Good Morning Lovelies,

Directed by Hunger Games director Gary Ross, Free State of Jones, is the story of one man and his journey through the civil war in America. With an all-star cast including Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mahershala Ali, the film has a strong story to tell but also a strong number of plot holes.

Telling the story of southern farmer, Newt Knight, the film follows him as he rebels along with many others against the Confederacy. Joined by slaves and fellow farmers, he story is a war film that shows a different light to McConaughey’s acting style.

However, the film has many moments that are slow and don’t seem to be telling you the full picture. Whilst it is a story that does have a lot of interesting moments, it seems that there is too much focus on the elements that we don’t need to know about.

It would have been better if Ross had focused the story on the secondary characters more, making them more central and leading, as he has the talented actors and actresses to do so. They are more than capable of holding onto the power on screen and their stories would have led to a lot more interest.

Overall the film is a long and interesting portrayal, but with many plot holes and moments that are not needed it becomes a bit of a slog for audience members.

I am giving the film…

2 Stars

Blog Soon,

Joey X