365+ Movies in 365 Days: Day 64 - Invictus

Today's movie was Invictus, a biographical drama about Nelson Mandela and his first year as President of South Africa. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film takes a different approach in telling the story about Mandela, by using the game of rugby and the world cup match that took place in 1995. Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela, a role he was destined to play and Matt Damon stars as Francois Pienaar, the captain of the South African rugby team, the Springbokkes.

It's both a political drama and an underdog sports film, a unique combination. Both genres work and could have been separate films. The political drama about Mandela, his years in prison, his rise to the presidency and the ending of apartheid is a story that needed to be told. As a sports drama it works as the underdog team strives to beat the unbeatable team from new Zealand. The outcome is predictable, and if you know your Rugby history, a done deal. I know nothing about the rules of rugby and a sports movie only works if dramatic tension is sustained when filming the sport and the viewer understands what is happening. Eastwood carefully crafts the film to keep the suspense going and makes sure the viewer has a sense of what's going on.

What the film is really about is a country finding a way to heal after decades of hate. A man who needed to bring people together and understood that if he could unite his countrymen around one common thing, the bond between them would grow stronger.

I had only two minor issues with the film. The continued focus on security details helped create a dramatic tension that made it feel like there would be an assassination attempt and no such thing occurred. And during the final match the frequent edits to the various fans watching the game, showing how they were bonding was a bit overdone.

Overall the film is both engaging and inspirational. The wonder of the film is that it plays like a Hollywood screenplay, but the events really happened. You'll finish the movie cheering, but it will also make you think a bit and perhaps do some soul searching of your own.

At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars.