If blockbusters are not really your thing then Free State of Jones is a movie that could be just up your street as Matthew McConaughey returns to the big screen.
Free State of Jones
Free State of Jones if the first film that we are going to see McConaughey star in this year and it is his first big screen appearance since the success of science fiction film Interstellar. I don't know about you, but I am thrilled to see him back.
Free State of Jones sees the Oscar-winning actor team up with filmmaker Gary Ross; we haven't seen him at the helm of a film since the huge success of The Hunger Games back in 2012. As well as being in the director's chair, Ross has also penned the film's screenplay.
The movie is inspired by the life of Newton Knight, who led an armed rebellion against the Confederacy in Mississippi during the American Civil War. McConaughey is set to take on the role of Knight in the film... this could be a role and a performance that earns him another Best Actor Oscar nomination. I guess we are going to have to wait and see on that score.
A wonderful cast has been assembled for the film, as Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell, Mahershala Ali, Brendan Gleeson, Sean Bridgers, Jacob Lofland, and Brad Carter will all star alongside McConaughey.
I have to admit, Free State of Jones is a movie that I have been looking forward to for quite some time and the first trailer promises much.
McConaughey really has undergone quite a transformation in recent years; from rom-com star to Oscar-winning Hollywood heavyweight. Now, it is exciting when McConaughey returns to the big screen as you know that you are in for a special performance - I am looking forward to seeing his tackle the role of Knight in Free State of Jones.
Set during the Civil War, The Free State of Jones tells the story of a defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight, and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy. Banding together with other small farmers and with the assistance of local slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones.
His marriage to a former slave, Rachel, and his subsequent establishment of a mixed race community was unique in the post-war South. Knight continued his struggle into Reconstruction, distinguishing him as a compelling, if controversial, figure of defiance long beyond the War.
Ross is no stranger to creating interesting and complex characters - we have seen then with Seabiscuit and especially with the character of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. Free State of Jones is set to provide a welcome break from all of the CGI-driven blockbusters that are coming our way this summer.
Free State of Jones is released 27th May.
Tagged in Matthew McConaughey