First Take: Invictus- the original rugby miracle

SYNOPSIS: Nelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South African, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

So for the last 8 weeks I’ve been busy not only on Journal duties, but also following this year’s Rugby World Cup, for which England will play South Africa in the final on Saturday morning (9am local time here in the UK). Naturally it was time to delve into the past, and review a 10 year old film that epitomises what that sport is about. And my god, it is good.

Clint Eastwood directs this one, and he does a very neat job at telling this story in 2 hours 14 minutes, sure, it is a little clunky at times, but it is enough to get the job done- working to a script from Anthony Peckham (and in turn based on a book by John Carlin), it feels authentic to the events of that incredible tournament in Johannesburg, and when you add some top class cinematography from Tom Stern, a good score from Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens, and the obligatory appearance of World in Union (a staple of international rugby, so much so that ITV have used it on every World Cup game this year), and technically, this is about as strong as one of Lomu’s tackles. Inside joke there, but fans of the game will get it.

Performance wise, the two that have been heavily promoted over the years are the ones that are by far and away the strongest. Morgan Freeman makes a damn fine Mandela, nailing the speech pattern and the accent perfectly, and while I was a little skeptical about seeing Matt Damon take on the role of Springbok captain Francois Pienaar, he was able to put in some great work. The supporting cast, which is that big that I can’t name all of the talents, also put in some outstanding work here, and for a film like this, and as someone who knows the game well, this is a brilliant depiction of that 1995 final.

THE VERDICT

Invictus only suffers from some minor pacing issues. But aside from that, this film is a brilliant movie about rugby, and how it brought the world together. We’ve just witnessed a similar tale over in the land of the rising sun during the last 8 weeks, and I really wouldn’t be surprised if whatever the result is on Saturday, another film like this gets made.

RATING: 4/5