"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul"

Rating: Null/10 (14 January 2010)

If I were to summarize this inspiring movie into two themes, one is the title poem by William Ernest Henley, a piece of work on courage in adversity, crystallising Nelson Mandela's life. The summary line, the last two lines of the poem, is the recurring motif that signs off the movie at its conclusion. The other theme will be immediately clear to those who have seen a movie called "Das Wunder von Bern" (2003) about how long a way a soccer game went in uplifting the spirit of post-WWII Germany. Post-apartheid South Africa is of course an entirely different situation, but the use of a sports event to foster national spirit is the same.
Those who have been following Clint Eastwood as a director should be familiar with his style of a steady hand and unassuming narration. The establishing scenes start with Nelson Mandela's (Morgan Freeman, a portrayal that has been expected for over 10 years) release after 3 decades' imprisonment and then attainment of presidency in post-apartheid Africa. The backdrop of understandable political instability is efficiently painted, through various scenes such as the undercurrent of complicated emotions between his two loyal and efficient security chiefs: one black, the other white.
The main plot line is soon brought to the forefront when Mandela asks to tea Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), captain of the struggling Springbok national rugby team that is considered by many to be the symbol of apartheid. With vision and foresight, Mandela sees this as an opportunity to bring together Afrikaners and Africans in a common national course, the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The story tells how Mandela inspires Pienaar, who in turn inspires his team to win match after match against all odds, culminating in an underdog semi-final against the formidable New Zealand team.
The triple Golden Globe nomination for Eastwood (director), Freeman (lead actor) and Demon (supporting actor) says all. I hope that at least one of them gets the prestigious award, if not all three.