Invictus [DVD] [2010]

This is a hugely enjoyable movie which charts the rise of Nelson Mandela and his role in bringing in the nation of South Africa together during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It would be considered corny if it didn't happen to be true. I'm not sure about all the details but the basic facts are there, that Mandela, newly elected to the presidency of South Africa chose reconciliation rather than confrontation with the white minority who had so long oppressed the people he represented. One gesture was to support the Springboks - a major symbol of white supremacy in the past - and to bring the nation together around them in spite of what many of his own supporters who wanted them for ever abolished.
This is steering stuff with Morgan Freeman giving a stunning performance of Mandela. Just why he didn't receive an Oscar for this performance is something only the vagaries of the Academy award system can tell us. He looks like and sounds like the great man himself - it's worth watching the movie just for this one performance. Elsewhere the movie is solidly cast with one unfortunate exception. Well as Matt Damon acts as the Springbok captain François Pienaar, he is simply not physically big enough to be credible in the role. Pienaar was a huge man in every respect and Damon just doesn't have the size to convince. The rugby scenes are quite well done but not in the same league as, say, the action scenes in Friday Night Lights.
However, the rugby is actually incidental to the main action of the film which is about a great statesman rising above the prejudice and hate that were fundamental to the country he inherited. Do see this movie and be inspired.

I really enjoyed Invictus. Being a big Rugby fan I was drawn by the fact that the 95 world cup was the backdrop and could remember the building passionate support for the Springboks but of course there was so much more behind it. I though t Morgan Freeman played Mandela superbly and Matt Damon was also good (if you could overlook his size as a supposed International Lock / Flanker). The script was very well written and although Rugby was seen as the link to uniting society, I just wished (as a Rugby fan) the actual game scenes could have been a bit more realistic as they had the feel of a Sunday league match rather than a hard hitting international.

Invictus is a good film; if you love rugby, then it is an excellent film. It retells the 1995 world cup in South Africa (SA) and the political weight that the team carried throughout the competition. Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela, the recently-liberated and newly-elected president of SA who sees the importance of uniting the heavily divided country behind the Springboks (a white minority and a black majority, both still bearing grudges from apartheid). The majority of the country see the Springbok's 'green & gold' as a symbol of apartheid rule and consequently despise the team, backing anybody that the 'boks play against. Mandela sees the vital importance of having a common ground to be proud of; the importance of a symbol of national pride in reuniting the country and explains the gravity of the situation to Francois Pienaar (Damon) who then has to spur the team on to victory to give SA something to be proud of and a symbol to stand behind, together.

Clint Eastwood's direction is flawless, the film is well put together; however I don't particularly remember the artistic direction of any one scene standing out too much but that might be the benchmark of a consistently well shot film.

The actors really make this film, Morgan Freeman plays Mandela with the grace and poise he deserves and a lot of effort has been made to make the scenes and settings as true to the original events as possible. However, the one drawback I noted, is that Matt Damon's SA accent is VERY shaky. At one point (the locker-room scene) he sounds positively Australian; consequently I had the feeling throughout the film that his dialogue had been reduced as much as possible. Despite this, Damon's acting is good and really convinces you of the pressure he is under; training, leading the team and trying to fulfil Mandela's wishes.

I recommend this film, despite Damon's dodgy accent, to anybody who is a fan of rugby, who saw the 1995 world cup and even anybody who would like to know a little about the fragile situation in SA that still persists today. A highly charged film with decent subject matter!!