Invictus | Film Review

by Fernando Augusto Pacheco

The celebratory biopic of Nelson Mandela and the South African rugby team, Invictus, is a good film, but it does not deliver any kind of excitement and would probably work more appropriately as a TV programme, such as the BBC’s recent Mrs Mandela starring Sophie Okonedo.

Based on John Carlin’s book, Playing the Enemy, Clint Eastwood’s Invictus however includes great acting from Morgan Freeman, which is the obvious choice to play Mandela.

The film doesn't focus on Nelson Mandela’s life but on the aftermath of his election in 1994 and on how the South African team’s win in the 1995 Rugby World Cup united the nation.

Invictus makes compelling viewing in the way it displays how sport can help to transform a country.

Rugby fans will not be disappointed, as the film concentrates on the crucial matches that led to South Africa’s success in the tournament.

No politics

Those who expected a more gritty and political film will however be disappointed.

The pre-1994 period of the country is almost ignored, with the exception of a scene when François Piennar (Matt Damon), captain of the South African Springboks team at the time, visits the cell where Mandela stayed for 27 years.

Invictus does bring some emotional moments, such as when the rugby team visits townships to teach rugby to impoverished children, part of Mandela’s idea to reconcile the whole society through sport.

The ones who expected a more serious and detailed film about the subject will have to wait.

Yet, sometimes a picture-perfect ‘postcard’ film like Invictus works for the purpose, especially when South Africa will be in the international limelight, hosting the football World Cup this year.