When UK pundit Alan Hansen muttered the words, “You can’t win anything with kids”, it was as if he hadn’t studied the history of English football, or for that matter, the very club he was referring to, as Manchester United, the original Busby Babes, were the youngest ever side to win the English Football League.

The film, which begins 18 months before the Munich air disaster of February 6, 1956, emphasises the youthful nature of this team. From the beginning it is apparent that Bobby Charlton, one of the youngest members of the squad, is the footballer at the centre of this dramatisation. The young Charlton, initially unsure of his place, has just broken into the Manchester United first team, scoring two goals on his league debut.

David Tennant [pictured] is magnificent as the paternal Jimmy Murphy, mastering the tricky Welsh accent, and conveying a passionate, dedicated, and much loved character. Murphy, Busby’s Assistant Manager, is the heart of Manchester United in this film, and with Busby fighting for his life, ultimately he is the man that saves the club. “How we are in the future will be founded on how we behave today”, he tells the board, sounding for a moment like Barack Obama. Alongside Jack O'Connell’s touching portrayal of Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Murphy is the focal character of United.

We don’t meet Matt Busby until the 11th minute of the film, and for me, as a Manchester United fan who only knew the Sir Matt Busby that stuck around long enough to witness the crowning of his club as Premier League champions in 1993, I was really looking forward to seeing him portrayed on screen for the first time. Dougray Scott is a fine actor, and initially seemed a solid choice to play Busby. However I didn’t buy into his Busby, nor did I think the film gave us much to go with on the character. Scott is of course, a Scot, so you would have thought that the Scottish accent shouldn’t be too difficult for him to manage. Perhaps Busby did indeed sound like that, however to me it sounded too forced. His speech was slow, deliberate, and punctuated, and combined with the constant squint and angled stares.

The rest of the team are as you would expect young footballers from that age to be. They are an entirely different breed to the modern footballer, and that is no more evident than when Duncan Edwards suggests Bobby Charlton pretend to be a plumber to pick up women, as they won’t be impressed that he plays football for a modest living. The players still love a drink, and the film shows them drinking and smoking between games, and even at one point, the night before a game! The coaches don’t mind, and even get involved. Mark Jones is rarely seen without his pipe. He is even shown puffing away in the tunnel before every game! What would Sir Alex think!?

The muted tones and strong but not overbearing score provide the perfect mood for the film. Manchester in the 1950s was an industrial city, football fans were working class, and it was bloody cold. This is a very well crafted film.

The emotion in this film is one that should not be reserved only for Manchester United fans. Yes, it is a history of Manchester United football club, but at the time, they were a team that touched a nation, and pioneered British participation in European competition. The footballers killed were young men, the finest of a generation. Coaching and club staff also lost their lives, as did journalists and two other innocents. An emotional and very well told story, the only thing that prevented me from shedding a tear was my girlfriend sitting across from me playing Angry Birds.

This is a story about men, a football team, and the support of a nation, and I encourage every football fan to check it out…

In cinemas from 3 August. Please check www.cinemalive.com for all cinemas and session times.