Invictus An Excellent Drama Based On A True Story

Rating: 9/10 (20 June 2010)

Invictus is an excellent drama based on a true story with great performances by the two lead actors who really bring their A game to this movie. Director Clint Eastwood continues to show audiences and critics that he's one of the best filmmakers in Hollywood with this one. Morgan Freeman is superb as always as Nelson Mandela who after being released from prison soon goes on to become the President of South Africa. Believing he can bring his divided people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela enlists the help of South African rugby Captain Francois Pienaar to make a run for 1995 World Cup Championship Match. Freeman is so convincing as the newly elected president Mandela. He turns in another great performance among many proving his talent as a veteran actor. Matt Damon is equally impressive as Pienaar the rugby Captain who rallies his teammates to achieve what seems impossible. Damon may not be as tall as the real Pienaar but like Freeman he becomes the character and turns in a solid performance none the less. Damon and Freeman played off each other very well in their scenes together making the growing friendship between their characters believable. The rest of the relatively unknown cast are also very good as the supporting characters in their limited screen time. I can't think of too much I didn't enjoy about this film because Invictus was much better than expected. I mean I heard it was supposed to be good but Invictus still impressed me with how well Eastwood put it together which like many other films I'm sure wasn't easy. The pacing is fine except the 134 minute running time did seem a little slow at times and the satisfying ending I sort of suspected but those are two tiny flaws because the good more than outweighs the bad in this one. The real locations they used added a lot to the film making you feel for the characters and their situation. The movie in the beginning had a documentary type feel as well which worked in it's favor. So overall if you're looking for inspiring drama based on a true story, Invictus is the movie for you. I plan to see this again sometime because I believe it's worth seeing more than once. It's a film about how the power of hope and forgiveness can unite country. Invictus has a similar compelling story, drama, a little humor, and exceptional performances by the cast (especially Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon) who make this movie worth the time to watch.