Invictus (out 14 June 10, Cert. 12)

Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, directed by Clint Eastwood, 2009, cert 12

Monkey Score: 95%

Newly elected Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) inherits a divided nation when he takes office. Black South Africans, enthused by their electoral win and newly found freedom, are keen to move on and remove all signs of the Apartheid regime. Mandela realises that touching the Springboks, the national rugby team, would destroy his chance of unifying the country by alienating the white population. With South Africa about to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Mandela seeks the support of Springbok captain Francois Pinaar (Matt Damon), and tasks him with winning the competition against all odds.

Shot entirely on location in South Africa, Invictus has a rare feel of authenticity. Injected with the skill, sensibility and story-telling genius of director Clint Eastwood, the film gives Morgan Freeman's Mandela a chance to let the world on to this incredible true story. For it to work, though, it needed more than the right decor and director.  It needed a credible Mandela, which Morgan Freeman managed to portray to perfection. His intonations and accent are spot on, never impersonating yet true to the great man.  Whether or not he gets to add to his statuette collection on Oscar night, this is a superb performance. He is helped in carrying the film by a buffed up Matt Damon in the role of rubgy captain Pinaar. Damon's Pinaar is the catalyst who helps Mandela realise his dream of uniting the country and restores pride to all South Africans. Mandela saw the 1995 Rugby World Cup as once in a lifetime opportunity to unite a nation ravaged by years of Apartheid. Rugby in general, and the Springboks in particular, where always a white man's sport - indeed Black South Africans had been known to cheer for their opponents. Whether you like rugby or even know nothing about it, the final sequence is exhilarating. Talking to South African friends after seeing the film, its significance became clear. Whereas they could recall exactly where they watched the final, and the party at the end of the match, it's the fact that both blacks and whites cheered and celebrated together for the first time that stuck to their mind. Yet, until this film most outside South Africa had no idea of just how a seemingly insignificant sporting event could impact the destiny of a nation. Morgan Freeman gives the performance of his life - his Mandela will give you goosebumps. Clint Eastwood has managed to make yet another unmissable film.