Review of Free State of Jones (2016) by Thomas D — 24 Jun 2016

Biopics are generally difficult to make. Making a cohesive story based on a life that spanned 84 years is borderline impossible, especially for someone with the legacy of Newton Knight. Free State of Jones fails to put together said story, and never succeeds to reach the gravitas that the source material seemed to exude.

It's hard not to be a fan of the material Matthew McConaughey is pursuing these days. Although the 'McConaissance' is pretty much over, he's still a world class talent of an actor and is sure to give us another Oscar caliber performance soon enough. While this wasn't necessarily the film to do so, he's not at all the issue. I wasn't emotionally connected with many, if any, of the characters but McConaughey certainly adds plenty of credibility to the scenes he's in.

I've liked quite a few of Gary Ross' films, but this won't go down as one for the positive end. Knight's story is a hefty one and it seems like Ross and his writers didn't have a grasp as to how they wanted to approach such a story. The film jumps around in time quite a bit and it never quite settles on the part of Knight's life that's most compelling. I liked the material I watched and the actor's portrayals, but it's hard to truly get invested in a story with choppy editing and a confusing direction.

The film runs to just under 2 and a half hours long, but it felt like three. I couldn't help but think something like Free State of Jones is much better served as a mini-series. The more the film flashed forward in time, cut away in the middle of a big battle, or pushed characters away right when they started getting interesting, the more I began to dislike the film and Ross' direction.

With formidable performances from McConaughey and up-and-comer Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Free State of Jones is far from the worst film of 2016. But it may very well be the most disappointing film I've seen this year. With juicy source material and plenty of talent on and off screen, there was a good chance for an academy award level picture here, but it wasn't meant to be.

+McConaughey & Gugu.

-Sloppy editing.

-Confusing direction.

-Didn't know what to focus on.

4.1/10.