Free State of Jones
Free State of Jones
R | 24 June 2016 (USA)
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In 1863, Mississippi farmer Newt Knight serves as a medic for the Confederate Army. Opposed to slavery, Knight would rather help the wounded than fight the Union. After his nephew dies in battle, Newt returns home to Jones County to safeguard his family but is soon branded an outlaw deserter. Forced to flee, he finds refuge with a group of runaway slaves hiding out in the swamps. Forging an alliance with the slaves and other farmers, Knight leads a rebellion that would forever change history.

Reviews
Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!
Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!
GamerTab That was an excellent one.
Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Tony The opening was really well done and cinematography throughout was excellent. The actors were very good, but then you get a sense of PC. All the Confederate officers are archetypal vicious and mean white southerners. Our hero as such is a deserter who gathers a similar gang of desperadoes, who according to this had not liberal but socialist ideals. Why can't we have a film telling the truth about slavery, I.E. Africans enslaved each other and sold them on to Arabs and Europeans. I'm sick of hearing it's always the white guy to blame.
Ian Let's start with my usual caveat - writer/director. And then I sigh.It's not a bad movie but it wanders, it's a little confusing with its time jumps and it's overly long. 139 minutes? Yep. So maybe even with its 139 minutes it couldn't fit in the whole story but it's a MOVIE, not a documentary. And as a movie it has a lot of fat that could be shed. Writer/director syndrome :-( It does tell a harrowing tale, and of an area of American history which Southern Americans seem keen to suppress so it hits the 'worthy' button right on the nose.The direction is good and the actors superb, even if Matthew McConaughey (who I adore) often plays himself. Brilliant support from Gugu Mbatha-Raw, too.American history and civil war aficionados will want to see it, and it may tickle the fancy of western buffs, too, although probably not as much.
Michael Ledo This is a bitter-sweet tale of Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey) who led a rebellion and established an area free from Confederate or Union control. The tale follows through the reconstruction period as defeated Confederates return to make lives miserable for those recently liberated.At over two hours, the film felt rushed, or pushed at the end, while they seemed to have spent too much time in the beginning. Great acting. There is some small juxtaposition to the 1940's (?) when an ancestor is challenged in court.Good acting. Good drama. Class warfare message.Guide: No searing sex or nudity. Some intense scenes.
Leofwine_draca FREE STATE OF JONES is a well-mounted American Civil War story that smacks of good intentions and worthiness. Matthew McConaughey stars in a role that reminded me a little of Mel Gibson's one in THE PATRIOT, playing a disillusioned farmer from the South who decides that he's had enough of fighting the war and thus rebels against his own side. This is a slightly long-winded production with a little too much in the line of heartfelt conversation, but it does feature some stunning battle sequences which go for out-and-out realism and succeed admirably. The story as as a whole is heartfelt and has the 'true' hook to make it even more engaging.