Invictus is an entertaining film directed by Clint Eastwood, telling the story of the South African national rugby team’s, the Springboks, unlikely run to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. I’m happy to see that Rugby is finally getting some attention in the States, through a film that is a sure blockbuster.

The movie shows that the Springboks’s success came from playing for more than just a trophy by delving into the political and social turmoil following the end of Apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s president.

Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman, seems to have a fetish for rugby, a sport that isn’t very popular among the black population in South Africa. Mandela and Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, played by Matt Damon, set out to unite the country by making the rugby team a source of national pride.

While the movie is entertaining to watch, it requires some serious suspension of disbelief. While I’m sure that the team’s World Cup victory was a great source of pride for the country, I can’t buy that the black and white populations dropped their qualms and got along just because their Nation’s rugby team was pretty good.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know very well about the healing power of rugby. One of the first rugby videos I ever saw was a highlight of that 1995 world cup. The video even mentioned that the team really did feel like they were playing for the unity of their country.

But the fact that the Springboks kept the colors of the old South African flag makes it even harder to believe that everybody rallied around the team. I feel like it would be really hard to so quickly forget that green and gold are the colors of an oppressive South African government under Apartheid.

As for the acting, Morgan Freeman was unsurprisingly fantastic as Nelson Mandela, and the casting of Zak Feaunati was perfect for the role of Jonah Lomu, an immense and intimidating all-star for the New Zealand All Blacks. Matt Damon seems a little too small to play Francois Pienaar but nonetheless, his acting was great.

Over all, from a rugby player’s standpoint, there wasn’t enough rugby, but I’m sure that there was enough for the average American viewer. It’s good to see that rugby is finally getting a little bit of recognition in the States.

In a country that loves the sports drama of titles like Remember the Titans, Friday Night Lights, and Any Given Sunday, I think that there’s room for some of the great stories that Rugby has to tell.