Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon & Adjoa Andoh
A stirring drama, part-biopic/part-sports film, which portrays Nelson Mandela’s early years as President of South Africa with an excellent performance by Morgan Freeman in the role he feels perfect for.
Morgan Freeman is a star who has long admired Nelson Mandela and has stated, many times, his desire to portray the man on screen. Actor/director Clint Eastwood had also expressed interest in making a film about Mandela and his friendship with Freeman has led to this inevitable biopic. However, while not the adaptation of Mandela’s own autobiography Long Walk to Freedom that many might have hoped for, or another life spanning chronicle of Mandela’s life, Invictus instead narrows it’s focus to the first few years of Mandela’s presidency and, in his attempts to unify the people of South Africa, his plan to use the nation’s rugby team to unite them. While this may bother audiences looking for a greater, deeper exploration of Mandela, Invictus is still an enjoyable, satisfying film and Freeman’s performance as Mandela is excellent.
After his release from prison after almost thirty years of imprisonment and after being elected President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela (Freeman) looks to unite the people of his nation after years of Apartheid dividing the white and black populations. Upon seeing the struggling efforts of the nation’s rugby team, the Springboks, who seem unlikely to succeed in the upcoming World Cup being hosted by South Africa and opposed by the nation’s black population who see them as a symbol of the Apartheid era, Mandela decides to encourage the team to train harder and win the World Cup and hopefully win the support of all South African citizens in the hope that it will better unite the nation as a whole. The Springboks themselves, led by Francois Pienaar (Damon) must commit themselves anew, drive themselves to success and change their ideas about themselves, their country and their role in encouraging a united South Africa.
Invictus, taking its name from the poem by Henley which gave Mandela the strength to endure his long imprisonment, is not the Mandela film some might have expected, or wanted. Beginning with his release from prison and swiftly moving onto his election and beyond, Invictus does not delve much into Mandela’s life pre-presidency or into his family life. While this is somewhat disappointing and, to some, perhaps a disservice to an individual held in high esteem across the world, Invictus is still a strong and enjoyable drama that does justice to Mandela. While much of the enjoyment comes from Freeman’s portrayal of Mandela, the decision to focus on one of Mandela’s initiatives to unite a divided people with the use of the Springboks rugby team, is one that gives the film focus and direction with a clear idea of Mandela’s commitment to respecting and uniting all his people and in demonstrating the changes South Africa went through under Mandela’s leadership. Also, with much of the film’s action revolving around the rugby team and rugby matches, the film as a specific goal to rally it’s characters and the audience to support and this is handled very well to the point where even a non-sports fan will find themselves cheering for the Springboks to win, for Mandela’s goal to unite his people to succeed. The sport supports the plot as does the character arc of Damon’s Francois and his team who must also accept change in their country and themselves.
Of course the performances in Invictus are, unsurprisingly, strong. Morgan Freeman is excellent as Mandela and his determination to play the role well is evident as his performance, whilst bearing the mannerisms and expressions of the real man, is no mere caricature even if the film does not allow Freeman the chance to really delve deep into Mandela’s life and personality outside of his role as a leader (his family life is often avoided). Damon is also particularly impressive and, like Freeman, pulls off a believable South African accent that doesn’t become the focus of the actor’s attention when trying to deliver his performance. Damon plays Francois well and gets more of an opportunity to explore layers of his character who must find confidence in himself to achieve the task Mandela has given him. While some characters like Francois’ fellow rugby players, get little time to develop their characters, they are still fine though the roles of Mandela’s bodyguards get more moments to interact and shine, adding a little humour and drama to the life of those working around a president.
It might not be the life spanning tale that some Mandela fans might have hoped for and the rugby sequences may deter those that are not keen on sports in film, but for the rest, Invictus is a well made, well told and uplifting story of how a man can bring about change in a country with a good performance by Matt Damon and an excellent one by Morgan Freeman as Mandela.
Rating: 4/5
