Movie Review

Invictus (2009)
MPAA Rating PG 13

Reviewed by Sebastián Covarrubias on October 30th, 2014

Genre: Sports Drama

Principal Actors: Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Distributor: Warner Bros Pictures

"Times change, we need to change as well", words of Francois Pienaar, who read the poem wrote by William Ernest Henley, title "Invictus". The poem that change the springboks capitan mind. This movie was released in the cinemas in 2009 and it is starred by Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, and Matt Damon playing the role of the rugby player Francois Pienaar, both of them made a very good job playing they their respective and very important characters. Directed by Clint Eastwood an american actor, film director, producer and composer.

The movie was inspired in a real fact in 1995 when Nelson Mandela was the president of South Africa, at that times "Madiba" was a polemic president in the country because he was the first black president of this nation. Also the racism in South Africa maintained the country separate in two parts. So Mandela used the rugby to bond the country, to fight the world cup with the help of all the people of south African, blacks and whites. So the team of springboks will try to be champions of the 1995 rugby world cup. With this idea Mandela hopes to unite the country, 42 million people, blacks and whites together to support a common goal.

The movie starts with two different visions, in one part there are some blacks playing football and in the other side, white playing rugby, In this part you can see apartheid. Nelson Mandela has been recently out from prison, and he becomes the president of South Africa and he started to involve and cherish in the rugby world, so he met the rugby player Francois Pienaar who is the capitant of the springboks. Francois suffered with his comrades by the lost games. Mandela gives inspiration to the rugby player, who felt bleak and sad, once the meeting is over, the capitant changes his mind and start to be optimistic for the rugby world cup.

I recommend this movie to all lovers of rugby and history, like me. I put it 4 stars because has all I like in a movie. a good history, a problem to solve in a team, also the principal actors make very well their respective role. I loved Nelson Mandela personality, and Morgan Freeman makes you feel as if he really was acting the ex-president. You can live and feel what happened in the country at that time.        

Letter to a Friend

Hey John, how are you ?

Well, the last saturday I played the rugby tournament in London with my team "Liverpool Dogs", the fifteen a side tournament, where come 32 teams from all England to compete to be the best rugby club in the country.

 We won all the games but in the semi-final we were losing by 4 points and in the last move in the game I caught the ball and I threw myself to the in-goal zone at the same time I got tackled, luckily I made the try, so we acceded to the final but also I became injured cause the wound in my leg, I broke my tibia, so I can't play the big final. We lost the match by one point, they told me that the match was very good because meanwhile my friends played the final I was in the hospital. 

Now I need to use a cast to immobilise my leg, the treatment is to be used 5 months and 7 without sports and after that I need to go to the doctor to start walking again . 

So I will be here waiting for my recovery, I expect to see you soon.

Sebastian Covarrubias