You may know Idris Elba, who plays Nelson Mandela in the new film Mandela: A Long Walk To Freedom, from his stint as Stringer Bell in The Wire.
Despite Elba doing essentially a nice job, Mandela is no The Wire. That may not seem like a fair comparison on the surface yet actually it speaks volumes. A subject as heroic and inspiring as Mandela’s begs for artistry of the highest order. What we get here is a nearly three-hour long replica of the worst aspects of a made-for TV movie. Dull around whatever edges it possesses, it’s hard to get away from the notion that Mandela, in the same month as his death at 95, deserves better.
Much of the problem lies in the enormity of such a long life in all its varied aspects. Some have suggested a mini series would have better served, or the narrowing of its focus on an aspect of Mandela’s life, much as the film Lincoln did last year. Going whole cloth on such a long and important life limits much of the proceedings to a stiff and sweeping rush job. When Mandela, during his 27 years of incarceration, is forbidden leave to bury his oldest son, it’s more told AT us than given enough emotional detail to resonate. Similarly, when Mandela is finally released from prison and reunited with his second wife, Winnie, their emotional disconnect barely begins to register when we’re whisked away to another chapter.
The film is bookended by Mandela’s personal struggle with the morality of and strategic efficacy of violence as a tool for social change. His transformation from bomb thrower to Gandhi-esque denier of vengeance once apartheid finally loses hold on South Africa is also sadly more of a sketch than a serious study. Despite a fine performance by Naomie Harris as Winnie, the film merely shows her progressively violent viewpoint after her own jailing rather than offering a look at the feelings that provoked her rage.
While I still recommend Mandela as a primer on this very important and highly inspiring subject, pursue this film only as an introduction. To get underneath the real Mandela, and to more deeply understand Winnie, including her far worse crimes than those depicted here, you’ll need to investigate further on your own. Panoramas like Mandela; A Long Walk To Freedom, while well-intentioned, are often as stodgy as their string-swelled soundtracks.