Plot: In his first term as the South African President, Nelson Mandela (Freeman), enlists the national rugby team to win the '95 Rugby World Cup in order to unite his country.
Starring: Morgan Freeman & Matt Damon
Review: Both a sports movie and a movie about politics, this film was able to be both an inspirational sports flick as well as a political study of Nelson Mandela in the early part of his first presidential term. Nicely acted (though the accent could use some work) by both Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, I felt Freeman got robbed of the Oscar whereas Damon wasn't strong enough to garner a nomination in my opinion. This was a smart film without much marketing, which is why it was a sleeper at the theater. The directing by Clint Eastwood for the most part was strong and a very different film for him. However, the final sports sequence took slow-motion cheesiness to an absolutely M. Night Shyamalan level (think The Happening). It felt like it would never end. I swear it was in slow motion for five minutes. Reign it in Mr.Eastwood. All in all though, it was a very strong and unique sports film.
**1/2 Stars
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