Clint Eastwood 'Invictus' Reviews Round-Up

The New York Times (A.O. Scott)

"It's an exciting sports movie, an inspiring tale of prejudice overcome and, above all, a fascinating study of political leadership."

USA Today (Claudia Puig)

"Invictus, which is Latin for "unconquered," gives the poem several meanings in the context of the film. It also applies to Eastwood, who, as one of America's greatest storytellers, finds enthralling tales and fashions them with finesse and an indomitable spirit."

New York Post (Lou Lumenick)

"This movie depicts an unlikely intersection of sports and leadership in ways that manage to be inspiring and insightful without ever becoming schmaltzy or preachy."

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

"Clint Eastwood, a master director, orchestrates all of these notes and has us loving Mandela, proud of Francois and cheering for the plucky Springboks. A great entertainment. Not, as I said, the Mandela biopic I would have expected."

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Joe Williams)

"What makes it special is Eastwood's ability to artfully and concisely tell a story, and Morgan Freeman's wonderfully understated turn as South African President Nelson Mandela."

Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)

"Eastwood's modest approach to these momentous events shames the usual Hollywood showboating. In a rare achievement, he's made a film that truly is good for the soul."

Time (Richard Corliss)

"Damon, beefed up for the occasion, makes Pienaar a stalwart yet courtly figure. Freeman infuses Mandela's speeches with the same gentleness and gravity he's brought to his numerous God roles and the Visa Olympics commercials. But the real deity here is Eastwood, still chugging away handsomely in his 80th year."

Variety (Todd McCarthy)

"Inspirational on the face of it, Clint Eastwood's film has a predictable trajectory, but every scene brims with surprising details that accumulate into a rich fabric of history, cultural impressions and emotion."

Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)

"Instead of a thriller, war movie or western, the director has turned out a stirring drama about South African leader Nelson Mandela, blending entertainment, social message and history lesson."

Wall Street Journal (Joe Morgenstern)

"A win-win situation in which a mainstream feature works equally well as stirring entertainment and a history lesson about a remarkable convergence of sports and statesmanship."

Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)

"Invictus, which features outstanding performances from both its lead actors, succeeds wonderfully on its simplest level, as a portrait of political genius."

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

"Eastwood has crafted something that works both as a sports drama and as an examination of the birth pains of the racially unified South Africa."

Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips)

"Damon is becoming one of the truest, most reliable actors of his generation. And Eastwood has more films in development, proving, at 79, that 79 is just a number like any other."

- Full reviews can be found at www.metacritic.com/film/titles/invictus