On Monday night, a few dear friends and I stood in an unending line of humanity to watch a sneak of the new film Invictus, starring the hunky Matt Damon (right). This movie tells the true story of the South African rugby team, which defeated the All Blacks in the finals of the 1995 Rubgy World Cup. (Rugby fans tell me that the untold story here is the chronic underperformance of New Zealand at international tournaments.)

This movie features several sweeping shots of the South African countryside which, as a side note, will make you want to attend the 2010 World Cup. Morgan Freeman lends the best performance of the film, portraying Nelson Mandela. Freeman’s naturally easy-going, measured demeanor translates well to the role, and from what I remember of the newsreels he does an excellent job mimicking Mandela’s mannerisms.

There’s a little too much “shakycam” in the  rugby scenes to tell if they are good or not. (I have never understood why movie makers do that — a good NFL Films documentary has far better football footage than Any Given Sunday.)

Although it’s a pretty standard sports movie, Invictus offers a textured view of the political events in mid-90s South Africa. This, if anything, sets it apart from other sports movies. Check it out.

Final ranking: 7 pickles out of 10.