Movie Review: Invictus

by Justin Velasquez

December 12, 2009

It is truly a wonderful thing to witness the power of sport.  Sport is competition and any competition produces winners and losers.  In 1995 the winner was the country of South Africa - not only did its rugby team defy the odds by winning the World Cup, its victorious run helped unite a nation.  It's just a game, they say, but in this instance it's so much more.

At the heart of the film is the idea of equality between people of all races, colors and backgrounds.  Because of that the focus isn't entirely on Nelson Mandela, which is a bit of a letdown.  But because of Mandela's wish for human equality it was natural to project and accentuate his desires through sport.  He was very aware of that and as long as the rugby team won it would be a victory for the entire nation.  The South African rugby team, known as the Springboks, were underdogs entering their first World Cup, and their stunning victory is still regarded as the country's biggest win in sports. 

Clint Eastwood directs this inspirational film that is based on actual events.  Invictus is written by Anthony Peckham and based on the John Carlin book.  Starring Academy Award winners Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption) and Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), the impressive actors portray Mandela and Francois Pienaar, respectively. 

In 1995 Mandela is the President of South Africa.  Facing a tough political agenda that includes huge economic and racial issues, "Madiba" befriends Francois, the captain for the Springboks.  Mandela's goal is to unite the country and end racial indifference.  Mandela sees the upcoming World Cup as an opportunity for South Africa to show the world its love for competition and its desire to become a unified country once again.  After a meeting with Francois he makes it known that he's rooting for the Springboks to come through with a major victory.  It's up to Francois to use his leadership and courage to inspire his team to play above their potential so that they may win.

With Invictus, Eastwood delivers a film that seems to be specially packaged to present itself as an "inspirational, feel good, everyone comes together" story that contains little or no struggle.  It's not a bad thing but the massive struggle for South Africa to overcome apartheid and establish itself as a unified democratic nation shouldn't be so easily solved because of a rugby victory.  But what resulted from the victory is definitely what Mandela desired for South Africa every day. 

The Springboks were at one time representative of the hatred, bigotry and racial injustice in South Africa.  Mandela, being who he is, realized that something as simple as the team colors and the team logo could shrink the racial divide.  His insistence to keep the logo despite that is one of many examples of Mandela's willingness to forgive those who oppressed him.

Invictus is an incredible film.  There are some very moving and emotional scenes that rival Chariots of Fire when it comes to athletes competing for a cause.  Freeman, long rumored to play Mandela in some form, is perfect as the South African leader and portrays him with subtlety, wit, and caution.  Damon is very good as Francois Pienaar and definitely bulked up so that he can look more like a rugby player.  This role is quite the opposite from his portrayal of Mark Whitacre in The Informant! but it is just as memorable since he plays Francois as honorable, humble and moved by Mandela's incorruptible personality.

My only qualm with Invictus is that Mandela isn't the central focus, but after pondering a little, a man like Mandela would have probably wanted it this way.  The issues that plagued South Africa before, during and after his presidency are bigger than him and he realized that.  So it's only fitting that a deft director like Eastwood would recognize that and focus on the message that the Springboks' victory brought and the inspiration they found in a country that found themselves believing in them... together.

3.5 Stars out of Four