Scratching the surface

Rating: 6/10 (8 September 2010)

It's almost a shame, that we only get to see such a short part of Mandelas life. Matt Damon never really convinced me either in his role (his accent seemed to fade away at times or get thicker). But it's of course Morgan Freeman and his role of a lifetime (leaving his "Bruce Almighty" appearance aside that is).
And Morgan plays it as good as it can get. There are really strong themes here and some very interesting points get touched. Well more scratched that is. Because we never dig deeper. And while it is impossible to really capture a human and all his facades into one film, it still leaves a bitter taste, when you don't know what exactly drove him to do some of the things he did. While I'm for not over-explaining things, it seems that the movie oversimplifies some things.
It just feels that something is missing. Or maybe it is, that Clint spoiled us and we expect every movie to be a masterpiece. Whatever it is, this is definitely worth watching, though if you really are looking for some insight into Mandela, I guess there will be some books out who will be more helpful