Clint Eastwood's Invictus is a film of two halves.

Rating: 6/10 (21 January 2010)

Excuse the sporting cliché, but Clint Eastwood's Invictus is a film of two halves. Both are entertaining – in different ways – but as a whole they don't really gel. What takes place over the first 70 minutes is a biographical drama filled with details and anecdotes suitably interesting for the subject matter at hand – one of the most famous political figures and world leaders in history – with the focus primarily on Mandela and his acquaintance with Pienaar. However we also see how his black security team reluctantly interact with the newly appointed - by Mandela himself – white security team, how his closest political advisors are not quite sure of his 'ready-to-forgive' approach and how Pienaar struggled to gain the high moral standards of his predominantly white side. All very intriguing, all very absorbing. Alas all ending just after the midway point.
When kickoff for the second half takes place the picture shifts into casual 'sports-film' mode akin to For Love of the Game, The Longest Yard, etc. All the dramatic and personal touches we have become engrossed in disappear and are replaced by the Springbok's road to redemption at Rugby Union's pinnacle of tournaments; complete with group runs early in the morning, a rain-soaked semis match and a seemingly unbeatable opponent in the grand final. It's mostly tense, despite knowing the results already, and the action on the field is shot nicely (though not packing the same punch theatrically as American Football), however Mandela becomes a mere sidenote and is relegated to reaction shots sitting in the stands. You may enjoy the second part – I did for the majority – but you'll find it hard to shake the feeling it isn't the direction you wanted the film to take.
It goes without saying that Morgan Freeman makes a formidably realistic Mandela. His physical resemblance aside, Freeman adopts the mental and emotional level with ease and provides the gravitas a man like Mandela deserves on screen. Surprisingly, Matt Damon's performance matches that of Freeman's; he is quietly powerful and moving as the lesser known Pienaar. Thankfully his accent isn't overdone, a common misstep for American actors when portraying a native from the south of the African continent.
Separately the cinematically-varied halves are great, together they sail wide of the upright.
3 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)