"Invictus" Review

Invictus
2010
Dir. Clint Eastwood
Starring : Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon
by Jake Danvers.

Having been drawn to Invictus based almost solely on recent Golden Globe and Oscar hype, it was pretty safe to say that I was highly hopeful for something special.

With Eastwood tackling yet another sporting film after the successful Million Dollar Baby, I think it is now safe to say that he has this area pretty much nailed. Similarly to Million Dollar Baby, the action scenes involving the South African rugby team are perfectly directed and choreographed to create a fast paced, up close and personal melee, putting many other titles involving sports scenes to shame. Granted, there is a sense that the viewer would need to have a basic grasp of the Rugby Union rulebook to make real sense of what is really going on, but nevertheless, the excitement is still breathtakingly luring.

As we have found before with many films that document true events, good casting is usually the key to success. Invictus well and truly delivers in this category, with the weathered looks and grey hair of an ageing Morgan Freeman suitably fitting in his portrayal of Nelson Mandela, whilst the volatile talents of Matt Damon, delivering a superb Afrikaaner accent, allow him to shine as Springboks 1995 captain Francois Pienaar.

Freemans excellent disposition of being able to deliver almost film changing speeches once again warm him to the role of the wise and opinionated Mandela, leading us to believe that it is actually the great South African president that we are seeing on screen. The Mandela mannerisms that we have become so used to through the press and news reports are intricately exhibited by Freeman. This is the genuine article.

Along with the recent success of Neill Blomkamps District 9, Invictus has really pushed forward an observation of the Apartheid regime in South Africa to younger viewers like myself, who have admittedly, never really been taught about such an important time in the history of one of the worlds greatest nations. The subtle racial tension and mistrust in Invictus is evident, and the fairytale road to unity as the film progresses give this movie a real feel good factor, and restore the dying belief that anything is possible.

8/10