Free State of Jones

Apparently there's more manner of southern heritage than some folks care to consider. This piece strikes some interesting notes, to be sure, and it keeps Matthew McConaughy's mid-career resurrection moving in a positive trajectory--he is all over virtually every scene here, and owns the movie--but there are some failings, too. The film has focus problems, occasionally betraying a lack of decision about what message it wishes to convey. Trying to shoehorn in a decades-later court case involving a descendant of protagonist Newton Knight only muddles the issue, and makes the story seem more individual and less ecumenical. Also, there is a certain amount of predictability to some scenes, while other scenes drag enough to encourage the viewer's attention to wander. Overall, this is an intriguing attempt that works, to an extent--it's just not an overwhelming victory.