December 11, 2009 -- “Invictus” is another inspirational sports movie, like “Rudy,” except for the unique historical setting of the story, and that lends it some political weight, supported by Morgan Freeman's masterful performance as South African president Nelson Mandela.

The film, based on the book Playing The Enemy: Nelson Mandela And The Game That Changed a Nation by John Carlin. Takes place in the turbulent aftermath of Mandela's release after 27 years in prison and his election. Looking for a way to unite his racially-split nation, he hits upon an odd notion, backing the Springbok rugby team in its bid to win the World Cup of rugby, scheduled to be played in South Africa. This is odd because Springbok, composed of mostly white players, is generally despised by the black majority in South Africa as a reminder of white separatist rule. Whatever team is playing Springbok, most blacks root for the other team to win.

Mandela uses some of his political capital to stop the national sports council from eliminating the Springbok name, emblem and colors. In a stirring speech, he says, “Our enemy is no longer the Afrikaner. They are our fellow South Africans, our partners in democracy. They treasure Springbok rugby. If we take that away, we lose them. We prove that we are what they feared we would be. We have to be better than that. We have to surprise them with compassion, with restraint, with generosity. I know, all of the things they denied us, but this is no time to celebrate petty revenge. This is a time to build our nation ... You elected me your leader. Let me lead you now.” Wow! Barack Obama take note. That is how it is done. Mandela needs the whites because they control most of the nation's industries. What Mandela does is both altruistic and a shrewd political calculation.

The rest of the story is about a nation becoming more united behind the Springbok rugby team, and about that team rising to meet every challenge and to play better than anyone thought it could. This is pretty standard stuff for a sports movie. What gives this film added weight is Mandela's wisdom and his political courage, and the historical significance of his presidency. This is not your typical politician. There are some interesting scenes involving Mandela's black bodyguards and his white security people. There is another interesting scene involving the Polynesian war dance known as the Haka, performed by a New Zealand rugby team. Similar dances are performed by some American football teams. It is a very intimidating display, which also tends to fire up the team performing the dance. This film rates a B.

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Copyright © 2009 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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