Solid Drama That Weaves on The Topics of Politics and Sports

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2016)

Even though he's coming on in age, Clint Eastwood can still dazzle his audience, even when he's behind the camera. For a grizzled veteran, he still manages to come up with good quality pictures, even if not all of them are entirely great. The last really good cinematic masterpiece he truly made before "Invictus" was "Million Dollar Baby". He does have a tendency of over-casting non-performers in his movies like he did in "Gran Torino", even though his intentions were good. But nobody can deny that Eastwood is master in his craft and the productions of his film are taken through heart even if they're not always electrifying.
"Invictus" is a very well-made movie based on a true story with touchy subjects and issues that will have you pondering for hours to come. In 1994 three years after South African political activist Nelson Mandela gets released from prison after spending three decades there, he is now the new president of South Africa and his quest to bring unity between the races with the country. When an all Caucasian rugby team who's been struggling for a championship, Mandela decides to step up and fix the team to becoming the best they can be and to erase the divinity within the races in the country.
Morgan Freeman was the perfect casting choice as Mandela. He decides that the South African team the Springboks have potential to be championship material and there he meets up with the captain of the rugby team Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon)and felt his first quest was to inject unification among the Springboks as a symbolical way so that the country can have a team to be proud of and the pivotal step to expunge apartheid forever.
So we see kind of a two-plot story behind the movie, Invictus". One we have Mandela adjusting his new role as the leader of his country as he's faced with plenty of turmoil that includes outrage, uproarious fear and racism. One pivotal scene was when his all-black security staff was being questioned by the Secret Service guys and later accepted. The other plot is Pienaar's initiative to encourage his rugby team to a winning season while taking part in the activities emanating in the country and trying to come to terms of a nation that's under a political unrest at the time. In one memorable scene Pienaar and his team visit the jail that where Mandela was incarcerated and enter his cell. It was a very subtle moment where the drama in this movie is the most important.
The two plots climatically join together as Mandela is seated to see this emotional and very important World Cup of the 1995 Rugby Championships. This final game will not just keep the sports fans enthralled, but the setup is structured beautifully. Eastwood went out of his way to create a country that at the time was struggling with politics and race issues and makes you feel for the people involved in the movie and the World Cup final match is an added bonus to the intriguing scenes depicted in the movie.
Though it's a great movie, there are still flaws as well. Unless you know the rules of rugby which a lot of people may not be familiar with (nothing personal) you might be lost in the rules and the way the game is operated. But it wasn't a huge drawback for me, I just wanted to see some good sports. Also there's this rather weird scene in the movie that's supposedly happened in real life, but Eastwood directs it like he's manipulating us into making it feel like a political thriller when it really isn't. But those burps won't spoil my liking for this movie.
Even though it's not a perfect film, "Invictus" is still provocative and entertaining and raises a lot of questions and if a movie can generate food for thought, it ranks high in my grading system. It truly has something for those who are enthused by political dramas plus it has something to offer for those who love sports enthusiasts.