Invictus
Stream
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Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby union team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.
What critics thought
Eastwood's telling of the Mandela-era Rugby World Cup story lands as generally sturdy and moving, with Freeman and Damon earning consistent praise for inhabiting their roles with real weight. The main point of contention is whether the film's stately, deliberate pacing tips into predictability — critics who loved it found the emotional payoff earned; those less convinced felt the screenplay leaned too heavily on its message and the inspirational scaffolding showed.
“Inspirational on the face of it, Clint Eastwood's film has a predictable trajectory, but every scene brims with surprising details that accumulate into a rich fabric of history, cultural impressions and emotion.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“Anthony Peckham's sturdy, functional screenplay, based on John Carlin's book Playing the Enemy, can be a bit on the nose (and the message songs Eastwood adds are overkill). Yet the lapses fade in the face of such a soul-stirring story—one that would be hard to believe if it were fiction.”
David Ansen·Newsweek
“It has moments evoking great emotion, as when the black and white members of the presidential security detail (hard-line ANC activists and Afrikaner cops) agree with excruciating difficulty to serve together.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
Accolades
Genres
Drama, History
Cast & Crew
Clint EastwoodDirector
Morgan FreemanNelson Mandela
Matt DamonFrancois Pienaar
Tony KgorogeJason Tshabalala
Patrick MofokengLinga Moonsamy
Matt SternHendrick Booyens
Julian Lewis JonesEtienne Feyder
Adjoa AndohBrenda Mazibuko
Leleti KhumaloMary
Patrick LysterMr. Pienaar
Penny DownieMrs. Pienaar
Kyle EastwoodComposer
Anthony PeckhamWriter
Tom SternCinematographyInvictus
Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby union team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.
What critics thought
Eastwood's telling of the Mandela-era Rugby World Cup story lands as generally sturdy and moving, with Freeman and Damon earning consistent praise for inhabiting their roles with real weight. The main point of contention is whether the film's stately, deliberate pacing tips into predictability — critics who loved it found the emotional payoff earned; those less convinced felt the screenplay leaned too heavily on its message and the inspirational scaffolding showed.
“Inspirational on the face of it, Clint Eastwood's film has a predictable trajectory, but every scene brims with surprising details that accumulate into a rich fabric of history, cultural impressions and emotion.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“Anthony Peckham's sturdy, functional screenplay, based on John Carlin's book Playing the Enemy, can be a bit on the nose (and the message songs Eastwood adds are overkill). Yet the lapses fade in the face of such a soul-stirring story—one that would be hard to believe if it were fiction.”
David Ansen·Newsweek
“It has moments evoking great emotion, as when the black and white members of the presidential security detail (hard-line ANC activists and Afrikaner cops) agree with excruciating difficulty to serve together.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
Accolades
Genres
Drama, History
Cast & Crew
Clint EastwoodDirectorMorgan FreemanNelson MandelaMatt DamonFrancois PienaarTony KgorogeJason TshabalalaPatrick MofokengLinga MoonsamyMatt SternHendrick BooyensJulian Lewis JonesEtienne FeyderAdjoa AndohBrenda MazibukoLeleti KhumaloMaryPatrick LysterMr. PienaarPenny DownieMrs. PienaarKyle EastwoodComposerAnthony PeckhamWriterTom SternCinematographyStream
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