Invictus (2009)

Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, 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.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Anthony Peckham (screenplay), John Carlin (book)

Stars:

Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Morgan Freeman	...	Nelson Mandela
Matt Damon	...	Francois Pienaar
Tony Kgoroge	...	Jason Tshabalala
Patrick Mofokeng	...	Linga Moonsamy
Matt Stern	...	Hendrick Booyens
Julian Lewis Jones	...	Etienne Feyder
Adjoa Andoh	...	Brenda Mazibuko
Marguerite Wheatley	...	Nerine
Leleti Khumalo	...	Mary
Patrick Lyster	...	Mr. Pienaar
Penny Downie	...	Mrs. Pienaar
Sibongile Nojila	...	Eunice
Bonnie Henna	...	Zindzi
Shakes Myeko	...	Minister of Sport
Louis Minnaar	...	Springbok Coach (as Louis Minaar)

Storyline

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 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 rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

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Plot Keywords:

rugby | south africa | nelson mandela | president | apartheid | 

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Taglines:

He was a prisoner who became a president. To unite his country, he asked one man to do the impossible.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [fr] Warner Bros. [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Afrikaans Maori Zulu Xhosa Southern Sotho

Release Date:

11 December 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Human Factor

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,068,388 (UK) (5 February 2010)

Gross:

$37,479,778 (USA) (19 March 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Spyglass Entertainment, Revelations Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When filming the games, there were only 2,000-plus extras in the stands. Using motion-capture techniques, the visual effects team was able to "sell out" the stadium with 62,000 fans.

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Goofs

Nelson Mandela and others are seen repeatedly wearing coat-of-arms badges. The design they wear wasn't introduced until 2000.

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Quotes

[first lines]
High School Boy: [seeing passing motorcade] Who is it, sir?
High School Coach: It's the terrorist Mandela, they let him out. Remember this day boys, this is the day our country went to the dogs.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, while the actors name are displayed, a photo of the real person whom they portray in the movie is shown.

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Connections

Featured in Richard Roeper & the Movies: RR's Oscar predictions: Best Actor (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Hamba Nathi"
Traditional
Performed by Overtone and Yollandi Nortjie

User Reviews

Strong themes overcome predictable plotting

Morgan Freeman's made a career out of playing inspirational second fiddles who always steal the movie. Now with Clint Eastwood's "Invictus", we finally get to see this amazing actor take front and center and run with it. The movie, based on a John Carlin novel about the event that changed South Africa, fits Freeman like a glove and it's hard to imagine he's not a front-runner for that lead actor Oscar he has so deserved for so long now.

He plays Nelson Mandela as a born leader, an authoritative yet empathetic uniter who preached forgiveness and looked for common ground when elected president of South Africa. His election caused unrest among whites, and blacks still had hard feelings for years-worth of oppression. The one thing he saw that could unite was the Rugby team, a shamefully rag-tag bunch facing extinction because many still saw the team as a left-over from apartheid. Mandela knew ending the team would mean more unrest among white Rugby fans so instead he presented a challenge to team captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon); win the world cup,unite us.

Do they? It's all predictably plotted and there are times where you wish Eastwood had employed an announcer to explain what's happening on the Rugby field but the great themes of forgiveness, unity, and determination make this a sports movie well worth seeing. There are really wonderful elements here. The relationship between Mandela's white and black security detail. The Rugby team reaching out to the community by going to the slums and teaching kids how to play. Pienaar's visit to Mandela's prison cell to understand the man's courage. The people of South Africa rallying into something of a community. And the bond between Mandela and Pienaar, very well played by both Freeman and Damon, of two men looking for their country's pride, it's center, and it's heart. By the final Rugby match, the movie has built up such good-will that any predictability or confusion on screen becomes an afterthought to the joy and excitement on display. Eastwood's film shows how sports can unify people, a simple yet inspirational and lovable message that should leave audiences cheering.