Free State of Jones basically tries to be like a Civil War version of Braveheart. That is not a good thing. Instead of giving us a sweeping scale and memorable battle sequences, the movie is completely content on giving us a talky, drawn-out history lesson for 139 minutes.
Matthew McConaughey stars as Newton Knight, a former Civil War veteran turned farmer who leads a rebellion against corruption within the Confederate States of America set against the backdrop of Jones County, Mississippi. One of Knight’s goals is to end slavery and he subsequently marries a mixed woman (Gugu Mbatha-Raw).
Knight’s rebellion leads him to gather up arms and form a kind of militia against the Confederates, but the movie doesn’t really supply any kind of opposition that menacing. The leader of the Confederates has a mustache. All that’s left for him to do is twirl it.
Keri Russell costars as Knight’s first wife who ends up losing her homeland, and more. It’s such a shame because her character isn’t really given anything good to do and her performance is wasted and miscast here.
Writer/director Gary Ross has done some great movies before including Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, and the first Hunger Games movie. He has it in him to give memorable, effective entertainment. He needs to find his way back to that caliber. As for McConaughey, he can be a good actor, but he lacks the depth, presence, and conviction that you need for the hero of this movie. It feels like his heart’s not in it and he took it only for a paycheck role.
There’s also another subplot taking place some 80 years later in a courtroom determining the lineage of the Knight family tree which is a little more interesting than the rest of the film, but it has the same problem by being too talky and wishing it ends as painlessly as possible.
It’s hard to imagine even real Civil War buffs finding anything engrossing. Anyone who goes to see it will feel like they are a captive for 139 minutes.
Grade: C-
(Rated R for brutal battle scenes and disturbing graphic images.)
(PHOTO/STX Entertainment)
