|
Invictus
Clint
Eastwood’s prolific output continues with Invictus, a story of the South
African rugby union team’s unlikely victory at the rugby World Cup in
1995. However it is also the story of Nelson Mandela’s quest to unite
whites and blacks at a time of near civil war set against a sporting
backdrop. It is an inspirational story of an incredible man, yet even
though all the right ingredients are present, comes off as oddly
impersonal.
Morgan
Freeman plays Mandela, something he has been trying to do for a good
while. With a Nelson Mandela biopic on hold, probably not materialising
for a long time, Invictus gives him his shot. Freeman works wonders with
what he is given, perfecting his mannerisms, which seems somewhat of a
shame because the viewer only gets brief looks at Mandela. This may be
the story of one very specific time in his life, but it does leave the
thought that there could have been so much more to tell, and so much
more for Freeman to sink his teeth into.
Freeman shines, and is matched ably by Matt Damon, who plays South
Africa’s captain Francois Pienaar. Damon is certainly one of the finest
actors of this generation and continues his varied career by notching
another great director to his list. Damon lends a dignified performance,
and hits all the right notes, be it in his small moments with Mandela,
or his rousing speeches in the heart of the scrum. In fact the only
complain about Pienaar has nothing to do with Damon. Unfortunately
Pienaar is written rather flat, at times being used more as a plot
convenience than a full bodied character. This actually makes Damon’s
performance all the more impressive, as he manages to breathe life into
an occasionally flatly written character.
The
direction is also equally competent, which would be expected of Eastwood
by now. The rugby games themselves are shot at ground level, which
embodies the fierce intensity of the game. However there are some odd
choices that bring the film down at some points. The use of soppy
“inspiring” music makes the film overly sentimental and syrupy,
something that Eastwood does not usually need to make his films more
powerful. It is at these points that Eastwood’s stripped down, real
approach are betrayed and the film suffers.
In the
wake of such greats as Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby and Letters From
Iwo Jima, Invictus seems like the black sheep. The performances are
excellent, the story is uplifting, yet the execution only works most of
the time. At times it seems like a typical Hollywood painting over of
complex real world events. At its worst it seems almost like a cynical
run at awards, a made for the Academy film, which at this point Eastwood
doesn’t need to do at all. Invictus is good, yet it doesn’t quite reach
the heights of Eastwood’s finest. |
