Review: Invictus

Review: Invictus

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 77%

The other day on NPR, I heard someone, who knew Nelson Mandela well, say that Morgan Freeman's portrayal of his friend in this film was downright unsettling: Freeman was not like the man; he was the man. Freeman brings to this role, as he's brought to so many others, subtlety and grace -- insights into another human life telegraphed by understated, simple moments of speech and action.

Clint Eastwood's film chronicles Mandela's attempt to break the cycle of violence and hate in South Africa. After years of Apartheid oppression, South African blacks were expected to take out their frustrations on the white minority who were no longer in control of the country. Mandela wanted to head off that impulse, to rebuild the society into one where forgiveness and reconciliation would be possible. He decided to use the Rugby World Cup to bring the country together. It's not a simple solution. He recognizes it will take time and patience, but he believes his vision is achievable and continually communicates that belief to all around him.

At the end of the movie, Eastwood signals that South African life is moving toward Mandela's vision, not by South Africa's underdog victory in the World Cup, but by the metaphor of the evolving relationship of one poor black child and a couple of white police officers. It's not a sports movie; it's a movie about the tough job of nation building and the remarkable man who chose to forgive and reconcile rather than hate and seek revenge.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it