Invictus

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Invictus

74% Liked It
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Invictus

Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng, Matt Stern

The film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation ...( read more  read more... )remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

Id: 11066728

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Invictus Recent Reviews
  • allan913
    December 30, 2009
    allan913
    An instant classic. A true heart-warming, remarkable and unforgettable masterpiece. Director, Clint Eastwood has done it again, crafting yet another breathtaking achievement. A brilliant and inspiring tour-de-force by Eastwood. An extraordinary and spectacular film. It's riveting...( read more), powerful, utterly fascinating and deeply moving from start to finish. This film truly grabs you and never lets go. A touching, honest, faithful and outstanding stand up and cheer movie. It touches your soul and fills your spirit. Only Clint Eastwood could craft something this amazing, he crafts pure excellence making grand entertainment gold. Morgan Freeman is absolutely magnificent, he gives the incredible performance of a lifetime, it's definitely his best performance ever. He steals every scene he is in with a commanding presence. This is the type of acting that movie legends are truly made of. Matt Damon is outstanding, his most demanding, compelling and moving performance. Damon and Freeman truly capture the beauty of the film with their amazing chemistry and just make it more interesting to watch. Its all heart and soul. It shows the true strength of the human spirit.
  • flickfever
    December 27, 2009
    flickfever
    Picture
    Clint Eastwood has certainly been busy since his quasi-retirement began a few years ago. Although his unwillingness to appear on camera was stunted by last year's Gran Torino, his efforts as director have definitely been the stand-out achievement of his career over the la...( read more)st decade. His recent films, which include Million Dollar Baby, Changeling, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima all dealt with topics as varied as his own acting resumé. But whether it was a film about war veterans; a period piece involving a suburban mother; or the tale of a would-be legendary female boxer, his films all speak to the core of who Clint Eastwood is--a great filmmaker.

    With Invictus, Eastwood continues to ride the wave of cinematic creativity by which he seems to be driven. Not only is this story based on the real-life events of Nelson Mandela and the struggle of South Africa's rugby team circa 1995--it's also an intimate look at the issues that polarized that nation before, during and since that time. The social commentary is definitely present, but, like with most of Eastwood's films, it's presented in a more subtle, intimate manner.

    Whether the film is dealing with the racism experienced after the end of Apartheid; or the poverty of South African living in district villages, Eastwood is careful never to clobber the audience with a "message" or a moral lesson. Instead, he focuses on filling the film the right ingredients in order to both entertain and intellectually stimulate the person watching any of his films.

    First ingredient: the script. The writing in this film is understated, yet gripping. It is constructed with delicate care in order to never pander to an audience that may or may not be aware of the past events of South Africa. It is a screenplay that is rather inwardly-focused and lacks the "epic" scope of a political drama or a traditional biopic. Instead of dwelling on the issues, the screenplay focuses on the individuals who were behind the history.

    Second ingredient: the cast. Those individuals had to take a great script and breathe life into characters that would carry the entire moral message of this film on their backs. In what is easily one of the best performances of the year, Morgan Freeman delivers a knock-out impression (but also a stunning portrayal) of Nelson Mandela (the formerly-imprisoned President of South Africa.) Freeman brings more to the role than a superficial "rags-to-riches" synopsis would suggest. He brings depth to a character that most Americans know very little about--other than the what is known about his rise to power.

    Everyone is aware of the main events that took place during the time period depicted in the film. That is why I love the fact that the film itself spends very little time explaining that; and instead focuses on what it meant for the people involved. Matt Damon, playing the nation's rugby team captain, does a fine job portraying the man who is assigned (by the President, no less) to win the world cup. This was to be done in an effort to unite a divided nation who shared an interest in the sport. It was to be a political maneuver that would pay in spades.

