tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post1609912035108344428..comments2023-11-28T15:20:59.369-05:00Comments on Cinema Viewfinder: Movie Review: Invictus (2009)Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-50122316495278638522010-01-07T11:52:07.362-05:002010-01-07T11:52:07.362-05:00Thanks for the comment, Mad Hatter. I agree.
Kev...Thanks for the comment, Mad Hatter. I agree.<br /><br />Kevin, I read your review, so I know you were unimpressed. And I don't think this is on the level of some of Eastwood's best (or even best films this year) by any stretch. But I do think it has some solid new things to say about race relations (even if Eastwood tries to couch it a little to precisely through the prism of Obama, a detail I purposely left out of the review because it is so obvious in the film), and how it applies to the way we view sports.<br /><br />I don't think it's as much "old hat" as a throwback to a classical style of filmmaking that addresses some of the same themes of male bonding as Hawks used to in his filmography. Along with last year's Ford-like GRAN TORINO, I applaud Eastwood's turn to the classic style and away from some of his generally unsuccessful story structure experiments.Tony Dayoubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-65132372982065845072010-01-06T15:20:41.910-05:002010-01-06T15:20:41.910-05:00I like what you say about the different stages of ...I like what you say about the different stages of the film. I quite honestly didn't realize that the final 30+ minuets was going to be the rugby match. You're right that a lot of the pent-up racial frustrations are released in those final game moments, but I also felt like the beats were all too familiar, and really aside from the stunning crowd shots and the logistics of the stadium (you're right about the viewer never really feeling lost throughout the match) I just kind of felt like it was old hat after a while. <br /><br />I loved Damon's performance, though, and I think the first hour of the film is enough to recommend it, but I just think that it went on a tad too long. I know nothing about rugby, so I guess I should be grateful for an extended sequence in which I can see (kind of) what the sport is generally about; however, after ten minutes or so I started to get antsy as I was waiting for the inevitable. <br /><br />That final moment, with the national anthem being heard around the country, is a powerful one, though, and kudos to the actors for elevating the material...something you almost always have to rely on when dealing with a sports film.<br /><br />Great stuff here as always, Tony.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-28090093839275010022010-01-06T09:03:18.985-05:002010-01-06T09:03:18.985-05:00Great review. I think this movie caught a few peop...Great review. I think this movie caught a few people off guard as they believed they were getting a Mandela biopic instead of getting a rugby film.Ryan McNeilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440134802928893661noreply@blogger.com