Invictus

"Invictus" is a Latin word meaning "unconquered". It is also the name of a inspirational poem by William Ernest Hendley that Nelson Mandella had scrawled on a scrap of paper while in prison. The poem ends with the lines "I am the master of my fate; I am the Captain of my soul."

Both these things are good to know BEFORE you go in to see the movie. A refresher course on rugby rules is also recommended.

Invictus is based on the true story about how Nelson Mandela tried to use the sport of rugby to unite his racially torn country in the 1995 Wrold Rugby Cup. The film has a great advantage coming in: while we know who won most year's World Series, almost no Americans know who won ANY year of the Rugby Cup (Do you know the last team that won?). So the ending for most people is unknown.

Matt Damon plays Francois Pienaar, the Captain of the team (named the Springboks). The team is a loser and we see Great Britain kick their butts early in the film. Because of years of apartheid the black majority has always hated the Springboks and at one point seeks to name the team and give it new colors. But Mandela steps in, knowing that would create another rift between the black and white community. Instead he asks Pienaar to work with him to use the Springboks to unite the country. He gets them to make appearances in poor black communities and conduct rugby lessons for those kids. The black community makes a hero of the one black member of the team.

To almost everyone's surprise, and without any new players or an influx of new strategy (there is a new coach, but for some reason this is played way down and you really have to be paying attention) they begin to win. Pienaar and his teammates tour the prison Mandella was in and begin to understand what he went through. Mandela's spirit of forgiveness and ability to not try and seek revenge for old wrongs or hold grudges but to do what is best for all South Africans begins to affect the team and the rest of South Africa.

As in most sports movies, it all comes down to the final "big game" where the underdog South Africans are to play the powerful New Zealanders.

Based on a Book by John Carlin

Screenplay by Anthony Peckham

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Easy Reader as Nelson Mandela waves to the crowd.

I know this is based on a true story. I know we're supposed to be inspired by Nelson Mandella and his attempt to use sports as a way to bring his country together. I know this is supposed to be a "feel-good" yet "important" movie. I really like Clint Eastwood movies, even the ones he's not in.

I know its blasphemy to say so but..."Invictus" just left me cold.

It just seemed like by-the-numbers filmmaking without a single real or really memorable moment in the movie. Team in country split apart by hate and prejudice loses game, wins game, starts to understand the people they hated are people, then goes for championship to win it all and unite the country. Been there, done that.  

Add this to a certain confusion as to rugby rules, the often difficult to understand Affrikaner accents throughout the film, the fact their big challenge is playing New Zealand (New Zealand? Not exactly the New York Yankees or Apollo Creed or Dartjh Vader are they?) and the lack of any major babes in the cast (the Springboks MUST have had some groupies, no? Now THAT would have been an interesting story--merging the white and black groupies after apartheid!) and I'm left with a well made and well acted film (better than Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" but nowhere near as good as "Letters from Iwo Jima" or "Gran Torino"), but one I didn't care much about (kind of like "The Changling"--you don't have that one high up there in your Netflix line, now do you?).

See this if you want. There are worse ways to kill some time. I am Senor Sock, do as I say!

To be sure there's nothing wrong wth Matt Damon's performance as Francois. But there's nothing memorable about it or his character either. Ditto Morgan Freeman, who will certainly get an Oscar nomination for "the role of a lifetime" playing a great man like Mandela. But a great man does not necessarily make for a great film. Freeman again does no wrong, but I don't think the script did him many favors. At least it didn't give him any moments that would ensure his name getting engraved on that little gold statue. Frankly, his performances on "The Electric Company" as Vincent the Vegetable Vampire, Mel Mounds and Easy Reader are still more memorable than this.