Conventional telling of an inspiring tale

Rating: 7/10 (10 March 2010)

Eastwood has made an entertaining if conventional film about the South African 1995 rugby World Cup winning team and their relationship with President Nelson Mandela.
For someone reasonably familiar with the politics –sporting and otherwise – of South Africa the sometimes clumsy insertion of explanations grated a bit. However, given that a US audience could not be expected to be very familiar with the significance of the Springbok team as a symbol of the apartheid regime the presence of these explanations is easily forgiven.
I remember the watching Mandela's release from Robben Island live on television and I am also a sports follower and for these reasons the historic nature of the events portrayed in the film did resonate with me.
The story itself doesn't need to deviate much from actual events. Mandela's story itself is inspiring. Eastwood wisely picks a chapter from it that shows how he understood that he had to try to bring the white population into the new "rainbow nation" he was trying to build. Francois Pienaar was a great leader himself. His relationship with Mandela is dealt with well in the film. We see him gradually grasping and supporting Mandela's ideas for the new South Africa as many whites must have done during this period.
The game footage is well filmed and accurate. For example Andrew Mehrten's chance to win the final in normal time for New Zealand is shown.
Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon are predictably excellent in the main roles. The supporting cast are also very good. The conclusion of the film takes the familiar path of most sporting underdog films. Plenty of slow motion build up and inspiring music to the decisive kick by Stransky!
A very well made movie. It is not the definitive Mandela biopic that will one day be made and will show in detail his political and personal struggle. I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless.