More respectful murmurs about ‘Invictus’

I suppose there’s something to be said for taking a strong story and simply staying out of its way. This sounds like what Clint Eastwood has done with Invictus. As reviews continue to trickle in, it all sounds pretty unremarkable, but I’m forced to admit that all those who had it pegged for a best picture Oscar nomination were right.

Variety’s Todd McCarthy is the most optimistic of the two US trades:

“Invictus is a very good story very well told… 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.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Kirk Honeycutt meanwhile is a little more critical (though respectful) calling Invictus “a temperate, evenhanded perhaps overly timid film about an intemperate time in South Africa.” He goes on to add that “this is a conventional film that takes the measure of a country’s emotional temperature but not its individual citizens.”

Yawn.

Filed under: Buzz
Tags: Clint Eastwood, Invictus