Cast: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon

Director: Clint Eastwood

Writers: Anthony Peckham (screenplay), John Carlin (book)

Named after the William Ernest Henley poem, which provided a source of hope and inspiration to Nelson Mandela during the darkest moments of his 27-year imprisonment, Invictus opens following his election as South African president. It tells the true-story of the Springbok’s thrilling journey to the 1995 Rugby World Cup final and how the tournament and the players winning performance helped to unite South Africa, which hosted the event, and to create the promise of a new future.

Although rugby fans will remember the exciting final between South Africa and New Zealand’s All Blacks, few will realise how Mandela got behind the national rugby team, spotting the potential to help realise his dream of a “rainbow nation”.

It was not an easy task and many black South Africans did not understand why ‘Madiba’, which is Mandela’s clan name, did not agree with the majority who wanted to eradicate the Springbok name and emblem, which many saw as a symbol of apartheid. However, Mandela realised that in order to move forward, black and white South Africans had to work together and that by scrapping the national rugby team he, and his cause, would lose support and perpetuate the segregation.

Mandela calls on the team’s captain, Francois Pienaar,  to rally the team, knowing that the eyes of the world will be focused on South Africa, and the squad embark on a PR-friendly tour of the country’s townships to try and unite the whole country behind them.

Directed by Clint Eastwood, rather than trying to cram in too much about Mandela’s and indeed South Africa’s struggles, Invictus focuses on a single moment in history which symbolises the country’s problems while offering hope of a brighter tomorrow.

The casting is spot-on. When asked which actor he would choose to play him in the story of his life, South Africa’s iconic former leader picked Morgan Freeman and it is impossible to think of anyone else convincingly stepping into his shoes. His performance is both subtle and moving and shows something of Mandela’s strength of character. Matt Damon as Pienaar takes more of a supporting role, but his performance, especially on the rugby field, is equally impressive yet in a totally different way (both Freeman and Damon have been Oscar-nommed for their roles). There were some concerns about what a Hollywood-created rugby match might look like but it works. It is realistically portrayed and Damon even looks like a proper player which may be due to the fact that Chester Williams, the only black member of the 1995 team, gave technical advice on the film.

There are a number of points in the film, the overly ‘Hollywood-ised’ ones, that don’t quite ring true though. When Mandela takes up his presidency he decides to employ a mix of white and black bodyguards to help encourage unity. His black security guards are understandably wary of the white contingent, which not long before were part of the system of oppression, however, by the end of the film relations have thawed and the two sides have become, somewhat implausibly, best buddies. There is also a scene outside the stadium involving a young black boy loitering by a white policeman’s car in order to listen to the radio coverage of the final, the copper shouting at the youngster to scarper. Yet by the end of the match he’s practically hoisting the youngster on to his shoulders. If only life was just that simple.

However, for all of its over-simplification, Invictus is still an inspirational movie. Few could not be moved by the rugby team’s visit to Mandela’s tiny prison cell on Robben Island or fail to get caught up in the excitement of the Rugby World Cup final, where everyone joins together to cheer for the underdog. After the dark days of South Africa’s past, the film reveals a shining moment when everyone came together as one nation, and, that’s a worthwhile lesson for us all.

By Louise Meeson

Invictus is released on 5^th February courtesy of Warner Bros.