Review: Invictus

Feb 5 2010 by Barbara Hodgson, The Journal

Technically demanding, and bone-crunching, sequences on the rugby field contrast with intimate exchanges between the President and his advisers that reveal deep scars in the proud, beating heart of a nation.

Mandela (Morgan Freeman) discovers that only white South Africans cheer on the Springboks rugby team and, with one year until his nation hosts the Rugby World Cup, he tries to heal the rift and inspire captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to victory, believing that, with the eyes of the world on his country, he can engineer lasting change.

But Mandela’s family and political allies think social concerns are far more pressing than a sports tournament.

The film adheres closely to the facts, thereby eschewing sentimentality.

Eastwood’s film celebrates the titanic efforts of Mandela and Pienaar on and off the pitch, relying on magnificent performances from the leads.

Freeman doesn’t mimic the elderly statesman; he crafts his own interpretation full of gravitas and self-assurance.

Damon bulks up with a convincing accent as the embattled captain, desperate to quell unrest within his own changing room.

While Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens’ jazz-tinged soundtrack sometimes seems a little misplaced, the film, shot on location in Cape Town and Johannesburg, beautifully captures its earthy colours and indomitable spirit of its people.