    But whether the team succeeds or not, the idea behind this assignment is that everyone must look past the things that are behind us and look forward to a future where the past no longer exists. It's really a great message for a movie to have and to not shove down your throat. It's a matter of having great writing, acting and directing ir order to make you learn a lesson without even being aware of it at first.
  • sanjurosamurai
    December 19, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    despite some mild pacing problems that will probably effect the films rewatch-ability, invictus is a powerful and inspirational story of reconciliation that transcends its sports medium. both freeman and damon were very good, and the movie was filmed as well as one would expect ...( read more)from an eastwood film. not quite what the film could have been if it had been more about mandela and less about a singular event in his leadership, but eastwood succeeds at telling the story that he chose to tell.
  • hypathio7
    December 18, 2009
    hypathio7
    Freeman is always inspirational. Damon has a non-showy role here that supports the story simply and honestly. I enjoyed the purposeful and occasionally humorous roles of the four main security officers, two black and two white (Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng, Matt Stern, Julian...( read more) Lewis Jones), who were a microcosm for the racial mistrust that South Africa had to overcome. If you are more familiar with this recent history and rugby as a sport, you probably will not get lost in the time line. I did a couple times because the only location/date label that appears on screen was at the beginning when Mandela is released from prison. Otherwise, the plot skips pretty quickly through Mandela's term as president and the South African rugby team advancing to the World Cup. The plot jumps a year or two ahead in time without warning a couple times. Being American I also didn't understand many of the rules of rugby, but I still picked up the important things fairly rapidly. The English poem that this movie gets it's title from, a favorite of Mandela's from his years in prison, is used subtly and not as a big sports movie cliche speech to inspire the team when they are struggling in the game before getting the win. The closing lines of the poem especially contain a beautiful sentiment, "I thank whatever gods may be / For my unconquerable soul. / I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul."
  • QueenCityFilms
    December 14, 2009
    QueenCityFilms
    Another glorious slice of Eastwood's delicious cherry pie. (The cherry pie being his collection of films).

    Freeman was strong, Damon was solid. Script was pretty good. Only complaints come with the score...1/2 way through, we hear this strange, almost light Christian-rock son...( read more)g...comes out of nowhere. I was like derr fuck!

    I also thought there would be a little more of an epilogue to show just how much Nelson pulled the country together. I know it's hinted at during the final soccer game, but I wanted MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE! (I apologize, I have Billy Idol stuck in my head like so much peanut butter stuck to the roof of a dog's mouf).

    Peace out.
  • princessfiona9
    January 1, 2010
    princessfiona9
    I really enjoyed this movie. Morgan Freeman was good in the role, but his accent was not believable- consistent, but not believable- which really detracted from the performance. Matt Damon was pretty good, too!
    I liked that in Invictus, rugby was so much more than a game, and cle...( read more)arly showed how it brought the country together after the apartheid.
    I really want to see a rugby game after seeing this movie!
  • rona46
    January 1, 2010
    rona46
    WATCH THIS MOVIE ONLINE FREE AT http://FLY75.com
  • nvsmallwood
    January 1, 2010
    nvsmallwood
    A good Eastwood film but not his best. Freeman was great, and will get a Oscar nod.
  • JZimmer758
    January 1, 2010
    JZimmer758
    A gentle movie, not unlike Nelson Mandela, himself. It's slower pace allows the multilevel story to unfold. It's political and sports themes, appeal to men and women. Important movie to see, I learned so much about Nelson Mandela.THank you, Clint Eastwood for making it.
  • Robbanflix
    January 1, 2010
    Robbanflix
    Clint Eastwood as the director and with actors like Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon this is a movie you most certainly want to see like i did. This flick is a true story based one and follows the story with the newly elected President Nelson Mandela (Freeman) joining / helping Sout...( read more)h Africa's rugby team for the World Cup serie. Excellent performances once again from Freeman and Damon but many other actors aswell. Its not quite the best flick i have seen in this typical sport drama genre and its plenty of simlilar movies out there which has been really good. Anway its a great flick and a must see on the drama list.
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