Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood’s Invictus.

Finnish cinema screens this week are privy to yet another pairing up of Hollywood stalwarts Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman, after the previous successes of The Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. With Invictus, they tackle a story featuring one of the most admired figures of modern history: Nelson Mandela.

Set in 1995, the film follows the exploits of Mandela as he utilises the forthcoming rugby World Cup on South African shores as an opportunity to unite his people, so bitterly divided by apartheid. By enlisting the help of Springbok’s captain Matt Damon, he controversially courts a vivid symbol of previous white settlement to bring the nation together. Critics worldwide have heaped praise on the film, as Eastwood continues to produce some of his best work in the autumn of his career.

Meanwhile, Mel Gibson steps out of the director’s chair this week for the first time since the infamous drunken rant a couple of years ago that very nearly derailed his career. Based on the popular BBC series, Edge of Darkness sees Gibbo promoting family values as a vengeful dad hunting down the murderers of his activist daughter. With Ray Winstone in tow, the main curiosity will be in seeing if Mel’s still got the chops in his first starring role since 2002’s Signs.

Bringing up the rear is the ominous pairing of Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker, whose married couple battles both infidelity and living in the sticks whilst stationed under the witness protection program in Did You Hear About the Morgans? Yet another one that slipped through the net of Hollywood quality control, no doubt. Now, I’m not a betting man, but this fish-out-of-water tale reeks a bit like it might just have been left out in the sun a little too long. Judge for yourself.

Keith Bernstain