The President believes that, with the eyes of the world on his country, he can engineer lasting change and provide the children of South Africa with a glorious future, but first he must convince Pienaar and the players to follow his lead.
Invictus elegantly sidesteps the pitfalls of the sports genre, adhering closely to the facts and thereby eschewing sentimentality.
Eastwood’s film celebrates the titanic efforts of Mandela and Pienaar, relying on magnificent performances from the leads to embody these charismatic figures.
Shot in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Invictus beautifully captures the earthy colours of the country and the indomitable spirit of its people.
Kyle Eastwood’s and Michael Stevens’s jazz-tinged soundtrack sometimes seems a little misplaced, but doesn’t distract from our involvement with the characters as they risk everything to bring their neighbours together under one flag.
