Invictus - Thumb up

[Massive Lee]

This is 1995. South Africa has just come out of the apartheid regim and after 9000 days in prison, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) is South Africa's president and trying to reunite the white Afrikaners and the black population who has suffered from decades of injustice and terror. The South African rugby team lead by François Pinnear (Matt Damon) will catalyze Mandela's efforts toward the World Rugby championship and the reunification of whites and blacks.

This is the latest movie from Clint Eastwood. A very entertaining sport movie which will also give a few hints to the younger spectators about what happened in South Africa until the apartheid ended.

I give that movie three thumbs up. As much for the story telling, direction and history that many have forgotten.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9Ovkye6lac

[daniel]

the previews looked good. i'm planning on seeing it.

[kishg]

cool.. this and sherlock holmes are on my watch list..

[TheB1G Lebowski]

Was interested in this, Clint makes some great movies.

[Massive Lee]

Interestingly for sport fans, this is one of the rare movies with rugby. There's even a sequence with New-Zealand's All Blacks doing their signature "routine" when they are in final.

"What's the difference between soccer and rugby? Soccer is gentlemen sport played by hooligans. Rugby is a hooligan sport played by gentlemen."

But don't be fooled by the sport portion of the flick. This film has several layers. Sure, it has some sport, but it also has humanity and politics. Even after 9000 days in jail, Mandela didn't hold anything against the Afrikaners. He did his best to reunite both camps into building a better South Africa, and was sometimes misunderstood by the blacks who only had revenge in their heart, while the Afrikaners had hate toward him. He had to take lots of criticism from both camps, but that was in the country's best interests. BTW, when watching the movie, I saw many parallels with another president with controversial measures...

[aaron325ix]

going to see this today with the fam in Atlanta.

Leaning to play rugby in college was one of the best life decisions I have made to date. It is an amazing sport, with heritage, and traditions like no other.

Any of you youngsters out there about to embark on their college career I highly recommend it. Beats the hell out of joining some fraternety x1000

[Massive Lee]

My half brother plays college rugby. He's built and looks like an All Black Mauri and doesn't fear getting "frisked".

[Aptyp]

on my list to see, right after Sherlock.

[SamE30e]

Just watched it before I went to bed. Good movie.

[Maluco]

would read again...

[TwoJ's]

Interestingly for sport fans, this is one of the rare movies with rugby. There's even a sequence with New-Zealand's All Blacks doing their signature "routine" when they are in final.

It's called the Haka. It is very cool to see and actually a bit intimidating. My team in high school was very good and we went to the national tournament all three years that I started. Every year one of the best teams there was one from Utah called Highland I think. They kind of cheated by having new zealander mormons be exchange students just to play on their team. Since they had played since they were little kids, they were very good. We met in the semifinals my junior year. Before the game we stood and watched them do the haka as we stood at midfield yelling an array of threats and profanities at them. That is one of my favorite memories of rugby.

I want to see Invicitus pretty badly. Eastwood is a great director, and Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman are both great actors. And on top of that, it brings me back to my playing days. I miss "Crouch, touch, engage!"

[aaron325ix]

It's, "crouch, touch, pause, engage" now ;)

but yea, every time i watch a game i still get butterflies as if I am about to play.

[Massive Lee]

"Invictus" does pay tribute to the fine art of rugby. There's extensive game play and sequences. But in all honesty, the thick Afrikaner accent is sometimes very hard to decipher...

Matt Damon on rugby, Afrikaner accent and "Invictus"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3xTbNjEv2I

Bit of background and short analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD2ot1hd2V0

This movie comes from nowhere as it doesn't have the promotional support that other blockbusters may have, but damn it is as entertaining and has 10 times the substance as, say, "Avatar", "Gamer" or "Surrogates", while being more clever than most sport movies. How many inspirational movies have been offered in 2009? Films that make you go hmmmm....