The Vidiot Reviews...

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2010)

Invictus
If Rugby Union executives wish to make their sport as popular in America as it is in other countries, they should consider adding alleged rapists to their teams. And while this drama doesn't attempt to expound rugby's limited appeal, it is an allegory for the unification of South Africa.
Elected president shortly after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) faces a splintered nation still reeling from apartheid. To alleviate tensions between whites and non-whites, he enlists the local rugby team – in particular its captain (Matt Damon) – to help unify citizens through athletics.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Invictus is a superbly acted film that bespeaks of South Africa's segregated past, but never overtly. Instead, it focuses on the positive aspects of the country's 1995 Rugby World Cup run.
Nevertheless, while it works for this overlooked sport, the combined forces of Damon, Freeman and Eastwood could never make Cricket seem cool. (Green Light)