Viewers need to be inspired these days, so Clint Eastwood?s latest film, ?Invictus,? comes to our screens in the nick of time. It recalls the turbulent time when then new South African president Nelson Mandela had a hard time uniting the blacks and whites in the country?s population.

Luckily for the country, Mandela got the brilliant brainstorm to persuade football star Francois Pienaar to join forces with him to lead South Africa?s football team to World Cup glory.

Of course, rugby wasn?t the point, just the springboard for getting the country?s combative races to finally take collective pride in their shared history, and team up to finally work together, not against each other.

Despite the brilliance of Mandela?s brainstorm, it still took a lot of guts and gumption to make it work. Thank goodness, the white football icon was open to persuasion, especially after Mandela quoted the poem, ?Invictus,? which resolutely declares the urgent need for a leader to be the master of his fate.

In Mandela?s view, South Africa, would never come into its own as a nation if its different races remained divided, so Pienaar had to see things his way.

Happily, that?s exactly what happened, and the World Cup was a shining success for South Africa in more ways than one.

In terms of filmmaking, ?Invictus? benefits greatly from Eastwood?s insightful handling. It?s all too easy for an inspiring movie to simply fall back on its pious and lofty intention, but Eastwood actualizes those intentions into vibrant and cogent insights that make the film?s inspirational power real rather than knee-jerk.

The director is greatly aided by Morgan Freeman?s finely-tuned portrayal. Not only does the actor look like the South American leader?s twin, but he also communicates his quiet strength and visionary nature.

Yes, Freeman?s disciplined and focused performance could occasionally use some emotional revving-up, but on the whole it?s what the movie director ordered to keep its story on even keel.

Focus on Mandela

For his part, Matt Damon infuses his portrayal of Pienaar with believability and emotional cogency, while always keeping in mind that the production?s focus should be mainly in Mandela?s character.

The film?s main problem is the big championship game that finally unites all South Africans after decades of sullen enmity. For some reason, Eastwood stretches his coverage of that final confrontation to great lengths, and this less than judicious decision makes it difficult for the production to peak and climax, as most movie finales need to do to lift the viewers? spirits up to requisite heights.

Despite this overlong finale, however, ?Invictus? is still an inspiring viewing experience. It is hoped that Mandela?s fine example will persuade viewers to be similarly daring and visionary in their own personal and social spheres?because anything is possible and attainable when a few good men join forces to right a seemingly irredeemable wrong.