Invictus on DVD now

Invitus is centered around the South African based 1995 Rugby World Cup, where a new apartheid free South Africa take their first step on the world stage. The central figure in the story is Nelson Mandela, in a role that Morgan Freeman was born to play, and the film follows his struggle to unite the nation under the new flag – overcoming generations of prejudice and distrust.

Joining Mandela as a uniting force in South Africa is Francois Pienaar (an excellent Damon) the Rugby captain who Mandela asks to spearhead his campaign. The problem is that the Springboks are seen as the ‘white’ side of South Africa and bringing people together under the new flag is going to be a difficult job. Can Mandela use sport to unite a fractured nation?

Well rugby fans will know the history of this match – and for anyone else who doesn’t I'm not going to spoil the outcome of the final match with the Springboks and the All Blacks. As for the film itself it takes an interesting slant on South Africa's recent past and looks at the early hangover from apartheid and Mandelas recent release from prison. Eastwood directs well the film looks great and the two leads have morphed seamlessly into their respective characters – for that alone this film is worth viewing.

Mandela in life is the closest person to a living saint – and these are credentials that are not questioned in this film. Every speech he makes takes him closer to being a deity – is the man never angry / frustrated or even sharp with people? Maybe this is the sort of film that is looking but not digging into South Africa’s recent past and subsequently although its good there’s something slightly lacking.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast:
Morgan Freeman – Nelson Mandela
Matt Damon – Francois Pienaar

For the official website click here

Tyson on DVD now

Mike Tyson retells the highs and lows of his career in this documentary. It begins with his tough Brooklyn upbringing, his discovery by his mentor Cus D’Amato. The film then documents his years at the top, his years of excess and his many falls from grace and his loss of boxing prowess – where he blatantly admits he was boxing ‘for the money’.

The film has some good archive footage, of the early Tyson and more importantly footage of his fights – so rarely seen due to copyright issues serve to remind the viewer of how menacing and unbeatable he was in his prime, which is made all the more poignant when looking at his later career.

Toback does have an annoying habit of splitting the screen up – as if to be an obvious analogy with Tyson’s own split persona. Tyson himself comes across as a man who has two distinct sides to his personality, physically hes one of the scariest (to me anyway) people on the planet and yet he has one of the softest girlie voices – not that I would tell him! He either views women as whores or something to be protected and kept safe, having said that I found the section when he is talking about what he wants from a woman quite disturbing – if I’m being honest he scares the hell out of me.

Tyson speaking about his old mentor is genuinely touching, hes realises the debt he has to Cus D’Amato who saved him from the street but didn’t live long enough to see his rise and fall in the world of boxing. Would Tyson’s story be any different if he had been there to steer his path?

Its an interesting documentary, Tyson comes across as a mass of contradictions and it also made me realise that boxing is now a corporate sport on pay per view, not seen on terrestrial television for the masses, which even though I don’t like the sport, is a shame for future generations.

Directed by James Toback

Cast

Mike Tyson – himself
The rest of the cast are seen in archive footage.

For the official website click here