Review: Invictus (12A)***

That is the claim put forth by Invictus, an earnest and forelock-tugging part-biopic of Mandela that, nevertheless, represents a minor entry in the filmmaking canon of director Clint Eastwood.

The core of this hybrid of political drama/sporting thriller is the 1995 rugby world cup in which the Springboks took on the All Blacks – and won. Mandela always saw the match as a potentially unifying event for his "rainbow nation".

Thus Mandela (Morgan Freeman), by then elected president, enlists Springbok captain Franois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to help spread the message of unity, bringing together a fragmented country under the universal banner of national pride.

Freeman brings his trademark gravitas to Mandela but struggles against a script that veers from cheesy to downright clunky. At times, Mandela is presented as a combination of Gandhi, Martin Luther King and JFK. It both weakens and undermines the film.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of the film is Mandela's unshakeable belief that stripping the Springboks of their name and colours would drive a wedge between white and black.

Mandela resolves to retain the Boks' identity. In doing so he ignores all advice but earns the (grudging) respect of some Afrikaners and

the wholehearted support of key personalities like Pienaar.

While Invictus takes itself rather too seriously, it is not without moments of edgy humour. Eastwood has fun with scenes in which Mandela's mixed band of personal protection officers are thrown together in a cramped office. At first, both sides greet each another with open hostility. Later, there is a thawing as these very different

men act in partnership to protect the boss.