Review of Invictus (2009) by Spangle — 04 Jun 2015

I had heard a lot of negativity about this one coming into my viewing of it from those close to me, so my expectations were quite tempered. Yet, I came away quite pleased. The film is as powerful and stirring as it should be given the subject matter and I thought that material was handled gracefully by the sure handed Clint Eastwood.

Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon were both impeccable as Mandela and Pienaar, respectively. A film that shows that genius behind Mandela's pushing of success in the 1995 Rugby World Cup for South Africa and how he used it to unite a long divided nation, this one serves as a very good history lesson for those who are unfamiliar with the story and serves as great entertainment as well.

Overall, Invictus is a very good historical sports film with fantastic performances that really make the film. You can really feel the tension throughout and it all culminates beautifully at the end. The only thing that makes this one better is that it's true.

All-around good film.