Matthew McConaughey. Awful.

Rating: 1/10 (9 December 2006)

Why do people continue to cast McConaughey? In every scene, in every film he's in, he is exactly the same. I suspect what I find most distasteful about him is the arrogant smirk viewers often see curling at the corners of his lips, present throughout the court scenes in this too-long film. He is SO full of himself, it stains all those about him. Hopkins is, as usual, excellent, but Freeman's role obviously wasn't well thought out. He gives the impression of hanging around with no real purpose in the film other than to be a symbolic educated black man.
The film itself is surprisingly poor, particularly considering the director. It doesn't hang together, as though the seems are visible in a poorly made dress. The court scenes are both dull, over-acted by McConaughey, and seemingly endless. I confess I gave up when I learned they were going to appeal the decision made by the second judge. I couldn't go though it all again. The scenes pertaining to slavery after on one or two occasions powerful, but again on other times badly constructed. Not recommended. Not recommended at all. Perhaps the directors heart wasn't in it, unlike Schindler's list.