Invictus: C+

Playing a well known historical figure is always a tricky proposition, especially when the figure is still alive and still a part of the national consciousness. It's hard to look at an actor- even a great one like Morgan Freeman- and not see him as an actor playing the part of Nelson Mandella. But Invictus tries to replace the image of Mandella entirely by inserting Freeman in what looks like real news footage of Mandella being released from prison, and being sworn in as the new president of South Africa. It didn't sit well with me, because while watching it I kept thinking what's Morgan Freeman doing up there and where's the real Nelson Mandella.

In Invictus, Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandella as a national Hero, but also as a shrewd politician. It would be easy to reduce Mandella to an almost saintly like caracture who just spouts high minded platitudes about the state of the South Africa such as "we have a lot of promises to keep."
But the film and Freeman always make sure to hint at the well of political calculation simmering just beneath the surface. Mandella is a politician who is forging a path of compromise to keep his fractured nation together after decades of segregation. Freeman does his best to give us some insights into Mandella the man behind Mandella the public figure.

Matt Damon has an even tougher time as the captain of South Africa's rugby team. Although he's playing a less well known figure, Damon is a little too distanced from the part. You can almost see him working on the difficult South African accent in his head before he talks. It's not a bad accent, but it just sounds like copied a few of the bad guys from Lethal Weapon 2.

We begin the story shortly after Mandella takes office for the first time, and both sides of the country are learning to live together without apartheid. The racial struggles are largely seen on a day to day level through Mandella's bodyguards. At first it's an uncomfortable mix of Blacks and Whites, but they eventually come to an uneasy truce and learn to trust each other a little.

When he is swept into power, one of his first big gambles is to save the name of the south african rugby team. The new black heads of south africa's sports council want to banish the name, the colors, and the anthem of the Springbox because it is a symbol of apartheid for them. But Mandella swoops in and argues successfully that to deprive the white minority of this symbol of national pride would only confirm their worst fears and rip the country apart.
And thus we begin mandella's championing of the rugby team as a political tool for racial harmony. And he forges a relationship with its captain to help get the team to the world cup and give the new south africa a shiny new image.

This predictably all leads up to the big game, and a predictable crowd pleasing finale. It's a better film than that other crowd pleasing football drama "The Blind Side" and I learned more about rugby than I knew before. But much like Clint Eastwood's last movie "Changeling" it's a handsomely mounted trophy piece that doesn't really do much.

Invictus: C+