Review of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) by Jeff B — 07 Jan 2014

Numerous brisk jaunts more than one Long Walk to Freedom, this Mandela bio-pic plays fast but fairly with South African history. An exciting film strip run amuck, this episodic march of time runs through a lot of the defining moments in a remarkable life, some laudable and some lamentable. This warts 'n' all approach benefits the production greatly, metering out the cold harsh truth, albeit sometimes as footnotes. What benefits the film most, however, is some brave performances that belie the power projected by the icon and the passion held by those in awe of his legacy.

In this PG-13-rated bio-pic, director Justin Chadwick chronicles the journey of Nelson Mandela (Elba) from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.

Having cut his teeth with emotionless period piece The Other Boleyn Girl, Chadwick brings great emotion but bites off more than he can chew with Mandela. Oh, he brings historic context, exhilaration, and period detail to the proceedings, but William Nicholson's screenplay would have been better off zeroing in on a select span of chapters in his subject's life a la Lincoln rather than trying to tackle all of the unabridged volumes. In having Idris Elba and Naomie Harris realize their storied roles, however, Chadwick boasts the film's greatest asset. Though Elba doesn't sport a mirror image appearance to the man, myth, and legend, he pushes all three to the forefront.

Bottom line: Nigh Freedom.