The Forgiven (2018)

I almost did not watch this as IMDb is fairly reliable for me with ratings over/under 6. Not sure why this was a 5.7 however I am a fan of Forrest and Eric. They are equally great in their performance here. Subject matter is hard. This movie had me from start to finish and did not disappoint. The lead characters and supporting leads pull their weight in conveying perspectives from both sides of one of history's darker (and still ongoing) sagas.

Forest Whitaker gives an incredible performance of Desmond Tutu. He takes the form of Tutu in the way he stands, the voice and the mannerisms. Her took his big self and made himself a near perfect recreation of the real Tutu (Real Tutu is 86!). There are some slow spots but the plot is quite good. Other remarkable characters and performances. Highly recommend.

After the end of Apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu meets with a brutal murderer seeking redemption. The Forgiven has a weird looking Forest Whitaker and Eric Bana in Prison plus lot's of violence and mediocre acting with no real power from the actors to be given and it's disappointing when actors like Whitaker choose roles like this. Also people who might expect a strong film about Africa or great dramatic perfomances and depth within the plot will be disappointed with the end result. (0/10)

It's one of Forest Whitaker's best performances (but not his best). Similar to Gary Oldman's Oscar winning performance in The Darkest Hour, Whitaker is so engulfed as Desmond Tutu, thanks to both being a great actor and to some make up effects that you forget it's Forest Whitaker (Well, until you see the lazy eye). I must say, although I know who Tutu is I never seen a picture of him and upon seeing one I'm indifferent about the make up effects as it makes Tutu seem like an ugly man, but once again, it's about Whitaker's metamorphism.The Forgiven is about Tutu after Apartheid ended, under the request of Nelson Mandela, headed up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. During this time he's summoned by a dangerous criminal, played by Eric Bana, to a prison he's in, in hopes of getting clemency for his crimes. Eric Bana as dangerous criminal, Bloomfield could have used more screen time to be a better adversary for Whitaker's Tutu, it would have just enhanced both performances greatly.Once again, the Forgiven makes me indifferent about knowledge of other cultures, seeing how black people have so much in common in many different countries, and how I wish some of those similarities were on the positive (but still worth learning). Though I feel like I learned something about the aftermath of Apartheid and Desmond Tutu (enough to make me want to learn more), the movie is not the best film. It's very formulated and easy to predict. The real shinning light is Forest Whitaker truly becoming someone else on camera.