Day 66 Free State of Jones [2016]
Screenplay Gary Ross & Leonard Hartman
Director Gary
Ross
Cinematography Benoît
Delhomme
Music Nicholas
Britell
Leads Matthew McConaughey,
Mahershala Ali, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell
Production Bluegrass Films, Larger
Than Life Productions, Route One Films, Vendian Entertainment
IMDb 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes 46%
This was just too long. They could have cut it by
about 45 minutes. It was not a bad film by any means, but even the new and improved
McConaughey couldn’t save this one, just like he couldn’t save Gold (Day 4). Mahershala Ali I also love, and he was also excellent in this, but the film
is let down by its slow pace and its unnecessary inclusion of a more modern-day
plot point. I’ll explain quickly… The movie is loosely based on the trial of a Mississippi
white man Davis Knight who was arrested and convicted in 1949 under
miscegenation laws. This was because he had a black great-grandmother. His
great-grandfather was Newton Knight (played by McConaughey) who is the main
character in the film. I understand that the backstory of Davis Knight is interesting
(and heinous due to the racist South’s ridiculous laws), but really, I didn’t
care about Davis Knight, the story of Newt was enough. To summarise that part,
Newt is a poor farmer who serves as a medic for the Confederate army, but he
deserts. He then starts to help the farmers of Jones county defend their crops
and livestock from the Confederacy, hiding out in a swamp with a band of
runaway slaves (including Ali) and Confederate deserters. They revolt against the
Confederate army and form their own state (the movie title), they hold out
until the end of the war. When the war is over Newt then fights against the racial
inequality still prevalent in the South as the Klu Klux Klan arises out of the
ashes of the war. The film is about as long-winded as that summary was. It’s a
real shame as the acting, set design and cinematography are all Hollywood. I
enjoyed the on-screen relationship between Ali and McConaughey, perhaps the
only thing I didn’t get bored of. I think it would have been an amazing
screenplay for a period drama. A big budget Netflix series or PBS/BBC thing. Come
on Gary, get with the programme, all the top directors are doing it these days.
Overall, disappointing, as all the ingredients were there for something epic, I’m
going to blame Ross and the production companies.
Acting 3.5
/ 4
Writing 2
/ 4
Cinematography 2.5
/ 4
Music 2
/ 4
HMD
rating 2.5 / 4