Another history lesson. But whether or not it's accurate it didn't matter that much. This is a movie and there will be embellishments. The only thing mattered was the outcome, and it was an amazing film.
And whether or not Idris Elba imitated Mandela well, it also didn't matter too much, but it's his spirit of unflinching loyalty to the cause and that hunger for freedom for his people that needed and did shine through.
I loved the opening sequence, to see the young boys painting their faces and running in the field. All the way to the end of that sequence with the close-up. The cinematography was very impressive and throughout the film there were many more great shots.
But it's Justin Chadwick's direction that told the story very beautifully. That moment when Elba stepped into his prison cell, I felt what he felt. That closed up space and the bars on the window and the mattress on the floor, Chadwick brought me into the frame.
And when he got visitors, I don't know if that piece of sliding wood was really there in the real prison but in those scenes they worked effectively. Some of the most heart felt moments were when that piece of wood slid away.
What I would have really liked to see was what happened to the rest of the family in the end as that wasn't conclusive. Even Naomie Harris, playing his wife who got lost in the cause while fighting for his freedom and had an integral part in the overall movement, didn't really get a proper "update" as to what happened to her after everything.
But still, this was a great piece of storytelling, nicely paced and beautifully shot.
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