Invictus (2009) - Morgan Freeman is Nelson Mandela

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On the turned backside of co-star Morgan Freeman, a smiling face of sport's victory from co-star Matt Damon, makes up this poster for Clint Eastwood's Invictus

Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 long years as a political prisoner in his home country South Africa, and as its president soon after he starts the long, hard work of reuniting his torn people. To serve this end he takes an interest in the country's poor rugby team...

 

Invictus is written by Anthony Peckham (The Assassin (1988)), adapting the non-fiction book Playing the Enemy (2008) by John Carlin (Chase Your Shadow (2014)), and co-produced and directed by Californian master filmmaker Clint Eastwood (Play Misty for Me (1971)), whose 30th feature it is.

Morgan Freeman (The Ritual Killer (2023)) is amazing and seems a lot like the real Mandela, whose exceptional dedication to forgiveness, his country and its future is the film's main driver. The man's fascinating mission is deeply moving.

Matt Damon (The Last Duel (2021)) is a bit timid as the rugby captain, and there are moments in Invictus in which one is almost swept up in the sport. Eastwood of course wants to do justice to the whole important history here, but he may be somewhat on away ground. The backstory of the country and of Mandela's imprisonment are not told convincingly, which might have been done in a matter of minutes, (a filmmaker cannot trust that modern global audiences are privy to these facts), and Invictus nearly drowns in pathos and 'spiritual' feeling music, which is quite overly obvious and directive. The still gripping film might have gotten further with some more restraint and focus on the problems and history of South Africa. The meaning of the title (which latin for 'undefeated') remains unclear. In the final match it is mentioned that the country winds up in the final, - but they then immediately are seen receiving the trophy!?!

Invictus shows the uniting strength of sports in exemplary fashion.

 

Related posts:

Clint Eastwood: The Mule (2018) - Drug-runner true story proves another fine fit for screen legend Eastwood 

Sully (2016) - Eastwood's miracle landing biopic is inert and overrated  2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
American Sniper (2014) - Eastwood conveys an American man and myth in electric masterpiece  
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess   
J. Edgar (2011) - Eastwood, Black and DiCaprio's great, intense biopic   

Hereafter (2010) - A movie so bad it might kill you (director/composer)

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Gran Torino (2008) - Eastwood's actor persona comes full circle in absolute smash (co-producer/director/starring actor)
The Changeling (2008) or, The Christine Collins Story  

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]    
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Letters from Iwo Jima/硫黄島からの手紙 [Öjima Kara no Tegami] (2006) - The Japanese side of Eastwood's remarkable WWII two-parter   
Flags of Our Fathers (2006) - Eastwood's Iwo Jima portrayal is captivating and profoundly moving 

Blood Work (2002) - Eastwood churns out uninspired thriller adaptation (producer/director/starring actor)

1997 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Absolute Power (1997) - Eastwood stumbles with low-caliber thriller (director/co-producer/co-starring) 

In the Line of Fire (1993) - Clint and co-stars on fire in one of the decade's finest thrillers (starring)

The Dead Pool (1988) - The highly entertaining last Dirty Harry movie (starring actor) 

Heartbreak Ridge (1986) - Lots of deficiencies in Eastwood's weak Marine movie (producer/director/starring actor)
City Heat (1984) - Eastwood and Reynolds wrestle dispassionately in Benjamin's messy period affair (co-starring actor)
Tightrope (1984) - An undervalued Clint Eastwood sex killer thriller (starring actor)
Any Which Way You Can (1980) or, More Monkey Business! (starring actor)
Escape from Alcatraz (1979) - Siegel, Tuggle and Eastwood's phenomenal prison escape thriller (starring actor)
Every Which Way but Loose (1978) or, Honky Tonk Monkey Business! (starring actor)

The Gauntlet (1977) - Locke/Eastwood cast sparks in corny shoot-em-up (director/starring actor)
The Enforcer (1976) - Eastwood teaches revolutionaries a lesson in third, less punchy Dirty Harry (starring actor)
The Eiger Sanction (1975) - Eastwood's mountain climbing dud (director/star)

