Invictus

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng, Julian Lewis Jones
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Sport
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Newly elected South African President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) knows he needs something to inspire the country and bridge the gap between the different races living there. He finds an opportunity in the South African rugby team, led by Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) and their long shot attempt to win the World Cup.

Review:

Tim: Clint Eastwood is such an accomplished director, and with a feel-good story like this that mixes sports, politics, and the human element, there was really little chance that this movie would suck. Indeed, Eastwood gives us an uplifting, enjoyable, and exciting film about Nelson Mandela and the South African rugby team. In many ways, this is a story that deserved a movie about it. However, I also felt like this was playing it a bit safe. Eastwood gives us exactly what we expect- a feel good story that unites a country, black and white, and results in everyone sharing a moment in harmony. It feels a little too clean and Hollywood-ish. Still, this by-the-numbers film works.

This all starts with Morgan Freeman. Freeman gives an almost startlingly good portrayal of Nelson Mandela. He looks exactly like him, speaks like him, and does a fairly good job of embodying his presence. in his hands, Mandela is such a likeable, cool character. He works very, very well. I was very glad that he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, although I am not surprised that he did not win. His performance was so good and seemingly effortless that it almost seemed too easy. He wasn't flashy in any way, and I think this gave the impression that his performance was less amazing than it really was.

Matt Damon is also very good. He was a somewhat unlikely choice to play Francois Pienaar. However, he did a very good job of looking the part (with some help from the camerawork), and actually pulled off a fairly decent South African accent. While I very much enjoyed his performance, I was a bit surprised the Academy nominated him for Best Supporting Actor. I thought he was enjoyable, but not THAT good. Still, he works well in the role, and it is always nice to see good guys receive credit for their work. I really enjoyed the scenes between Damon and Freeman. They worked well together.

In Eastwood's hands, this film is pretty inspiring and entertaining as well. He deftly mixes sports scenes with more dramatic ones. He even throws in some funny moments. I didn't think that the rugby scenes were particularly exciting. This might be because I don't fully understand the game, but I also think Eastwood could have drummed up the excitement a bit, too.

All in all, Invictus does enough right by playing it safe and delivering what we expected. I wish the movie had taken a few more chances or portrayed its story a bit more accurately, but the movie works for what it is. I don't think Eastwood delivered a classic here, but this is still a very good, enjoyable movie. While Eastwood can't compete for an Oscar every year, there is nothing wrong with delivering entertaining, solid movies like this.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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