A Film That Inspires Greatness

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 2009)

After being imprisoned for thirty years, a man steps out of a tiny cell, and he is ready to forgive the people who put him there. Invictus is a movie that inspires greatness. It's difficult to see this film and remain unaffected by such a heartwarming and inspirationally true story.
In every moment of the film, you can feel the relaxed hand of Eastwood, painting this rich and important story with his trademark of gracefulness and understatement. With each film that he makes, Eastwood sheds a new layer of his vision. His ideas and consummate understanding of the world gel, and through his talent, they become magnificent pieces of storytelling that will be talked about for a long time. As his career advances, Eastwood's films only get better; they're mature and always from the heart.
Morgan Freeman's performance of Mandela is so fluent that he disappears in the persona and becomes almost unrecognizable in the role. He had been preparing for this role since the early 1990s when the two of them met and the President confessed his personal desire for Freeman to be his sole on-screen counterpart. He believed that Freeman would be the "right" man to play him in a film. After almost twenty years of on-and-off preparation, the performance is flawless. Freeman is like a chameleon; he becomes Mandela.
Matt Damon is extraordinary. Physically, he does not look like Pienaar, but he embodies the spirit of the man. In each of his scenes, you see a man's conscience burning within him, driving him to satisfy his hunger for greatness. Mandela's vision inspires him to lead and become the example that everyone looks to for hope.
The film is about lots of things, but for no other reason, why not see a film that educates us in what it truly means to be human? Unconditional love and compassion for all. I do not care what the Oscars have to say--this film is a winner.