Review: Invictus

He looks just like Nelson Mandela. When Morgan Freeman brought the president of South Africa to life, we see through the eyes of his bodyguards that he has a lot more to worry about than rugby.

Heavy into political discussions and skimpy on playing ball, the film is not for those interested in a testosterone-induced football flick. There are very few scenes of the entire country, leaving out the epic feel of a more melodramatic blockbuster. It is more intimate than that, discussing the character of one man who happens to find himself the president of an angry, disjointed country.

One thing I really appreciated was the low-key white prejudice and display of general distrust from both sides. Obviously there were a few donkeys here and there, but they were visible in black and white--a very mature way to approach the race situation in apartheid S. Africa. There was a similar occurrence within gender roles and how men and women in both races dealt with a new black president; the lines seemed to blur together and make the people very much in common with one another by showing very similar human traits.

But the real meat of it is found in beautiful politics of forgiveness and unity, crafted through the film's portrayal of a man who believed in his country more than he believed in himself. It may sound cliche, but he's right. I think the film hits home because it is based very accurately on real events that happened less than twenty years ago, and we in hindsight can see the effects of those decisions. Reminiscent of Lincoln's second inaugural, Mandela asked only forgiveness of people who deserved it most and puts a MORTAL label on the word "deserving" itself.

In postmodern fashion, Mandela believes that replacing selfishness and pride with communication and love is the only way to make this world a liveable, just place. If any man deserved justice, he did--and he rose above himself to earn the respect and admiration from 46 million+ individuals who saw that he did what was right and human.

Overall, an uplifting and educational film meant to inspire the audience to be better than themselves. Sure to be a Morgan Freeman classic.

And he hasn't done a single audio book.