12 Awesome Performances In Otherwise Awful 2016 Movies

Based on the true-life tale of Newton Knight, a Confederate army deserter turned rebellion leader who collaborated with runaway slaves to revolt against Confederate authorities during the American Civil War, Free State of Jones is a historical biopic from Pleasantville director Gary Ross. Despite noble intentions and a basis in a little-known but interesting and relevant chapter of American history, the end result is stilted and clunky in trying to cram decades worth of historical material into an already overlong 140 minutes.

Regardless, multi-award-winning Matthew McConaughey brings the goods to the table as the complex and determined Newton Knight alongside brilliant performances from his co-stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as his common-law wife and former slave Rachel and Mahershala Ali as escaped slave turned political activist Moses. Sadly though, their star turns couldn’t save the film which was met with some rather middling reviews upon its release and ended up grossing just $25 million against its $50 million production budget. Ouch.