A film about inspiration that genuinely inspires.

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 2009)

In what is sure to be one of those films that is widely acclaimed but little seen, Clint Eastwood has crafted one of the most hopeful and inspirational films of recent times that rises head and shoulders above all around it on the strength of good writing, great performances, tight direction and above all, an honest to God brilliant story.
After 27 years in prison, the newly elected president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, has inherited a country where racism, bitterness and vengeful hatred could send the land into civil war. Armed with little more than his charm, wit, humility and intellect, he must somehow unify the deep divisions in society and knows he must do so by example; his quest, so to speak, is to discover the strategies that will inspire his countrymen to share in his dream of a rainbow nation.
When he sees the dreadful national rugby team get beaten, something that emotionally hurts the white South Africans whilst pleasing the blacks, he spots an opportunity to create an iconic focal point in which all South Africans can take pride. So he telephones the team captain, invites him for tea and recruits him into his thinking. All they need to do now is get the support of millions of blacks who hate rugby.
The movie could have fallen into familiar sporting drama territory, by showing the underdogs in a training montage, or having a crisis of confidence; but this isn't your usual sporting drama. This isn't Rocky, or The Mighty Ducks. Instead, Invictus is about Mandela providing as much inspiration and positive leadership to unify his country as possible. As we marvel at his humility in the face of adversity and his courage to make difficult choices we become invested in the story and start cheering. The rugby is just a sideshow, the real sporting hero is Mandela.
The heart of the film is to show that when you lead by example, that when you keep pushing hard to inspire goodness in others, when you encourage the bitter and the angry to allow themselves hope, then ultimately, with perseverance, you can move mountains. It is here, as you watch those mountains crumble to dust you become overwhelmed by the power of the story.
Mandela wanted to unify black and white through sport and Eastwood has crafted some joyous storytelling moments. In one beautiful vignette, a young black boy tries to listen to the big game on the radio of some white security guards. At first the guards shoo him away but he hovers close by, pretending to pick up trash. As the match progresses and the tension mounts, the boy gets closer and closer until eventually he and the guards are living the moment together. He ends up sitting on the car bonnet and sharing a coke with the security guards as they chew their fingernails with the stress of the match.
As for the rugby, there's a perfect balance between the sport and drama. Eastwood obviously knew that Rugby isn't played everywhere and very skillfully squeezes in as much as you need to know. But the scoring and rules don't matter; the stunning slow motion action with bone crushing sounds on the tackles are just eye-candy between the emotions.
Invictus is a modern day morality play that shows us what can be achieved by kindness, forgiveness, humility and diplomacy. It is made all the more poignant by being a true story. In fact, directly after seeing the movie I started watching the real event on youtube and I would strongly recommend anyone who has seen this movie to do so. When Matt Damon tells a sportscaster "there aren't 60,000 people cheering for us, there are 43 million cheering for us." its an immense moment fitting of a Hollywood movie, but to then watch on youtube, the real Francois Pienaar say it, you will be moved to tears.
Invictus is an inspired and inspirational heart warming movie that is truly refreshing to the soul and spirit. The writing, performances and direction are sublime and the overall experiences is truly uplifting. Expect it to do deservedly well come awards season.