Mar 20th
Invictus*** (12A)
Electric Palace, Harwich

US 2009. Warner Bros/Spyglass Entertainment/Revelations/Malpaso. 134m. Panavision

Nelson Mandela is released from prison and uses South Africa's participation in the 1995 Rugby World Cup to unite the country and reconcile old wounds.
Pleasingly liberal feelgood sports drama, which sometimes over-accentuates the interracial tensions and takes a while reaching its climax (as often with Eastwood), but has all the well-worn cliches of the sports movie for the final match, and at its heart has one of the best, most authentic portrayals of quite dignified authority since Ben Kingsley in 1982.

Written by: Anthony Peckham, based on the book "Playing the Enemy" by John Carlin.
Producers: Clint Eastwood, Lori McReary, Robert Lorenz, Mace Neufeld.
Director: Clint Eastwood.
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng, Matt Stern, Marguerite Wheatley, Zak Feaunati (as Jonah Lomu).
Photography: Tom Stern.
Music: Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens.
Production Design: James T. Murakami.