Being a history teacher and rugby fan I was really looking forward to seeing Invictus but sadly it lived up to my expectations. I was laughing to myself reading through the thread especailly the comments about how rugby players nearly kill each other during games. Sadly there have been instances of deaths but this applies to most physcial contact sports. In the late 1990s the then Wales rugby captain sustained a serious spinal injury from which he has never fully recovered and I know of friends who have had near misses and serious concussions and broken bones. Someone said that rugby players don't take cheap shots which is rubbish. I remember my first ever match in senior school against a local school rival when one of your players fly-kicked an opponent in the head. While the rest of us 12years old stopped in horror our teacher (who also refereed the game) shouted "thats the spirit son - I want to see the rest f you show some of that". Terrifying at the time but funny years later. There are constantly players being cited (banned) for throwing punches, eye gauging and the like. It is interesting that while football (soccer) suffers from hooliganism but no violence on the field, rugby fans freely drink and mix during and after games with no violence and laugh about the match they have seen. Rugby is a gentleman's game played by thugs. There is also real concern at the moment about the threat to players health in the long and short term. Wales centre Jamie Roberts was in a clash with an Australian counter-part last year and cracked his skull during a game - after a bit of water from a sponge he finished the game - scary!
The reason I bring these things up is that unfortunately it is the big problem with the film. Clint just doesn't get the game. I understand that it is the story that is important but the vehicle to tell the tale needs to be done well. I can excuse the clunky, explanatory dialogue for the US audience but the action scenes need to be realistic. Rugby is violent, aggressive and fast. In Invictus the rugby scenes looked like something from a high school soap-opera. I'm sure if members look on youtube they will find some quality videos of players tackling. Type in 'Scott Gibbs tackle' and you are sure to find something to compare Clint's action sequences to.
I also like Matt Damon as an actor but he was sadly mis-cast. Pienaar is huge, the casting director should have hired someone who was over six foot - possibly an unknown South African? Likewise for Jonah Lomu. I remember laughing my behind off when he trampled England (especially Mike Catt) during the World Cup but the film just didn't do him justice. He played for Cardiff Blues towards the end of his career and while his pace had gone and he wasn't the same player after serious illness, he was still a physical monster with a massive aura about him. Sadly, Clint got this all wrong.
There are other issues with the film as well but I think that most of these have been mentioned elsewhere. I am trying to remember the name of a good rugby film that was made about 10 years ago and will post if I remember it.
Clint Eastwood Forums
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