Review: 'Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom'

Idris Elba does a sterling job as Mandela. His transition from a young man to an octogenarian is let down only once or twice by prosthetics but otherwise he is pretty convincing. He impersonates Mandela's walk and speech to perfection.

Naomie Harris as Winnie is intense and dazzling. It is a delight to watch her as the complicated and controversial Mrs. Mandela, who was thrown into politics by circumstances, doing the unfinished work of her husband while he was in prison. The tone of her character does get tilted in favour of Nelson Mandela, thereby not giving a true picture of their interpersonal relationship.

The film, shot in real location, is symbolic of director Chadwick's overall approach. He portrays the unrest in predictable fashion with montages of newsreel material showing fighting on the streets to music from Bob Marley and Public Enemy. There is also BBC's footage of the Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday tribute concert, staged at Wembley in 1988 and broadcast around the world.

Overall, the film pays homage to this extraordinary man but lacks the emotional drive to make him iconic on screen.

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