High Plains Drifter (1973) - Eastwood cleans up red town in great western (director/star)
The Beguiled (1971) - Intense, erotic Civil War kammerspiel thriller (starring actor)  
Dirty Harry (1971) - Eastwood's great, signature renegade cop character comes to life (starring actor)
Coogan's Bluff (1968) or, Dopes and Hippies, Beat It! (starring actor)  

Hang 'Em High (1968) - Post and Eastwood make spaghetti in the West (starring actor)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) - Leone ends his poncho trilogy with certified classic (starring actor)
For a Few Dollars More/Per Qualche Dollaro in Più (1965) or, Return of the Poncho Killer (co-starring actor)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) or, Killer in a Poncho (starring actor)

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 50-60 mil. $ (different accounts)

Box office: 122.4 mil. $

= Flop (returned 2.22 times its cost)

[Invictus premiered 3 December (California) and runs 135 minutes. Eastwood was paid 6 mil. $ for his work on the film. Shooting took place from March - May 2009 in South Africa, including in Johannesburg. The film opened #3, behind holdover hits The Princess and the Frog and The Blind Side, to an 8.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 37.4 mil. $ (30.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 26.6 mil. $ (21.7 %) and Spain with 10.3 mil. $ (8.4 %). The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Actor (Freeman), lost to Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, and Supporting Actor (Damon), lost to Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds. It was also nominated for a César award, a David di Donatello award, 3 Golden Globes and won 4 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Eastwood returned with Hereafter (2010). Freeman returned in 30 for 30 (2010, TV-series) and theatrically in RED 2 (2010); Damon in Cubed (2009, TV-series) and theatrically in Green Zone (2010). Invictus is certified fresh at 76 % with a 6.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Invictus?

The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989) or, The Nutty Sequel

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The globally recognizable star N!xau sells with his smile on this simple poster for Jamie Uys' The Gods Must Be Crazy II

Bushman Xi's two children get caught in a truck carrying elephants' tusks; meanwhile two white people fool around in the African savanna with a glider plane, and some soldiers fight.

The Gods Must Be Crazy II is written and directed by great South-African filmmaker Jamie Uys (Daar Doer in die Bosveld (1951)), who follows up his enormous hit The Gods Must Be Crazy with it, clearly trying to emulate the magic that the original film created.
The animals, - when they are not puppets, - and the awfully cute children are the most vibrant elements in this sequel, which is generally a morass. The stunt effects are mostly defined by ambitious aims that are not redeemed. The narrative is fumbled and seems pointless; the white couple is especially trying to watch, as neither have the real charisma or chemistry that was apparent between the similar couple in the first film, and both are (again) dubbed, which only heightens the artificial feeling of their questionable ordeals.
We are missing the one really hilarious character in The Gods Must Be Crazy II: N!xau from the poster above is hardly in the film, and the adventure is hardly original either. It is a glaring example of a commercially mandated sequel that lacks almost everything that made the original stand out.

Related post:

Jamie Uys: The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) - Uys' border-defying Kalahari desert blockbuster

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Reportedly 9.5 mil. $
= Uncertain - but likely at least a big flop
[The Gods Must Be Crazy II was released 26 July (France) and runs 98 minutes. It was shot in South Africa in 1985 and shelved for 4 years before getting its release, a testament to the filmmakers' knowledge that the original film was far superior. It opened #14 to a 1.1 mil. $ first weekend in 321 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #6 and grossed 6.2 mil. $ (65.3 % of the total gross). If made on a small budget of 5 mil. $, - equal to its predecessor's, - the film would rank as a big flop. But if made on the usually elevated budget of a sequel, say 10 mil. $, it would rank as a huge flop. Uys produced another film in 1992 (Adventures in Africa) but otherwise retired from filmmaking after The Gods Must Be Crazy II. N!xau (The Gods Must Be Crazy) returned in Crazy Safari (1991) and two more unofficial sequels to the Gods Must Be Crazy movies. The Gods Must Be Crazy II is rotten at 54 % with a 4.94/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Gods Must Be Crazy II?

