If you're interested in learning more about a real character, "Free State of Jones," which instructs more than it inspires, is something you will want to see. Matthew McConaughey stars as Newton Knight, an 1860s Mississippi farmer rebelling against war and slavery and in doing so, he creates his own militia of former slaves and fellow farmers. The first half moves well enough, with Knight and his conscripts defending their land against both Confederate and Union forces. The story splinters in the second half when too much exposition is crammed in (including a 20th century court case) and momentum is lost.
McConaughey is earnest and noble in the lead role, moreso than history might have you believe about the real Knight. And Writer/director Gary Ross seems to have turned Knight into a superhero rather than telling the tale of an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances. Plus Ross stages several battle scenes with a bloody realism that is too graphic and jarring. That the movie wants to draw parallels to today's racial hatred is all too obvious. We get N-word speechifying, the birth of the KKK and a history of voting prejudice, all of which feel crammed in despite the film's laborious 139-minute running time.
No comments:
Post a Comment