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INVICTUS Clint Eastwood Starring Morgan Freeman Matt Damon Adjoa Andoh Tony Kgoroge Invictus was in for a bit of a rough time from me on a host of levels; the first being my role as a film critic (and enormous fan of Eastwood's work) and the other being my close history with rugby as a fan and player of the sport. In an attempt to tell a story about the key points in Mandela's life and subsequent career, this film opts to focus on the early years of his role as President of South Africa, using the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a metaphor for the nation's racial divide. The plot starts in the early nineties and follows the trials and tribulations Nelson Mandela [Freeman] faced with a country that was ravaged by poverty, crime and an unstable economy. Alongside this, are the failing attempts of the South African rugby team, captained by Francois Piennar [Damon]. Mandela quickly understands that the country is possibly on the verge of a racial civil war and sees a possible opportunity to unite the country. With a black man in charge, several committees take it upon themselves to abolish the old symbols of apartheid; a prime example being the nation's rugby team. Mandela interjects and informs a horrified crowd that "to take away what gives the whites joy, will only confirm their fears about us." Despite experts claiming that the South African team are in no shape to hope for anything better than a World Cup Quarter Final position, Mandela calls a meeting with Piennar and impresses upon him the importance of national unity through inspiration, pride and success. A rather dumbfounded Piennar returns to his wife and explains, "I think he wants us to win the World Cup." Now, at its core, Invictus is a biographical tale and as with all biopics, it excels as a character study but falters when addressing matters of plot. Many moments are going to come off as clichéd or derivative of other archetypal sports films but most of the events depicted actually happened as such. South Africa was due to host the World Cup, no one expected anything other than an All Black (New Zealand) victory and what happened was genuinely shocking. As far as the film goes, Eastwood falls into the regular trappings he ensnares for himself by accepting 'true story' pieces - the soundtrack is a little cheesy and moments of sheer elation feel a tad stunted. It's not that Mr. Eastwood fails to produce realistic or atmospheric scenarios - on the contrary, the rising tension throughout is exceptionally well orchestrated - but my personal complaints stem from the glazing of Mandela's troubled personal life and the neat finale often found in biographies that don't wish to offend the real life counterparts. Having said that, this is Clint Eastwood we're talking about and the direction, cinematography, pacing and acting are all brilliantly harnessed; producing a work that should immerse and entertain a great many, without feeling the need to dumb down for audiences unaware of the situation in South Africa or the sport of rugby. Granted, Mandela didn't solve all of South Africa's problems but for the six years he was in power, he certainly set them off in the right direction -- something this release tries to capture and, in my opinion, does so beautifully at times. Release Date: 5th February 2010 The Scene To Look Out For: **Brief Spoiler** I would have liked a scene in which the All Blacks were eating suspect food and later puking on the sidelines (I'm sorry, I’m still bitter from that disallowed England Try back in 2007) but never mind. There was one moment which I thought might be omitted but was glad to see: at one point before the Final starts, a jet flies over the stadium with a message of support on its undercarriage. Clearly played up as an assassination attempt (despite the fact that security were well aware of the promotional stunt), it's nice to see a release playing with American phobias of planes. I realise I've worded that in a way which may sound cruel but I genuinely believe the use of an airplane in films (for whatever reason) is neither insensitive nor exploitative. Notable Characters: Anyone attempting a South African accent gets a great amount of shtick from audiences but Matt Damon did a damned impressive job; as do members of Mandela's cabinet and security for illustrating the conflict and divide between blacks and whites. However, without question, this is truly Morgan Freeman's film and his portrayal of the enigmatic politician is next to perfect. Highlighted Quote: "In this instance the people are wrong; as their elected leader it is my job to show them that" In A Few Words: "A tad romanticised but a very well executed biopic with a fantastic lead performance" Total Score: 
8/10Matthew Stogdon |