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) - Uys' border-defying Kalahari desert blockbuster

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Humans are small and ant-like on the structures of the distorted title on this colorful poster for Jamie Uys' The Gods Must Be Crazy

We follow Kalahari desert bush man Xi, who thinks he receives a mysterious (Coke) bottle from the gods one day, as it gets dropped from an airplane; and the white biologist Steyn, who studies animals and their manure; as well as ruthless Communist militia leader Sam Boga.

The Gods Must Be Crazy is written and directed by great South-African filmmaker Jamie Uys (Daar Doer in die Bosveld (1951)).
At first the film's dichotomy of a deeply romanticized image of indigenous cultures and across from them, modern civilization as the apparent root of all evil left me skeptical. - But later it becomes clear that this dichotomic paintbrush is only used in service of a naive, adventurous - and hilarious - comedy, and the simplicity is instantly forgiven. Furthermore, the filmmakers' achievement of getting all the film's elements together in the African savanna in a successful way is an enormous feat in itself. The film doesn't offer an objective look at indigenous and modern cultures in and around the Kalahari, but then expecting this would be to judge it as a documentary.
The Gods Must Be Crazy features incredible scenes (often with animals), and a smart and dynamic editing strategy with lots of unconventional uses of fast-forward and even film going backwards - all for a laugh, and often working.
The film is a unique experience that's very funny and ultimately life-affirming, and which brings joy to young and old alike - the world over.

Watch a funny 2-minute clip from the film here

Cost: Reportedly 5 mil. $
Box office: Reportedly 200 mil. $
= Some uncertainty but looks like a blockbuster (returned upwards of 40 times its cost - some uncertainty)
[The Gods Must Be Crazy premiered 10 September (South Africa) and runs 109 minutes. Shooting took place in South Africa, including Johannesburg. N!xau, who plays Xi, was reportedly paid 2k $ for his performance. The film opened #22 to a 231k $ first weekend in 39 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #1 and grossed 30 mil. $. The film is said to have broken records in South Africa, Japan and foreign film records in the US. The 200 mil. $ gross is alleged in a South-African article only and could be entirely false. The film was nominated for a César award. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this one. Uys made The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989), again with N!xau, and more unofficial sequels followed. One Brisbane, Australia cinema showed the film continuously until closing in 1999, totaling reportedly 1,467 screenings. Uys reportedly supported N!xau with a further 20k $ and a monthly stipend before his own death in 1996. Uys returned with Funny People 2 (1983). N!ixau (Crazy Safari (1991)) returned in The Gods Must Be Crazy II. The Gods Must Be Crazy is fresh at 85 % with a 7.4/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Gods Must Be Crazy?

Searching for Sugar Man (2012, documentary) or, The Search for Sixto Rodriguez

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The musician rests inside his guitar on this neat poster for Malik Bendjelloul's Searching for Sugar Man

 

Rodriguez is the artist name of an American singer-songwriter who released two records around 1970, which were not hits in his own country but in South Africa, where a myth developed around the man, who very few knew anything of.

 

The story of Sugar Man builds up slowly and is pretty anecdotic. At one point, around 50 minutes in, however, the story takes a sharp turn and seems to grow significantly: SPOILER Rodriguez is alive! And he turns out to be a fascinating, extremely humble man. The reception he enjoys on arrival in South Africa is touching.

