Wonderfully acted and shot, if not exceedingly long and under edited

Rating: 7/10 (14 December 2009)

Solid performances from both Damon and Eastwood (director) and an excellent portrayal by Freeman. "Invictus" looks at the issues faced by the new government in post apartheid South Africa and one of the ways, support of the "White" Rugby team, that Nelson Mandela tries to heal the country. Freeman is very convincing in his role, maybe because he finally plays a role closer to his age, as Nelson Mandela. He exudes leadership and understanding. Damon plays the Rugby team Captain that presses his team to continue their quest for a rugby championship despite the distractions of the time. His performance is good but not great as he doesn't really show any range on emotions. The final piece of the triangle is Clint Eastwood. He continues his exploration of important contemporary topics and gives us the expected excellent cinematography. Where he lets down the audience is in the editing. Many scenes are much longer than required and summation makes the movie a half hour longer than it needed to be to achieve the desired end. Good movie, but I would wait for it on DVD.