Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

Based on Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom is indeed a powerful film that aptly focuses on the the character and spirit of him.  The film is great in scope and ambition, as one might expect.  So there are always going to be things to criticize and oversights made.  What makes this such a standout film beyond the obvious undertaking of the subject matter, is the incredible acting ability of Idris Elba.  I easily compare his performance to be on par with that of Forest Whitaker in The Last King Of Scotland.  Chronicling the early life of Mandela prior to his long stint in prison and on to his election as president, Elba's performance magnificently portrays the complexity that went into forging the latter public image and character most people are aware of.   After a while you actually forget that your looking at Idris as Mandela.  Nevermind the makeup process, the essence of the man is actually radiating from Elba and that's the best kind of acting.  It's hard to undertake such a large movie that could cover a life as Mandela's and the film does fall short in its completeness of that, but the reward of a singular acting performance is certainly realized.