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MovieMail's Review
The Oscar-nominated Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon star in this engaging mix of political drama and underdog sport movie, which sees Nelson Mandela using the 1995 Rugby World Cup to unite his divided country. Eastwood ably recreates the hopes and fears of
Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring the superlative Morgan Freeman, Invictus will surprise anyone expecting a Gandhi-style epic. Based on John Carlin's 2008 book Playing the Enemy, Invictus looks at Mandela's early time in power through the prism of the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It's an intriguing perspective, and Eastwood's characteristically apposite opening shot sets the scene: as Mandela's motorcade passes down a road, we see a perfectly-manicured school rugby field on one side and a dusty football pitch on the other. As the young rugby players look on with distrust, the soccer-playing children whoop and cheer.
South Africa was a nation divided by race, class and culture, but also by sport - and the yellow and green of the Sprinkboks rugby team was one of the most hated symbols of apartheid. Against all advice, Mandela staked his reputation by backing the team, and decided to use the World Cup to raise black aspirations and assuage white fears. Bad news for Springboks captain François Pienaar (Matt Damon), because his team didn't stand a chance of winning.
The result is an engaging mix of political drama and underdog sport movie. Freeman and Damon have already received Oscar nominations for their roles, and it's a real pleasure to watch these two different sized cogs turning in the wheels of history. Anthony Peckham's screenplay balances the personal with the political, and under Eastwood's assured direction - and the genuinely contagious excitement of the tournament - Invictus breezes through its 130 minute running time.
Shot on location in South Africa, including the grounds of Mandela's personal residence in Johannesburg, his prison cell in Robben Island, and Ellis Park Stadium, Invictus ably recreates the hopes and fears of the early days of the Rainbow Nation. The wary relationship between the black and white members of Mandela's personal bodyguard - who included former ANC rebels as well as their would-be oppressors - is one effective subplot among many.
As an actor, Eastwood may never shake iconic roles such as the Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars (1964) or the eponymous psychopathic cop in Dirty Harry (1971), but since his directoral debut, the psychological thriller Play Misty For Me (1971), Eastwood has emerged as a leading contemporary filmmaker. In recent years, his films have demonstrated a range that continues to defy critic's expectations, and and Invictus caps a great decade which includes Mystic River (2003), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Flags Of Our Fathers / Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) and Gran Torino (2008).
Invictus is director Clint Eastwood's drama based on events that took place during the first term of Nelson Mandela's presidency of South Africa. In an effort to help unite his racially and economically divided country in the wake of the apartheid system, the newly-elected Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joins forces with Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), captain of South Africa's rugby team The Springboks. Convinced that he can use the universal language of sport to help bring his people together, Mandela rallies the team as it makes its historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship final against New Zealand.
