnifico', Pele, never scored a goal like that. But you can't not be drawn from Maradona's skill, but also verbal skill off the ball, managing to also draw in the viewer/listener. From his dalliances in drugs, incidentally blaming America for the drugs problem, not the Colombian mafia, for the USA consumer-type market for the stuff, coupled with his meeting and loving it, with Fidel Castro, this is an amazing insight into an amazing man. Candidly also reflecting many times on politics, his hatred of George Bush, refusing to see/shake hands with Prince Charles, claiming he had 'blood on his hands' over the Falklands war. Indeed, many of the Scottish fans who admired him were simply pleased at 'the hand of God' because England is Scotland's 'old enemy' too. Whether the Scottish regiments in the British army would support that over the Falklands War is a matter of conjecture. But Maradona, along with his skill on the ball has an equally infectious personality making this an extraordinary programme, but you're left thinking, no, not really, this is what we DO expect from the man. An intensely watchable, unmissable film, not just about a footballer, but a polished personality. One thing I didn't get, was why The Sex Pistols' 'God Save the Queen' was played. It seemed to be used in the animation showing the royal family/Brits being taken the p*** out of. Mind you, I didn't mind really, I am a fan of the Pistols! I'd seriously like to meet this man. Not to challenge him, but you can't help admire his honesty. Still, I'm glad the Germans knocked Argentina out of the 2010 World Cup, even though, they were one of my teams I most liked watching - it seemed to cap Maradona's bragging before he gets out of hand a bit!!!

Breno Bacci Born and raised in Brazil, and like everybody else here, I was taught to say "Pelé is better than Maradona" even before they taught me how to walk or wipe myself. As I grew older, I kept believing this was true. But the more I got to know both men, the more I thought this was probably applied only to football skills - Pelé kept giving me reasons to believe he was the perfect moron, while Maradona's subversive stance on everything found sympathy on anybody in South America more or less haunted by our CIA-sponsored, "anti-communist" military dictatorships. Even on my early years as a not-so-subversive toddler, I knew there was something wrong about Pelé's easygoing attitude towards the establishment.Not only that, but coming from a family which dealt with addiction for generations, I learned very early that Garrincha was by far a better player than Pelé. Brazilian media and FIFA can keep ignoring Garrincha because he was never the Mr. Nice Guy Pelé pretended to be, but one just has to watch how Garrincha made 2 players on the other team sit on the pitch without even touching the ball (probably one of the best moments on the World Sport's history).Unlike many of my fellow countrymen and women, my family didn't think one's accomplishments should be overshadowed by his or her tendency to abuse psychoactive substances. Nevertheless, I just couldn't ignore what Pelé did on the playing field - even though Maradona, Garrincha and probably the 2 Ronaldos were actually a lot "more magical".But I digress.This was the first Kusturica movie I've ever seen, and I was surprised to find out the auteur's got such a faithful audience like others I've had the pleasure to know - like Trier and Tarantino (yes, you heard me). I guess my ignorance towards Kusturica was probably a good thing, since I've been reading here many of his disappointed fans complaining that, ironically enough, he was too much of a fan boy on Maradona-Kusturica.I'm not so stupid as to think that socialism is the root of all evil. South America lacks true heroes, so I love when Cinema gives me and others the opportunity to know more about the life stories of such controversial people like Fidel, Che and Maradona.I just couldn't stop watching this movie, ingenuously hoping the final takes would give me some extremely-needed closure to the big mess that was Diego's life. As most of the greatest movies ever - and Dogville comes to mind -, you never get closure. You go out with a lot more doubts than certainties. And that's a good thing. In my humble opinion, "feelgood" movies are no different than cocaine. They shouldn't be called movies, for starters. They're a drug made to make you numb and feeling good about yourself. That's not what the Art of Cinema is about for me. I don't want to feel good about a movie. I want to feel challenged. I want to have my brain building new synapses, no matter how painful might the process be.Maradona-Kusturica did that for me. Surprisingly enough, as much unlikely I thought it would be, I ended up getting what goes on on the minds of those wackos at the Church of Maradona. I understand now and I admire them - this is the kind of rupture of a concept that amazes me, pretty much as Hooligans(2005) made me see through the vandalism and admire those poor guys whom at least found strength to believe in "something".Maradona is not a genius outside the playing field. He's just a guy. A very "real" guy, that does good things and bad things, like anyone else. Not even the pope gets to be nicknamed "The God"; nevertheless, Diego does his best to cope with such a fanatic crowd everywhere (his visit to Naples was out-of-this world).Many people will just ignore this movie because it is likely to praise the deeds of a cocaine addict. The kind of people that thinks that cocaine abuse (or any other drug for that matter) should remain as taboo should keep watching Titanic or Desperate Housewives. As my dentist once said, you should keep touching the wound instead of trying everything to pretend it's not there.I sympathise with people that screw up because I feel they no longer wear their masks. One could think Maradona was just a selfish bastard after all. A guy who cared for nothing else than just putting more snow on his nostrils. Funny. You get to see how his daughters, even though carrying a lot of grief, love him and like many people also think he's their god.Pelé, FIFA's Mr. Nice Guy, in the other hand... Married an underage girl, barely used his fame to help not even Brazil's football institutions, let alone the country as a whole. Later on he could come and tell that 1970's World Cup was a gift to the Brazilian people so we could have at least a little bit of happiness through all that was going on. But that doesn't change the fact that bringing Jules Rimet Trophy home helped the dictatorial government ease the always-growing social instability. Neither that he shook hands (and will keep shaking) with every and each man in power because, after all, it's so much easy than thinking about your symbolic role for a nation's populace.I pity for Edinho - the King Pelé's imprisoned and addicted son. If only his father had been more of a moron like Maradona was, he could be the one jumping on a stage and singing how his father was a god.Oh, and about football and movies... I can only hope that Kusturica ever gets to love Garrincha as much as he loves Diego, and decides to make a movie about him. That guy's certainly worth the title of Wizard of the Ball.