Inspirational account of Mandela's first few years as President of South Africa.

Rating: Null/10 (19 June 2010)

The title of the movie is "Invictus" and it only become clear somewhere in the middle that it is a reference to a 4-stanza poem from the 19th century, and its last stanza is:
It matters not how strait the gait, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
That was written by a young man who had to have his foot amputated, and Nelson Mandella favored it and used it for inspiration and hope while he was imprisoned.
The movie covers roughly 1991 when Mandela was released from prison through the 1995 Wold Cup Rugby matches hosted by South Africa.
When Mandela won the election the country was fragmented, with a strong black vs white mentality. Even though Mandela was one of those persecuted, now as president he knew his biggest challenge was to unite the country.
This movie uses Rugby as the vehicle for this unification effort. With only one black on the national; rugby team, the sport was considered mostly a white man sport. But Mandela threw his support, even learning the names of each player, and addressing them personally when he visited them. He especially befriended the captain, and shared with him the "Invictus" poem as a way to deal with life.
The South African Rugby team was mediocre at best, but they wanted to make a good showing as host for the World Cup. So much of the movie deals with Mandela's developing government along side the Rugby Team's development as a challenge on the world stage of rugby.
This is a Clint Eastwood film. Morgan Freeman is perfect as Nelson Mandela. And Matt Damon is perfect as François Pienaar, the captain of the rugby team. Damon even wears a nose prosthetic that results in his looking very much like the real player.
I give this movie my highest rating, it is a lesson in how good leadership can turn around a country and a sports program.