Free State of Jones

June. 24,2016      R
Rating:
6.9
Trailer Synopsis Cast

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.

Matthew McConaughey as  Newton Knight
Gugu Mbatha-Raw as  Rachel
Mahershala Ali as  Moses Washington
Keri Russell as  Serena Knight
Jacob Lofland as  Daniel
Sean Bridgers as  Sumrall
Brad Carter as  Lieutenant Barbour
Jane McNeill as  Miss Ellie
Gary Grubbs as  Prosecuting Attorney
Christopher Berry as  Jasper

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Reviews

Cebalord
2016/06/24

Very best movie i ever watch

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Twilightfa
2016/06/25

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

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Bluebell Alcock
2016/06/26

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

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Kamila Bell
2016/06/27

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

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Max Bracht
2016/06/28

Great movie, good acting, though if you don't have an interest in history or the civil war, or the south for that matter then this movie is entirely avoidable. It is good though.

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Michael Kleen (makleen2)
2016/06/29

An ex-Confederate organizes a rebellion in southeastern Mississippi during the American Civil War and continues to battle for equal rights for freedmen during Reconstruction in Free State of Jones (2016), written and directed by Gary Ross. The film alternates between the 1860s and a 1948 miscegenation trial, to the detriment of both. Free State of Jones bombed at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics.The film begins at the Battle of Corinth in northeastern Mississippi, October 3-4, 1862, in which Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn attempted to dislodge Union forces commanded by Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans from fortifications around the town of Corinth. Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey) is a medical orderly in the Confederate army from Jones County, a predominantly poor area with few slaves.Knight is disgruntled to learn of a Confederate law that allows sons of plantation owners to avoid military service depending on the number of slaves his family owns. This was designed to guard against slave uprisings, but it angered some poor whites who believed they were fighting a "rich man's war". When Knight returns the body of his nephew Daniel (Jacob Lofland) to his home county, he learns that Confederate Captain Elias Hood (Thomas Francis Murphy) is excessively confiscating goods from the local population.Things get complicated when Knight meets and falls in love with a slave, Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), despite being married to Serena (Keri Russell). He fights back against the tax collectors and hides out in the swamp, where he meets fugitive slaves and befriends Moses (Mahershala Ali). Together with other deserters, they successfully rebel against the Confederacy and proclaim a Free State of Jones. After the war, freed slaves struggle against a segregationist South.The events of the Civil War era and after are interwoven with the 1948 miscegenation trial of one of Knight's decendants, Davis Knight (Brian Lee Franklin), a product of his affair with Rachel. The Mississippi Supreme Court eventually overturned Davis' conviction, but this postscript to the story seems out of place in the larger narrative. It would have been better to briefly show the trial as an epilogue, or have the whole film about the trial with flashbacks to the events of the 1860s. Instead, Free State of Jones feels like two films awkwardly smashed together.Still, Free State of Jones features some solid performances. Matthew McConaughey needs no introduction. He transformed himself from teen heartthrob to accomplished actor, starring in films like Dallas Buyers Club (2013) and TV shows like True Detective. In 2016, he also played the lead role in Gold. McConaughey performed admirably in Free State of Jones, although his transition from combat orderly to brilliant guerrilla leader is less than convincing.Mahershala Ali, an African American actor from California, has appeared steadily in film and television since the early 2000s, most notably as Boggs in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay parts one and two. Though forced to play second fiddle to McConaughey in Free State of Jones, Ali brings to life his fictional character and personifies the plight of politically active freedmen following the Civil War.Free State of Jones is not a strict retelling of history, but it remains faithful to events writer/director Gary Ross wanted to portray. Much of Newton Knight's complicated personal life was simplified for the screen, and the scene depicting a handful of Confederates attacking a Union position while Knight and his nephew try to flee was unrealistic. This and other inaccuracies are relatively minor.It's a shame this film fell flat, because the American Civil War is such a rich period of history with so many compelling stories to tell. For some reason it's been difficult for Hollywood to get it right. Glory (1989), which won three academy awards, shows it's possible to create a compelling and popular drama set during the Civil War. Free State of Jones unfortunately missed the mark.

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Troy Hoch
2016/06/30

"Free State of Jones" only survives by Matthew McConaughey's terrific lead performance. There is too much packed into the film for it to concentrate. Director Gary Ross fumbles here, as the film is too low on historical accuracy for what it's trying to tell. One positive from it is that the acting performances are actually strong, but the script's consistency does not help them at all. But, an aspect that continued to annoy me throughout the film were quick cuts from one scene to another, like Ross's slow pace suddenly became too quickened. Often, when one scene did not feel complete, it's cut to a different time of day with usually a different setting. The film itself is a failed opportunity for a little-known story that definitely could have been better capitalized on. Overall, "Free State of Jones" is a sloppy historical telling that quite frankly deserved to be condemned by most critics.

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alindsay-al
2016/07/01

The premise of this movie really interested me so I gave it a watch and all I was say was I was really bored watching this film and this is one of the biggest wastes of potential in recent memory. The premise of the film sees a man fed up of the Confederacy creates his own army to take them on. Mathew McConaughey plays the lead in this film and he does an excellent job in this film, he gives an emotionally charged performance that sells that he truly Cares about this role. He also gives a strong performance to make you believe in him as the leader in this group. Mahershala Ali is in this film and he is great, he is building a resume as a truly brilliant actor. His character is very strong and I did like his friendship with McConaughey and how it grows throughout the film. Gugu mbatha-raw plays a slave in this film and she does a good job in the film especially when provoking the emotion of her situation. Everybody else in this film though plays cliché stereotypes and I really didn't care about them in any way even keri Russell who isn't really given much to do in this film. The story on paper sounds really cool but actually it really isn't, it is very bland as the film slowly goes through to build this society but you really don't care because the film has bored you so much and really doesn't go far enough with its subject matter. The script has so much drama in it but I didn't find any of it to be memorable or help make me care which means it was a failure. The style has some pretty entertaining action scenes and while they are happening they are fun to watch. But this films pacing is horrendous as it feels like such a drag and having to sit through this movie which is way to long. Overall this film is one of the most dull films I have seen in recent memory and is just not very entertaining.

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