children suffered for his strong convictions for the greater good. He married a woman he truly loved, Winnie, and had 2 daughters with her. Although Winnie supported and fought alongside Mandela for the cause, this family ultimately suffered, too, when he continued his campaign with the ANC and it turned to more drastic means to send a message to the South African government. As a result of his arrest and conviction for those actions, he spent 27 years away from his young family. There were some truly heart-wrenching moments and the actor who played Mandela, Idris Elba, convincingly conveyed the doubts and regrets that Mandela felt in not being able to be with his wife and children all those years.The movie showed this personal side of the Mandela story well. It skipped through the facts that are well known and easily accessed. This wasn't the focus of the movie. Now knowing the great sacrifices he endured to achieve the freedom he desired for all black South Africans, it made me ever more grateful for having witnessed a small part of the Mandela story. I was part of the "Free Mandela" movement in the late '80's and I saw him speak when he came to Toronto in 1990. Seeing this movie, with it's inclusion of live footage from that time, brought back memories of the emotions of the era, the "Boycott South African goods" campaign, the elation when Mandela was finally freed, and feeling the goosebumps when he spoke. He was, and is, one of the most inspiring, great leaders of our time. I highly recommend everyone go see this movie when it is widely released. It will leave you wanting to learn more about Mandela I plan to read his autobiography bearing the same name as the movie , and maybe even go out and do your part to make this a better society too, however small the contribution. As Mandela says in the movie, "Alone we have no power, together, we have the power to change the world".

very cinematic film. It also allows the audience to leave the theater inspired. I found myself suddenly having a greater appreciation for finding the good in people. I definitely credit this to Alex Heffes, the musical composer who really pulled off a score that I would say is better than some of John Williams' score. It's made by an underdog filmmaker, something the Academy always looks for and is even endorsed by Mandela himself. It's a fantastic film that I have had the pleasure to see and I hope to see Justin Chadwick and Anant Singh at the Oscars in February.

very well from the book entitle with the same title. Idris Elba deserves many awards for this movie, even though I did not like his accent for Mandela, but nonetheless the acting is where the magic is in his character.This movie is mainly about the great Mandela, but mostly it is about the movement, the journey, and the fights, that occurred during that time. This movie was made for people who are too young to know about this magnificent and historic act that Mandela did. And for the old to remember and for all to never forget.

unimaginable burden as the human exemplar of his nation's struggle. The film is impressive and will bring Mandela's story to millions around the world. The storytelling is powerful. The portrait of Mandela by Idris Elba is impressive as he presents his journey from young adult to grandfather of new multi-racial nation. He develops from an immature young man to man for whom suffering has created great wisdom, heroism and leadership. While he is presented as a hero, the film still manages to capture his human flaws through the difficulties with both his first and second wives. His dedication to his peoples' struggle comes at deep personal cost. The film is entrancing and deeply moving. The struggle of his wife Winnie Mandela – portrayed by Naomie Harris - is also deeply moving. She dedicates herself to her husband's struggle, but in some way her struggle is more difficult than his. The pain that strengthens him seems to embitter her and drive the two of them apart. Their love for each other and their courage is both inspiring and tragic. The portrayal of their marriage is heartbreaking. Their marriage becomes yet another casualty of the struggle against Apartheid. While reviewers will undoubtedly find fault or historical inaccuracies, the film seems an honest portrayal of one of the great figures and one of the great struggles of the 20th century. It is highly recommend for those seeking a little more hope and inspiration.

on screen, the cinematography by Lol Crawly whose shots brilliantly bring out the best of the legend and his times and then the proper placement of music score as well as the archival footages within the film's coarse, the the performances by the lead. The best among them comes the performance by Idris Elba who greatly delivers a performance that's worth cherishing and successfully brings out the portrayal of Madiba well and then comes the narration by the director Justin Chadwick, who keeps you engaged and sympathize with the film's journey to freedom. Not to be missed! My rating would be: 4/5.

internally with power-sharing delaying true democracy and his 2nd wife's - Winnie Mandela - terrorist activities. I think they could have highlighted his decision to walk away from power - ala George Washington - and peacefully transfer power. This was a first, and still isn't routine in Africa! Idris Elba's performance clearly puts him in contention for best-actor Oscar.

especially our current government!

a woman who stands by her man during his imprisonment, and slowly drifts apart from him as she no longer feels she knows him and his intentions. Much has been said about the movie's plot flaws, something I do not agree with as I found it to be quite entertaining and a great homage to the legend that is Nelson Mandela. Great performances in a fantastic movie.Rating 8/10

these days tends to do.The downside is, events are rushed through and other comrades in the ANC's struggle are sidelined or absent.We see Mandela as the young ambitious lawyer something that was overlooked in his time in prison where journalists liked to see him painted as an ex-boxer and terrorist. This switches to Mandela as a ladies man in the evening. Pretty soon he is married with children and his involvement with the ANC becomes serious. He divorces his first wife and then we switch to Mandela in his 40s when he meets Winnie. Then there is his arrest and imprisonment in Robben island.It is only during imprisonment we see the divergence in his and Winnie's life. Winnie and her treatment by the police making her more extreme and prone to violence while the now older Mandela is in secret talks with the government.After his release we see his struggles with Winnie who is implicated in murder through her security team and his struggle to achieve a peaceful transition to turn South Africa into a full democracy without rancour and bitterness of the past.Idris Elba gets the voice right but in the early scenes he has too much of his police character Luther about him with his gait and only seems comfortable with the older Nelson.Naomie Harris also hits her stride with the older and more bitter Winnie Mandela as well.However this is a film to educated you about the life of Nelson Mandela and in that it succeeds very well.There are things left out such as after he became President, his failures to close the economic inequality gap between the rich whites and the still poor blacks. There is nothing about the Truth & Reconciliation hearings which allowed the country to move away from the bitterness of apartheid.