I tried to judge this solely on its artistic merit rather than letting the death of Mandela affect my judgement of the film. .
Idris Elba puts in a fine performance, his South African accent is very good, however this film is not without flaws. Idris Elba looks as much like Mandela as Naomi Watts looks like Diana. That said it is not such a huge issue in this film, as once I got over the lack of likeness I did go with it, which is a testament to the film.
If anything this film tries to do to much, covering over 50 years in a little under 2 and a half hours means it does move quickly and doesn't have time to linger on any particular event.
It would be very easy to make this film and try and make it fit the modern Statesman view of Nelson Mandela. I like the fact that it does not shy away from his early life and the terrorism for which he was responsible. Showing the Man warts and all.
This film stands as a great obituary to the former South African President. 8/10
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