Empty account of the release of Nelson Mandela following over twenty years of political incarceration, brokered by mining expert Michael Young (Miller) in a series of 'tense' meetings between Thabo Mbeki (Ejiofor), social justice academic (Hurt) and president F.W. de Klerk's brother (Huff) among others. The heavy emphasis on symbolism masks a disappointing lack of suspense in the narrative in what could have (and should have) been a fascinating examination of the beginning of the end of apartheid. Instead, Travis' picture manages to make a globally recognisable subject esoteric, and at times, incoherent.
Miller doesn't look convincing in his key role as a master facilitator, nor do other more experienced performers (Hurt, Peters, Jacobi) look especially like their recognisable subjects. It may not always be necessary to employ lookalikes when 'covering' historical figures, but it helps if the characterisations are otherwise realistic and believable, and these (in my opinion) are not. The dialogue is laboriously slow and consequently tawdry, each line treated like God's nectar, framed by emotive expressions from the cast, before the next great revelation can be uttered.
The result is a lethargic dramatisation of the events, which fails to do the subject matter appropriate justice, considering its significance. It's a monotone picture that needed more attention to pace and climax to engage the audience. "Invictus" or even the Poitier-Caine telemovie "Mandela & de Klerk" would be benchmarks on the subject matter, but give this one the swerve.
Miller doesn't look convincing in his key role as a master facilitator, nor do other more experienced performers (Hurt, Peters, Jacobi) look especially like their recognisable subjects. It may not always be necessary to employ lookalikes when 'covering' historical figures, but it helps if the characterisations are otherwise realistic and believable, and these (in my opinion) are not. The dialogue is laboriously slow and consequently tawdry, each line treated like God's nectar, framed by emotive expressions from the cast, before the next great revelation can be uttered.
The result is a lethargic dramatisation of the events, which fails to do the subject matter appropriate justice, considering its significance. It's a monotone picture that needed more attention to pace and climax to engage the audience. "Invictus" or even the Poitier-Caine telemovie "Mandela & de Klerk" would be benchmarks on the subject matter, but give this one the swerve.