Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom - Review
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is a film that has drawn a fair amount of attention, not least for being released not long after Mandela’s own passing. It is not a perfect film and is, for the viewer, an extensive journey (clocking in at 2 hours, 27 mins), but one that is worth taking. It is an inspiring, moving and shocking story beautifully acted by leads Idris Elba ( The Wire , Luther , Thor ) as Mandela and Naomie Harris ( Skyfall, Pirates of the Caribbean ) as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. From the very beginning, the film declares itself to be “a very important biopic”, with a sweeping score set to dramatic slow-motion, frequent captioning of locations & dates and comprehensive dialogue, unpacking every moment that is captured of Mandela’s life. It cannot be described as a subtle film and at times verges on seeming a tad simplistic. Mandela and Winnie look just so glamorous and striking compared to the white South Africans who are generally unimpressive, ordinary-looking,...