Invictus is unlikely to be remembered as one of the better films of Clint Eastwood's 'late' directorial period (he'll be 80 this year). It's well-intentioned, and contains a pair of strong performances, but there's no escaping that it's just too dull to capture the imagination.
One of the reasons for the lack of excitement is that just about everyone who sees the film will know the outcome, and especially the appearance of Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) on the pitch after the final wearing the green and gold rugby jersey of the winning nation.
It also plays around with the truth. While it is true that this was the first time South Africa were welcomed back in the fold after the collapse of apartheid, it's dubious to assume that they were outsiders for the tournament: while the All Blacks were favourite, South Africa proved their strength by overcoming Australia in their first match. We are also led to believe that the outcome of the tournament changed the country forever: it may well have had a unification impact in 1995, but this was a temporary thing as the country went on to face huge internal issues.
There is also no reference to the allegations that the All Blacks suffered a bout of food poisoning in the run-up to the final.
Unnecessary sideplots get in the way in an attempt to create drama. There's a lot of focus on Mandela's bodyguards, but this doesn't lead anywhere. The film also suffers from the curse of the sports movie, and fails to make the game itself very exciting.
Still, Freeman as well as Matt Damon as South African captain Francois Pienaar do admirable jobs, but there is an inevitable air of Hollywood taking on a subject it doesn't quite understand.
Paul Hurley
