In 1995, Mandella had only recently taken his post as President of South Africa. The country is split along race lines, with blacks finally feeling represented within the government, while many whites are scared, believing they will be excluded from top level decision-making. Mandella takes a political risk to hopefully unify his country behind a national symbol in supporting the country's Rugby team. The Springboks had been a negative symbol of white supremacy and privilege to the country's black majority during the era of apartheid. South African blacks had actually cheered on opposing teams during Springbok home matches, while the white fans fervently defended their national team. Mandella enlists the team captain, Piennar, to help him change attitudes and unite the country to support a common cause. Will the South African team have the talent and stamina to succeed against the best teams from around the world while winning the hearts of their countrymen in the process?
Most Americans probably don't know much about rugby except that it is a particularly rough, if confusing, sport. Eastwood manages to present rugby in a relatively entertaining manner, explaining the general concepts of the game during the film. Still, a soccer, hockey, or basketball match would have been easier to film and more amendable to building audience excitement. Amusingly, many of Mandella's staff and supporters don't understand the specifics of the game either. Freeman is perfect in the role of Mandella, becoming the larger-than-life figure onscreen. He unquestionably deserved the Oscar-nomination he received for this portrayal. Eastwood allows some insight into the man behind the mystique, showing Mandella to have his own personal problems despite his unassailable public personage. There are moments of obvious and more subtle racism on both sides, which Mandella discourages and avoids. Damon's character is similar to Mandella in trying to look past race and seek common ground for his country. Both actors carry a noticeable accent throughout the picture, adding to the movie's realism.
Eastwood stretches the final match a bit too long in the movie's finale, losing the momentum to end on a crescendo. It is difficult to decide how much is too much in wrapping up a picture's narrative but in this case Eastwood goes a bit too far. Erring on the side of inclusion of more detail rather than narrative efficiency does not detract from the overall quality of "Invictus." While this movie isn’t among Eastwood’s best, that is a very tough standard to reach. Even Eastwood's lesser works are better than most filmmakers best; such is the case with "Invictus."
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
