(4 out of 5 stars)

Clint Eastwood directs Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as the captain of the national rugby team in this true story of Mandela using the rugby team as a way to unite his country from the separation caused by apartheid.

Eastwood does a great job on focusing the story on the relationship Mandela has with the team and its captain rather on the politics involved. Freeman captures the idiosyncrasies of Mandela while Damon comes off as a believable Frenchman. Both are great performances.

Invictus is actually a poem written by William Ernest Henley which gave Mandela inspiration. Literally translated, it means ‘unconquerable’. That sums up Eastwood’s directing. He does such a good job telling the story without being too emotional and seeking to completely tell just who each of his characters is. Eastwood triumphs in showing us why each character was the ‘master of his fate’ and how each became the ‘captains of their soul.’

Suggested Similar Recommendations: Crash and Gran Torino