FILM REVIEWS: Falling, rising and blowing the world away

Morgan Freeman (Mandela) and Matt Damon who plays South Africa’s former national rugby team captain

What you need to know:

Memories of the 1995 rugby world cup are brought strongly to the fore. Fans of the game will remember the feverish temperatures caused by the odds of South Africa going strongly towards the final. Before the tournament, it would have been difficult to imagine SA taking on Lomu’s Australia.

Nelson Mandela is an iconic figure who would always make for good blockbuster material. The outstanding point usually is that he spent almost 30 years in prison.

But Invictus, the 2009 film presents another side rarely highlighted. It tells the story of how Mandela used the power of sport to show South Africans that they could move beyond their history with segregation, to their rightful position in the world.

It is an inspirational movie with strong performances from many of the actors. Helmed by veteran actor and director Clint Eastwood, even before it came out, anticipation was palpable.

Invictus stays true to the historical account. When Nelson Mandela was released from jail, he swept the votes and ushered in a new era. Apartheid South Africa, long vilified by the international community had suddenly showed up to the dinner table with a clean face this time.

Mandela had a herculean task to do; repair the economy and unite the country sharply divided down the middle based on skin colour. South Africa’s Blacks viewed everything White with suspicion and the Whites expected to be victimised for all the sins of their forefathers against the indigenous population.

Mandela, one the world expected to take his revenge, having suffered for more than a quarter of a century, instead took a sharp turn. From his first day in office, he led by example; he asked for White body guards and made it a point to be seen with his White friends.

More importantly, he upheld what White South Africa considered important, rugby. Invictus is the story of his campaign to make his country’s rugby team world champions.

In their way stood Australia, feared by everyone for their machine-like efficiency in conquering everything in their path. In addition to their war dance at the beginning of every game, they had the feared Jonah Lomu, who sent chills down the spines of everyone. Even after conquering a system like apartheid, even the lofty president was in awe of Lomu.

Morgan Freeman (Mandela) and Matt Damon (playing South Africa’s former national rugby team captain, Francois Pienaar) lead the cast in this emotional take on one of the greatest stories of the last century. The movie title is taken from a poem the former president read while in prison, Invictus by William Henley.

The mannerisms of Mandela are captured by Freeman almost to a fault. From the stooped figure and the mechanical speech, like there’s a hot potato in his mouth to the sudden bright smiles that touch the whole face, watching Freeman play Mandela is like watching the real thing. No wonder the former president chose Freeman to be the one to play him should there ever be a film about him. Good choice.

Clint Eastwood is a heavyweight director who has been making thought-provoking films for the last decade. Like happened in Million Dollar Baby, another one featuring Freeman, Eastwood explores revenge from another angle. The introspective tone of Freeman will be one of the hallmarks of Clint Eastwood movies.

It is a rugby film so we see a lot of the game. The camera cuts away though every time Damon, the captain, is up for a crunch. I guess we can only get so much out of an actor, anyway.

Memories of the 1995 rugby world cup are brought strongly to the fore. Fans of the game will remember the feverish temperatures caused by the odds of South Africa going strongly towards the final. Before the tournament, it would have been difficult to imagine SA taking on Lomu’s Australia.

On so many levels, Eastwood tells the world, through the trials of the team, juxtaposed against Mandela’s political manoeuvres to mend a split country, no matter what the odds are, if you believe in yourself, you can blow the world away.