Though Clint Eastwood’s Invictus is an excellent film, I believe it may disappoint a lot of people. The film includes the perfect casting of Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, but it does not present us with a biopic. Yes, we see the man who was once a prisoner take power as the president of South Africa and begin to forgive those who once oppressed him, but the focus is only on Mandela the man for a brief period of time at the beginning of the film. What Invictus actually turns out to be is a sports film centered around the South African rugby team, the Springboks. Fortunately, sports movies just become the latest entry on the ever growing list of genres Clint Eastwood has proven himself in directing.
Though Clint Eastwood’s Invictus is an excellent film, I believe it may disappoint a lot of people. The film includes the perfect casting of Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, but it does not present us with a biopic. Yes, we see the man who was once a prisoner take power as the president of South Africa and begin to forgive those who once oppressed him, but the focus is only on Mandela the man for a brief period of time at the beginning of the film. What Invictus actually turns out to be is a sports film centered around the South African rugby team, the Springboks. Fortunately, sports movies just become the latest entry on the ever growing list of genres Clint Eastwood has proven himself in directing.
There is no real need to retell the story in detail since it actually happened. Nelson Mandela inspires the rugby team to come from behind in their season and win the World Cup in an attempt to help assuage racial tensions and bring all of South Africa together. It is a sports film like many others, but it is more powerful than a typical sports movie. This is because the film creates the sense that there is much more riding on the matches than team pride. Other sports movies focus on ideas like building personal confidence and teamwork. In this movie, the team is striving to bring the population of an entire country together. This is likely an exaggerated version of the real events, but it works very well to increase the apparent magnitude of the picture.
The film is also made stronger by the performances of the two leads. Morgan Freeman plays Mandela as a confident and charismatic man, but also someone of genuine kindness. He learns the names of everyone who works for him and always remembers to ask after their families when he sees them. He is also able to pierce right through a racist upbringing and inspire the captain of the rugby team, Francois Pienaar. Pienaar is played by Matt Damon. At first meeting, he is torn over his feelings for Mandela. He is honored to meet the president, but his head is also filled with the racist ideals of his father. By the end of their first meeting, Mandela has won over Pienaar, and Pienaar has made it his personal mission to improve the team and, in doing so, improve South Africa.
That may sound much too corny, but the film is so well made that it never feels so heavy-handed. There are moments, such as the Pienaars inviting their black maid to the World Cup game as part of their family after previously never giving her the time of day, and Mandela’s black and white bodyguards learning to work together and eventually playing a pick up game of rugby outside the president’s home, that would be cringe-worthy were they not introduced as delicately as they are. At no point does it seem like the film is being manipulative with emotions. The warm smiles it elicits are well deserved.
While Invictus may feel like a bait and switch after Mandela is pushed into the background, the film is still very enjoyable. Every sports film is beloved by someone because we all like to see the underdogs win every now and then. With this film, the filmmakers turn up the intensity by demonstrating to us that the well-being of an entire country is on the line. It works well, and the normal sense of satisfaction that comes from a typical sports film is replaced by a feeling of much deeper joy. It seems there is nothing Clint Eastwood cannot do as a director, and this latest work should not be missed.
Review by Gareth Mussen
