Posted on: May 23rd, 2010 BD REVIEW: Invictus

Invictus
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon
Available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Download

On the surface, Invictus seems to carry the stigma of the daunting biopic, especially challenging the collective audience posterior as its main subject is Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa and one of the most important political figures in the history of the world. While Mandela’s story is most certainly one worth being told on the big-screen, and has the utmost potential to be fascinating and inspiring, I think viewers will be pleasantly surprised to find that Invictus is far less heavy on the lifetime biography of Mandela, and focuses entirely on one snippet of the man’s, and the country’s, legacy.

Taking place from 1994 to 1995, Invictus follows Nelson Mandela from his first day on the job as the elected President of South Africa, to the World Cup final rugby game. Although apartheid had been dismantled, Mandela noticed the vast majority of South Africa’s non-white population always rooted against their national rugby team, the Springboks (comprised almost entirely of white South Africans). Mandela sees the World Cup as a way to unite white and black South Africans and concentrates his efforts on inspiring the team’s captain, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to lead the Springboks into the tournament.

I was very impressed with Invictus. I walked in expecting a dry biopic, like I mentioned above, but the film is entirely and consistently engrossing. It has none of the factors that bog down a heavy biopic, and all of the beats of an inspiring narrative, with the tension of the best sports action thrown in for good measure. Not a fan of rugby? Don’t worry, just like the Friday Night Lights television series, you need not be a fan of sports at all to be sucked right into the drama and excitement of the game. Invictus works on a much higher level though, as there is so much riding on a single game – to Nelson Mandela, it just happens to be something he believes could unite his country. In the truest way, the film captures the history and spirit of not just one man, but a team of athletes, a turning point for a country, and an important moment in time for the world. Not only is Invictus completely touching and inspiring, it’s simply entertaining – a fun, thrilling narrative fueled by an important historical event.

The film is shared by two phenomenal performances from Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Mandela is one of the actor’s most immersed roles, with Freeman transforming into the President with an impressive portrayal right down to the way he carries himself when he walks and obviously his accent. Matt Damon’s Francois Peinaar is more subtle, but entirely believable and I would assume true to the real man. It should also be noted that Damon pulls off a flawless South African accent, which is no easy feat for an American actor, given the complexity of the accent. Any other actor could have easily made a train wreck of the script. I see performances like this and immediately realize just how bad an actor Sam Worthington really is when he butchers a very plain American accent. Language aside, Damon carries his side of the film with massive chops of legitimacy.

Written by Anthony Peckham and based on the book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed a Nation by author John Carlin, Invictus is one of director Clint Eastwood’s more brighter films. Definitely worth the invested time. If you’re like me, you may want to keep a tissue close by. I haven’t choked back tears like that since that Hobbit played for Notre Dame.

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2 Responses to “BD REVIEW: Invictus”

1. Tommo Says:
   May 25th, 2010 at 10:50 am

   For good supplemental viewing, ESPN’s 30 For 30 series had a fantastic episode directed by Clifford Bestall which dealt with the world cup and Mandela’s impact on the event. Riveting stuff, especially when you see how emotional the players still become when speaking about this extraordinary experience, 15 years on.

2. Tommo Says:
   May 25th, 2010 at 10:51 am

   ^ AND it’s narrated by Morgan Freeman which is awesome-as-usual.

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