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Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, reviewed by Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.

Just saw Invictus yesterday. Flat in the middle and they were not able to pull much out of Matt Damon who is buff but 5 foot 10, whereas the real-life Francois Pienaar is 6 foot 5.

Photo: The real Nelson Mandela congratulates the real Francois Pienaar.

Nelson Mandela was played superbly by Morgan Freeman, and it’s an uplifting story but I’m still waiting for THE movie that will take rugby to its proper place on the podium. Not Clint Eastwood’s best, but a good story.

Factoid: Matt Damon also played rugby in a short scene in The Departed.

I thought the rugby scenes were clumsily staged: the most “cinematic” thing they could find in the game is that part where the opposing teams get in a huddle and push hard enough to give birth. I call this “painful”, but Jaime says it’s called a scrum when it’s a set play and a maul when it’s loose. In the World Cup final the movie builds up to, they do this every three minutes.

Nelson Mandela is portrayed as a saint when he is far more interesting as a person. And there are cornball reaction shots after every score, from the stadium and all over the country. Which the movie needs, because the way the game is staged, the movie audience doesn’t know who’s winning.

I’m just glad the Springboks did not have to recite “Invictus” (“black as a pit from pole to pole”). During homeroom periods at St. Theresa’s the teacher would call on random students to stand in front of the class and recite a poem; inevitably it was “Invictus” or “O Captain, My Captain”.