Writer: William Nicholson (Screenplay)
Starring: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Zolani Mkiva, Simon Mogwaza
Plot: A chronicle of Nelson Mandela’s life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
Tagline – It is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
Runtime: 2 Hours 21 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Too Much to Fit In
Story: Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom starts as we see how the young lawyer Nelson Mandela (Elba) fought for equal rights in South Africa, he helped black people get their time in court, to fight for what was right, before finding himself mixed up in a activist group, one that would bring damage to the world.
Nelson is caught, thrown in prison for life, instead of executed, his wife Winnie (Harris) continues to fight peacefully for what is right on the outside, while Nelson builds his reputation within the prison, to the level where the white government officials turn to him, in hope of bringing peace to the country.
Thoughts on Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Final Thoughts – When it comes to Nelson Mandela, we do have one of the most important men in history, his story is beyond amazing, with this film telling his story from his early lawyer days, until he becomes the leader of South Africa. The film does have a lot to get in, which is disappointing, because there is so much to tell, it just feels like we are skipping over the major events without getting the main details of what is happening. We can’t fault the performances with Idris Elba being fantastic, with Naomie Harris being strong in the supporting role. This film would have been nicer to see more, or focus on just a smaller part, but trying to cover such a great man’s whole life, is nearly impossible in film format.
Overall: We could have seen more.