Free State of Jones (2016)

Free State of Jones (2016)

2016 R 139 Minutes

Action | Drama | History | Thriller

True Civil War era story about a white Southerner who falls for a slave and consequently rebels against the Confederacy.

Overall Rating

7 / 10
Verdict: Good

User Review

  • Free State of Jones is a well acted and produced film, if uninteresting and sluggish. Slavery, plantations and the fight for freedom are well documented and popular themes in many many films. 12 Years a Slave and Lincoln immediately spring to mind. So this is nothing new. Portraying this period of time is extremely saturated, so there cannot be any mediocrity. Unfortunately, Free State of Jones is just that. The true story of Newt Knight forming a rebellion against the confederacy in the 1860's. To ensure that all people are free and treated equally. A commendable and admirable man, choosing to fight for other people even if that means losing the ones closest to him. I can always find respect in people like Newt and sharing idealisms like his on film is important to show how far we have come as a society. The plot never feels preachy, it's told with good intentions and facts. Various photographs are embedded throughout with text to explain the historical events that followed. Matthew McConaughey looks the part, acts the part and becomes invested into his character. He really does steal every scene. The weak supporting characters assist in McConaughey's screen dominance but that's not always a good thing. I wasn't emotionally invested in any of the characters, at all. If a characters tragically meets their demise, there was no impact. I didn't feel anything and thus I was uninterested. Gary Ross' direction is fine albeit rather clinical and bland. The narrative was overstretched to 140 minutes when it didn't need to, we're talking nearly 10 years of confederacy rebellion. Why? The pace was ridiculously sluggish at points and the monotonous characters really did not help. The third act then starts to intertwine Newt's great grandson into the narrative who is wanting to get married but can't due to laws against interracial marriage. Yes, it shows that laws haven't changed but it felt so forced and unnecessary in order to showcase a point. All I can say is that the film is fine. It is bland mediocrity at its finest. Not bad but not great.