Invictus

I like Clint Eastwood’s films and the cast of this film made it hard to resist seeing this film. I enjoyed it and my brothers more so because they are rugby players. By the end of “Invictus”, you really feel the change that has come over South Africa thanks to Eastwood’s direction. The acting in this film is very noteworthy as evidenced by the Oscar nominations. I am aware that there is some controversy surrounding the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final but the film is not about the game. Rather, it is about how two men became unlikely teammates in the salvation of a country.

In the first scene, we see two sports being played (soccer and rugby) by two different races. It introduces quite well the conflict featured in this film. Then, the montage of TV images assists in realistically establishing Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. In addition, the montage shows how those black people who were oppressed do not understand the importance of getting along with those who oppressed them. Mandela is portrayed as humble when reading the newspaper and this contributes to his appeal as the protagonist. It is also established from the get-go that Mandela’s main priority is to repair the tensions between whites and blacks. Unity is needed in South Africa but at the start of the movie, he is the only one who sees it possible. The bodyguards are my favorite characters in the film because they come to represent the attitude change of the whole country. As Madiba says, “The rainbow nation starts here. Reconciliation starts here.” The booing and cheering during the first rugby game again demonstrates the country’s current state of attitude towards their leader and each other. There must be some special effects during the rugby games and they are quite impressive. The cheesy sports commentator ends up being a kind of antagonist for both Mandela and the Springboks. He is quite pessimistic, even at the end of the film. I like the scene where the team plays with the local kids. Those rugby players who initially thought it was a waste of time change their minds quite quickly. As the World Cup Final approaches, the team is being supported by the whole country. We don’t really see this change during the middle of the movie and that has both good and bad consequences. I believe that it is done to preserve realism. In real life, many black people still associated Springboks rugby with Apartheid during the tournament and showing that in the middle of the movie would have not supported the theme. However, if we had too many moments like the one where the team visits the local children, the film would have taken a more fictional feeling. The bodyguards playing Rugby is one of my favorite scenes. I wish the game against France had been portrayed a tad bit better. If the game had been rained out, France would have automatically won because they had a better performance record. The sky cleared however and the Springboks barely won with France on their doorstep in the final seconds of the game. The plane flying over the stadium is quite scary due to Eastwood’s direction. “Invictus” is taking place in a pre-September 11th era therefore this scene is much more dramatic for us than for those fans in the stadium. When the Rugby crowd chants “Nelson” before the start of the game, it is quite a powerful plot point. The country was once divided in so many ways and now they are all united. This is again portrayed in the South African national anthem sequence. We get some added drama thanks to Eastwood as we see a silent city and other quiet places with the faint sound of the song. If you are going to have the All Blacks in a movie, the Haka is mandatory. My brothers’ team does it and it is always fun to watch. I have also seen it performed as a missionary by some fellow missionaries, as they were about to leave the training center to go to their assigned areas of service. There is a good use of sound and slow motion during extra time. The climax of the film is nice too. I love how the real Chester Williams was the technical advisor on this show. The crew also shot most of the scenes on location such as Mandela's prison cell.

As mentioned, the acting in "Invictus" is enjoyable. From the back, Morgan Freeman looks exactly like Mandela. The wardrobe also helped with his transformation. In the scene with Zindzi, Freeman is wearing a blue shirt and this makes him look very much like his real life counterpart. Matt Damon’s acting is very good too and his accent really helps separate this performance from others of Damon’s. His muscles are quite impressive. Both deserved their Oscar nominations and I was hoping both of them would win in 2009. Clint Eastwood’s sons contribute to this show. Scott Eastwood plays fly-half Joel Stransky and Kyle Eastwood helped to write the musical score. Clint Eastwood’s direction is also a factor in the entertainment value of this show. I am glad that a big Hollywood movie was made about rugby.

4 Stars