Matthew McConaughey burst onto the scene in 1993, shining as the insouciant Wooderson in the classic coming-of-age comedy “Dazed and Confused.” He starred during the 90’s — anointed as the industry’s next big leading man — before sliding gently into a rut of pedestrian romantic comedies. However, in 2012 he returned to center stage with a role in “Magic Mike,” and has since enjoyed a revitalized and reinterpreted career.
This rebirth has been described as “The McConaissance,” and it has produced incredible cinema. McConaughey’s resume from 2012 to 2014 includes “Mud,” “Dallas Buyers Club” — for which he won an Oscar — “True Detective” and “Interstellar,” not to mention a brilliant cameo in “Wolf of Wall Street.”
However, in the last year and a half the shine has begun to wear off. Appearing in a series of insufferable Lincoln car commercials didn’t help, and neither did 2015’s “The Sea of Trees,” which currently sits at zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes. For his next project, he’ll voice an animated koala bear in “Sing.”
All of this means “Free State of Jones” — directed by Gary Ross and released in late June — takes on a pivotal significance in McConaughey’s career arc. Produce something stirring, and the McConaissance lives to see another day. On the other hand, a flop could be the breaking point, crashing the easygoing Texan back down to the purgatory from which he so unexpectedly sprung.
McConaughey plays Newton Knight, a Civil War-era Robin Hood who rallies a band of slaves and deserters to survive and fight in the swamps of Mississippi. Knight fires his Remington with just as much accuracy as Robin Hood shoots an arrow, but the Mississippi rogue rallies his troops with far less elegance. Robin Hood’s edict is beautifully simple — rob from the rich to feed the poor — and the value of such simplicity is lost on the makers of “Free State of Jones.”
Do the men fight for abolition? Do they fight because they resent the wealth of the plantation owners? Do they fight for their wives, children or farms? Do they rebel because they were drafted into a war they do not support? “Free State of Jones” never picks a direction, and the result is a sprawling, disjointed film. The characters limp through a nearly two decade long story without ever establishing a coherent motif. As a result, the movie feels like it takes about two decades to sit through.
McConaughey does little to speed up the journey. His listless drawl and discontented glare grow stale well before the curtain falls, and he never manages to shift into a higher gear. His character dispatches entire Confederate regiments with all the effort it takes to sip on a glass of corn whiskey. He’s never on the edge of his seat, and neither is his audience.
“Free State of Jones” is just not a McConaissance-quality movie. It’s a mediocre summer blockbuster, a few hours of mindless escape at best.
What happened to the edgy, artful and captivating McConaughey who exploded to life five years ago? “He died with honor, Newt,” says Knight’s friend Will Sumrall (Sean Bridgers). “No, Will,” replies Knight tersely, “he just died.”
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