Maradona: Hand Of God

Year of Release: 2007
Genre: Drama
Rating: R for language, sex scenes and drug use.
Director: Marco Risi
Starring: Marco Leonardi, Julieta Diaz, Juan Leyrado

Date Of Review: April 2008

It was inevitable that we would get a biopic on arguably the greatest soccer player of all-time or the 2nd greatest soccer player of all-time (Pele being the greatest) depending on who you speak to but “Maradona: The Hand Of God”, is a film that you will fall in and out of interest with as it plays out like a disjointed mess. Aside from a few brief glimpses of a young Maradona, no attempt was made to stage any of the major soccer scenes or pivotal moments in his soccer career. Instead the producers have chosen to use soccer stock footage and blend it with behind the scenes dramatizations that get rather tedious. The filmmakers seem to be more pre-occupied with sensationalizing the negative aspects of his personal life than the positive aspects of his rise in the football world. The flashbacks and flashforwards do nothing to enhance the enjoyment of the film. Ultimately, they are annoying to the viewer and a complete waste of time. It would have been much simpler and better to have structured the film chronologically. 

Flashes of the real Diego scoring famous goals pop up throughout to remind the viewer of his great soccer skills but unfortunately the montages are poorly executed and reach an absolute low-point when the filmmakers integrate a lame sex scene into one of the goal montages. Seeing a montage of Maradona scoring both on-and-off the pitch, simultaneously, comes across as both lame and amateurish in the filmmaking department. The sequence is definitely in poor-taste to say the least and made me want to reach for the fast-forward button on the DVD remote. On the plus side, the lead actor, Australian born Marco Leonardi does his best with the material on offer. He was well cast because he has an uncanny resemblance to the real-Maradona, not only in look but also in stature. As a bonus Marco even exhibits some good ball-juggling skills in a few scenes. The casting agents at least got something right when they found Marco for the lead, now if only they could got the rest of the film right we may have had something.

Unfortunately, “Maradona: The Hand Of God” only makes the recent “Goal” films look like masterpieces. I am sure that a good film could be made of Diego Maradona’s tumultuous life but sadly this film isn’t it. The big three, the film’s structure, style and chronology of events are in total disarray. The film does grab you from time to time but only in brief stretches, the scenes of Diego’s youth and the some of the drama surrounding the World Cups is quite interesting but unfortunately there is too much inconsistency with the way the scenes unfold. I believe that the filmmakers tried hard to get it right but it’s a real shame that the film is not as good as it could have been. I would be interested to know what Maradona thinks of the film but then again he’s not a film critic. He may be happy, simply because they went to the trouble and took the time to make a film about him. I don’t know what he thinks? But I sure would like to know. Maradona fans, watch if you must, but you will definitely be disappointed with this effort. Ultimately the film is a letdown.

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