← Back to results
Borg vs McEnroe
2017 108 min Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic R 16+
★7.2
Drama, History
Director: Janus Metz
Trailers
EN
Teaser
Description
The Swedish Björn Borg and the American John McEnroe, the best tennis players in the world, maintain a legendary duel during the 1980 Wimbledon tournament.
Budget:
$7.5M
US Gross:
$231,346
Worldwide:
$16.66M
Starring
Sverrir Gudnason
Actor
Shia LaBeouf
Actor
Stellan Skarsgård
Actor
Awards
European Film Awards 2018
— Best Actor
Key opinion
Borg vs. McEnroe is widely praised as a masterful sports drama that transcends the tennis genre to deliver a taut, visceral psychological thriller. Critics and audiences alike celebrate the lead performances and the film's ability to maintain high tension while grounding the rivalry in deep character exploration.
| Acting | Sverrir Gudnason and Shia LaBeouf deliver powerhouse performances that perfectly capture the physical and temperamental duality of the two legends. | |
| Direction | Director Janus Metz skillfully crafts a high-stakes, gladiatorial atmosphere that effectively translates the intensity of a tennis match into a visceral cinematic experience. | |
| Cinematography | The cinematography and editing are expertly utilized to heighten the tension of the match, favoring authentic soundscapes and tight framing over musical artifice. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay successfully balances flashback-driven character development with the central narrative, effectively humanizing the athletes beyond their public personas. | |
| Theme | The narrative focus on the protagonists is debated; while some appreciate the deep dive into Borg's psychology, others feel McEnroe’s perspective is unfairly marginalized. |