"Invictus" *** (out of four): If the fascinating true story of Nelson Mandela and the 1995 Rugby World Cup isn't enough to make you see Clint Eastwood's solid new movie, Morgan Freeman's pitch-perfect portrayal of Mandela should be.

At this point, it's all but redundant to say that Clint Eastwood is one of our finest directors. Since 1992's landmark "Unforgiven", Mr. Eastwood has continually created the type of cinematic gems that typical inspire the phrase, "they don't make 'em like that anymore". Most recently he excelled with 2006's World War II one-two punch, "Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima", as well as his return to the front of the camera in 2008's "Gran Torino" (2008's "Changeling" is a forgivable misstep). Now pushing 80, the former Man with No Name shows no signs of faltering. His latest, "Invictus", is the fascinating true story of Nelson Mandela and the 1995 Rugby World Cup. As usual, Mr. Eastwood tells his story with a quiet grace and reverence.

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