A film about the life of Nelson Mandela was always going to be successful, but one that premiered on the eve of his death has an appeal that no publicist could engineer. The film leaves much to be desired in terms of pacing and focus, yet its fine cast of actors carries it to greater heights than it might otherwise have achieved.

Idris Elba’s depiction of Mandela is nothing short of remarkable. His performance shows incredible range, taking Mandela from his young, wayward days as a lawyer and freedom fighter in 1940s Johannesburg, through the long years of imprisonment, and culminating in his inauguration as President of South Africa in 1994. Naomie Harris sparkles as Mandela’s wife, Winnie, and does justice to the strength and courage of a woman who suffered alongside her husband.

Despite strong acting, beautiful cinematography and a rousing score, it felt as if there was a real story being held tantalisingly out of reach for the film’s overly long running time of 146 minutes. Justin Chadwick’s film keeps viewers at arm’s length, depicting Mandela through the veil of his public image. Entire sections of the film are nothing more than video montages, cycling quickly through his first two marriages, his involvement with the ANC, and the actions that led to his incarceration for twenty-seven years.

Trying to adapt Mandela’s life for screen was always going to be challenging and, while Chadwick did not fail, he did sacrifice a more meaningful film for the sake of packing in as many major life events as possible. There is no room to breathe in this film; to gain a real sense of the man behind the legend. There are some beautifully tender moments; Mandela with his first-born son, who dies while he is in prison, or the painful realisation, when released from prison, that he and Winnie no longer have a real marriage.

The continually-rolling timescale reduces significant periods in Mandela’s life to mere headlines and soundbites; even the appalling violence of the apartheid struggle takes on a snapshot quality.

All of these elements turn Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom into a whistle-stop, disappointingly shallow history lesson.  “You are not a stranger. You’re Nelson Mandela,” a young Winnie tells Mandela. Sadly, the man that was Nelson Mandela is still a stranger when the credits roll on this film.