Sunday, December 13, 2009 NEW YORK: Academy Award winners Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman once again team up in a feature film, “Invictus,” the latest by the talented director Eastwood. Right there we should be expecting good things. I am happy to say that this movie does not fail to deliver.“Invictus” is a true story, based upon the events surrounding the political and cultural tribulations faced by South Africa around the time of Nelson Mandela’s election as its president. It was part of Mandela’s vision to ease fears and unify a splintered nation, in part, by focusing on the country’s rugby team in the World Cup Competition.Freeman was born to play this role. He is impeccable as the gentle, low-key Mandela whose warm and confident demeanor combines the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln with the visionary idealism of Mahatma Gandhi. The message here is one of forgiveness, of moving past old prejudices and patterns of oppression into the light of a loving and promising future.The film itself is low-key, as is the way it gets its message across. This, in a way, is ironic as the sport of rugby is not without its violent aspects. But the sport itself is not the focus as much as is the field of sports, which can be a great equalizer and remover of barriers. And it is Eastwood’s genius not to bash us over the heads with a message that would cause us to feel lectured to. That is where this movie shines.While those unfamiliar to the sport of rugby may have a bit of trouble following some of the film’s details, that shouldn’t deter anyone from attending this gem. The uplifting message is well worth the price of admission.
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