Free State of Jones

Free State of Jones

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell, Mahershala Ali

Directed by Gary Ross

The Story:
In the midst of the Civil War, Confederate soldier Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey) fights valiantly, until he learns of a law passed that allowed anyone who owns more than twenty slaves are allowed to opt out of fighting.  This causes a disillusionment within Knight, and after a young man dies in front of him, he chooses to desert and return home with the young man's body, knowing full well he'll be a hunted man for leaving the battlefield.

Upon arriving at his home in Jones County, Mississippi, Newton learns his kinfolk are being harassed by the Confederates and their tax law allows them to pillage their land and livelihood.  Angered by this, he begins to form a militia with runaway slaves and other deserters in order to go against the Confederate army.  Using guerilla tactics, Knight and his militia are able to make grounds against the Confederates, establishing their own government and land, known as the Free State of Jones.

The Synopsis:
Gary Ross, who was nominated for four Oscars, decides to bring to life the story of Newton Knight, a man lost to history as someone who opposed the Confederate army in a deeply Confederate land, and who had great success.  However, not even his talent and Matthew McConaughey's performance could save a film that's overly padded, too long, and boring.

I don't base my reviews off how historically accurate a film is to its original material.  I see a biographical film as a way to draw interest in the viewer, who would later on do their own research on the topic.    With "Free State of Jones," I had no such desire to further pursue the real historical story, because I was so bored by what I saw on screen.  It took almost an hour to get the film really going, and once it did it had some promise, but then where it seems there would've been a perfectly fitting ending, it continued on for almost another hour, and done so in such a choppy fashion that we're taken forward in time sometimes months, sometimes years, but always having McConaughey's beard the same length and shagginess. 

The story is a compelling one at heart, as a man who sticks to his morals and values over duty of country gathers like-minded individuals to combat the villainy they see instead of just passively allowing it to happen, and Matthew McConaughey gives his best performance since his Oscar-winning role in "Dallas Buyers Club," but as I said earlier, in a film that could've been more exciting, it ultimately dragged on and on and on and on.

The best scene in the film is also shown in the trailer, and it involves the funeral of some of McConaughey's men.  He brilliantly ambushes the Confederate army in a spectacular shootout that woke me up from my near slumber, but one great scene doesn't excuse an entire dull film.

When the War ends, it looks like the ending credits will roll and the lights will come on, but instead the story keeps going.  While I do appreciate the fact that they continued the tale after the Civil War ends, it's like the multiple endings in "The Return of the King" in that it's interesting, but not really necessary.  We learn that it took a long time for Reconstruction, and all the changes didn't occur overnight.  As African Americans became freemen and earned the right to vote, they still faced strong opposition and racism from the white Southerners, as the Ku Klux Klan rises to power. 

One final baffling decision Ross made was including a story that takes place during the Jim Crow era, decades after the Civil War ends.  A man - a descendant of Newton Knight and his former slave wife Rachel - is on trial for marrying a white woman, since he's a percentage African American.  This part of an otherwise already-too-long film seemed pointless and tacked on, and served no real purpose to the overall tale.

Then...it ends.  While it could've ended perfectly an hour previous, it just ends.  It's like driving into a brick wall, where you weren't expecting it to end on such a random note, but all of a sudden BOOM, credits begin to roll.  There was no point in the ending, and ultimately was the bacon bits of a two hour, nineteen minute suck salad.

The Summary:
While the real-life tale should've been an interesting one, "Free State of Jones" was hampered by a padded plot, bloated runtime and pointless side stories that killed what would've been a great film with a fantastic Matthew McConaughey. 

The Score: B