MOVIE: Invictus

I remember reading the William Ernest Henley poem, Invictus, in eighth grade English class and being blown away. That was as a 14 year old. I was re-inspired watching the movie by the same name about the beginning of the presidency of South Africa's Nelson Mandela, starring Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, and directed by Clint Eastwood.

Invictus basically has everything going for it. With such top-notch actors and an amazing director who has been in the business longer than almost anyone, this movie was basically guaranteed to be great. The story follows Mandela (Freeman) as he struggles to unite a racially torn nation in a post-apartheid era by supporting the mostly white national rugby team, lead by captain François Pienaar (Damon).

At the beginning of the film we see that, due to apartheid, the South African blacks cheer for any team playing their country's team. Mandela saw this as a way to unite the country and create a sense of national pride. So, he asks the team to win the World Cup. No big deal, right? Well, if it hadn't actually happened, I probably wouldn't have believed it either.

The fairy tale ending to a social-political sports movie is genius. So are the actors' performances and Eastwoods sweeping camera shots. But I have to say the interwoven history lesson of Mandela's rise to power from prisoner and the integration throughout the film of Henley's famous poem, is what really made the movie great.

"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."

Truly inspiring.

Buzzy