Susan Granger’s review of “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
With the unwavering assurance of a seasoned veteran at the top of his form, visionary director Clint Eastwood is an Oscar frontrunner again with this brilliant, powerful, compelling underdog story, transcending the clichés of a traditional, historical biography and encompassing far more than the sport of rugby.
When newly elected President, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman), takes office, South Africa is a deeply divided country. Striving to overcome the racial barriers of apartheid, Mandela seizes an opportunity for national unity when his country’s ragtag rugby team, the Springboks, gets an automatic qualification in the 1995 World Cup. Ardently supported by the now-alienated white Afrikaners, the Springboks are so detested by the black population that the newly empowered National Sports Council votes to change ‘Boks green-and-gold uniform colors that matched the despised old flag. Moments after the vote, President Mandela convinces the Council to reverse their decision. Astutely throwing his support behind the struggling Springboks, he forges a metaphorical ‘relationship’ with the ‘Boks Afrikaner captain, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), who slowly but surely begins to comprehend Mandela’s perspective and mandate to foster reconciliation and build a “rainbow nation.”
Morgan Freeman achieves extraordinary truth with his subtle yet profoundly moving portrayal, reaffirming his stature as one of the pre-eminent screen actors of our time. Matt Damon looks good, behaves genially and plays with gusto. And for those who don’t know the difference, soccer is described as a “gentleman’s game played by hooligans,” while rugby is “a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen.”
Based on John Carlin’s book, “Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation,” Anthony Peckham’s script is exquisitely crafted, photographed by Tom Stern, designed by James J. Marakami, and edited by Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach. But it’s Eastwood’s vision that brings intensity, humor and an uplifting sense of humanity, taking its title from William Ernest Henley’s Victorian poem that concludes with “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Invictus” is a triumphant 10. A definite must see!