Searching for Sugar Man doesn't clear up Sixto Rodriguez for us, which I suppose is alright, but it purports to present him with his fame in South Africa, - which he actually learned about in 1997/98. Another reservation of mine is about the title, which doesn't seem to have any relation to Rodriguez. The only Sugar Man of the story seems to be Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, a South-African record store owner and fan of Rodriguez, who wrote one of the articles the film is based on. So it seems his name has been lifted to the film's title simply because it rings well. The film is also based on an article by Craig Bartholomew Strydom. It is the only film by Swedish Malik Bendjelloul, who committed suicide in May 2014 by jumping in front of a train, reportedly suffering from depression.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Reportedly 1 mil. $

Box office: 9.1 mil. $

= Huge hit

[Searching for Sugar Man premiered January 19 (Sundance) and runs 86 minutes. Bendjelloul quit his job in Swedish TV in 2006 and traveled to South Africa, where he found the story and began work on the documentary, which was funded through the Swedish Film Institute for the first two years. Filming took place in Detroit, Michigan, Los Angeles, California, London, England and in Cape Town, South Africa. As Bendjelloul ran out of money, he couldn't afford any more 8mm film and resorted to film parts of the film on his iPhone with the app 8mm Vintage Camera. The film opened #47 in 3 theaters to a 27k $ first weekend in North America, where it played an astounding 55 weeks, peaking in 157 theaters (at #22) and grossing 3.6 mil. $ (39.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Bendjelloul's native Sweden with 1.7 mil. $ (18.7 %) and Spain with 1 mil. $ (11 %). The film won the Best Documentary Oscar, - the first film partially shot on a smartphone to ever win an Oscar, - in front of Five Broken Cameras, The Gatekeepers, How to Survive a Plague and The Invisible War. It also won the corresponding BAFTA and scores of other awards and got a 4/4 rating from Roger Ebert. Searching for Sugar Man is certified fresh at 94 % with an 8 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Searching for Sugar Man?

District 9 (2009) - Blomkamp's strenuous, sci-fi-dressed Johannesburg squalor

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An evocative, volatile poster for Neill Blomkamp's District 9

QUICK REVIEW:

An alien life-form has landed its massive spaceship over Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1982, and have been rescued out of it to stay in a slum part of the city. Now, they are to be moved to a new area.

I wasn't captivated by District 9 the first time I saw it. And seeing it again, I find that I like it even less now than I did at first. It is the feature debut of South African writer-director Neill Blomkamp (Elysium (2013)), who wrote it with Terri Tatchell (Chappie (2015)), based on his short Alive in Joburg (2005).
The main reason for my dislike of the film, which has a huge (for me inexplicable) attraction on many people, is the protagonist, who serves as the anchor of the film: He is a bureaucrat with no extenuating qualities whatsoever, who we are nonetheless required to shower with our deference and attention in order to take in District 9 the way it's supposed to be taken in. Sharlto Copley (The A-Team (2010)) plays him like a real moron, who I fast felt I didn't want to hang out with at all.
There are no other nice humans in the film as well, and the 'prawns' (the derogatory slang for the aliens) are repugnant in the extreme. So my problem with District 9 basically is that I don't want any of them to win anything. And that I don't give a rat's butt what happens to any of them.
Blomkamp has served up his native city in as ugly a scoop as he could have made here, and he tells the story as if it's the work of a documentary crew. District 9 is full of disgusting scenes and ugliness, little to no charm or music and no stars to break the fall for someone with no penchant for aggressively ugly science fiction-coated, pontificating squalor such as this. 
Pontificating about what, you might ask? - Something about racism, slum existence and dehumanization. - South Africa has massive slum, social and cultural problems, which the aliens become an integral part of here.
The film has striking effects, creatures and CGI. Watching it makes me so happy to live in a country that is distinctly not South Africa.

Related post:

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 30 mil. $
Box office: 210.8 mil. $
= Huge hit
[I obviously can't really explain what made people fall over their own feet to get to watch this film, but they did: It opened #1 in North America with a 37.3 mil. $ opening weekend and grossed 115.5 mil. $ (55 % of the total gross) there. It was met with great reviews and was even 4-time Oscar-nominated: For Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Visual Effects and Editing, - becoming the first found-footage movie to be nominated for Best Picture.]

What do you think of District 9?
What stroke of genius is it that I am missing ... ?