Invictus Review

NOTE: This review is a repost from the first Reel Money Site. It was placed here to be included in our new archives. 

 Invictus (2009)
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgorge
Dir: Clint Eastwood Written by: Anthony Peckham, screenplay, based on a book by John Carlin.



Invictus is a bold and daring experiment for Clint Eastwood, perhaps in retaliation to fellow director Spike Lee's controversial statements regarding the lack of African-American soldiers in Eastwood's WWII epic "Letters from Iwo Jima." It's an interesting dynamic, a gamble wrapped around a sure thing. The gamble comes in taking on the difficult issues of Post-Apatheid South Africa, in a respectable and entertaining manner, while twisting it around the traditional inspirational sports flick, while trying not to make a cliche of that genre. The sure thing is an idea so simple and great when you see it on paper, that it seems outrageous no one's done it before: Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela.

Freeman gives the performance of his life portraying Mandela during his first year as leader of South Africa, attempting to unite his nation in the wake of desegregation. Mandela takes an unorthodox route, as he is shown likely to do in the film, by attempting to inspire his country with its second-rate rugby team, the South African Springboks. Mandela meets with the Springboks' Captain, Francois Pienaar, (Damon) and brings the film to it's main point: A tale of two leaders, and what they accomplish together. However, it is to the two actors' credits that neither of them is portrayed as an exaggerated hero, as inspirational films tend to make their protaganists. Damon plays Pienaar as a simple athlete, his reactions are completely believable for a man in his situation. There are snippets of the big "Hero's Halftime Speech" here and there, but it never comes, unexpected for an inspirational film. Instead, Pienaar is a much more subtle hero, which works well, because he is a normal man thrown into extraordinary situations. Even Mandela himself, for all his prowess and charm is shown to be human, and Freeman is amazing to watch. He comes across as both larger than life and incredibly accessible at the same time, making simple jokes almost as often as he spurts motivational quotes. His performance is sure to merit at least a well-deserved Best Actor nomination, as he manages to show Mandela, the charasmatic brilliant leader, and Mandela, the well-meaning but somewhat overdriven man.

Mandela as a man is such an important theme that it is even explicitly stated by one of his bodyguards in a scene, which brings us to one of the film's few flaws.Eastwood's messages of equality and humanity are necessary, yes, but they are so blatantly presented to the audience that they come across as heavy-handed. The pairings of black-and-white-that-don't-get-along-but-t

hen-they-do are numerous and obvious, but well played, which saves them from maximum corniness. Even Mandela's office is decorated entirely in contrasting bright whites and dark brown woods, which is a nice touch, but reflects the films' tendency to shove the conflict in the audiences' faces, even on a subconcious level. For all of the actors' subtleties, the script certainly provides none.

Eastwood is a competent director who has yet to make an unimpressive film, but the stylistic choices he makes in Invictus are head-scratching at best. The film doesn't deliver real tension until the very end, and the first fourty-five minutes or so move along at a snails' pace. Eastwood also provides a cheap shot at one point in the film, using our own predisposed fears to create some sort of fake tension, in a moment that comes across as contrived and unnecessary. (EDIT: With some research, I have learned that the scene bothering me really happened, but its' depiction in the film is still sensationalist and pointless.) Despite these, however, when the film hits its peak, the moment is so good and pure that all is forgiven.

When Pienaar asks what Mandela is liked, he is told that in Mandela's mind, no one is invisible. As a reflection of that, no character in the film is invisible to us. Even the the smallest role gets ample screen time. While this idea is good on paper, it doesn't translate well onto film. The supporting cast is impressive, particularly Tony Kgorge as the head of Mandela's bodyguards, and their stories engaging (again, particularly the bodyguards) but they throw off the pacing, and in parts, drag the film down. However, as previously mentioned, the issue of subtlety is at hand. You don't realize it at the time, but the slow pacing and unusual amounts of attention build to something great when the film reaches its climax. When the Springcocks play in the World Cup, (I don't feel I'm spoiling anything here. It is a sports movie, after all.) we see each of the characters we've followed a seemingly unneeded amount, and we feel thankful for their depth.

Something must be mentioned about the music of the film. For a good deal of the film, a background score is completely absent, but when the music is there, it is used to great effect. N'kosi Sikieleli Africa, the South American national anthem, proves to be a powerful point in the movie. The score itself is highly meaningful and basically, as a rule for those struggling to stay awake, if there is music playing, something awesome is happening on screen. It's okay if you need to follow this rule, don't worry. The entire film is building to a point, and if you can hang in there, it pays off.

Final Total: $23. Not enough can be said for Freeman's masterful performance, and you get the feeling Damon is just hitting his stride as an actor in this completely-out-of-nowhere role for him. There are a handful of flaws, and major dollars are taken away for Eastwood's cheap move. (You'll know what I'm talking about it when you see it.)  Still, if you can get through the slow pacing, there's a strong film under it, and I get the feeling it becomes better upon repeat viewings. Despite the issues, Eastman, Freeman, and Damon have managed to accomplish something rare: They made an inspirational film that actually inspires.