"Invictus" falls short of expectations

My wife and I snuck out last night to see "Invictus," the new Clint Eastwood-directed film about Nelson Mandela, South African rugby and the healing power of sport. Since seeing the previews, I had been eagerly anticipating this movie, which stars Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, captain of the South African Springboks rugby squad.

The film chronicles South African president Mandela's mission to spur the Springboks to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a way to help rebuild a nation fractured by decades of apartheid. Although the movie is entertaining, with Freeman and Damon turning in solid performances, I left the theatre mildly disappointed.

At the outset, Eastwood portrays the Springboks as a ragtag bunch of losers who stand little chance of contending for a world rugby title despite being revered by South Africa's white minority. Enter Mandela, the newly elected black president who served 27 years in the Robben Island prison under the apartheid regime. "Madiba," as his intimates call him, envisions a Springbok World Cup victory on South African soil uniting the country's races.

Mandela summons Pienaar to his office for a pep talk and instructs the mostly white team to conduct rugby clinics for black children in South Africa's forlorn townships. In the meantime, the Springboks mysteriously coalesce into winners and earn their way to the World Cup final against the fearsome All Blacks of New Zealand.

Before the big match, Mandela arrives at Springbok practice via chopper to wish the team luck and hands Pienaar a handwritten copy of "Invictus," the William Ernest Henley poem whose well-known last lines read: "I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my soul." Mandela, the viewer has learned, looked to the poem for spiritual sustenance during his long incarceration. The Springboks also visit Robben Island before the final; inside Mandela's tiny cell, Eastwood portrays Pienaar recognizing the greater implications of the Springboks' on-field quest.

Predictably, the Springboks prevail, with their captain issuing the requisite "This is our destiny!" huddle speech. Although it's an inspiring true story based on John Carlin's 2008 book "Playing the Enemy," the film version does little to delve beneath the surface of the tale. I'd like to have seen more about the team's development from doormats to champions, and I had trouble suspending my disbelief that Mandela would be so consumed with rugby. And while Pienaar is a likable character, I wish Eastwood would have explored him more deeply. I'd also have appreciated a greater acknowledgement that, despite its power to inspire, sport itself cannot solve deep social divides.

Although it fell somewhat short of my expectations, "Invictus" is still worth seeing. Judging from its performance at the box office - it raked in $4.2 million nationwide last weekend, almost $6 million less than "The Blind Side," another inspirational sports drama - it may not be in theatres much longer, so if you prefer the big screen to home viewing I'd get out and see it soon.  

Comments

[Ken Carpenter]

I agree with every part of your analysis. There was more character development among the security force than the rugby team. Damon/Pienaar was wasted. And, it was about 30 minutes too long.

[Sailor]

So that's the case? Quite a reevaltion that is.