Free State of Jones

2016 • 139 minutes

About this movie

Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey stars in this epic, untold true story of defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy during the Civil War. Despite overwhelming odds, Knight banded together with other small farmers and local slaves and launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones. Written and directed by four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross (The Hunger Games, Seabiscuit, Pleasantville), critics are hailing Free State of Jones as "riveting" – A.O. Scott, The New York Times. (Original Title - Free State of Jones) - 2016 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Ratings and reviews

The story plot was great. The graphics are awesome. This film depicits the true meaning of the Civil War. It was not entirely about slavery but slavery played a major part of the banks controlling the country by making millions and millions of dollars by having slavery which was dividing the country and Abraham Lincoln saw that so he wanted to end slavery, which lead to The Civil War. The rich people don't care what color you are as long as it doesn't affect their bank account. Research your history with JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., or let's go back to Jesus Christ. There's a pattern you see. When you have many followers who believe in you and follow behind you it leads to less money for the rich and more money for the assassins. I only watched half the movie at the Theater, then I got emotionally upset with the scene showing the grown man and two boys being hung by the neck. This movie should show you the government don't really care what color you are along with age. Oh yeah look very closely on the back of a two dollar bill and you will see a black person sitting with the rest of the well clothed politicians.

The movie was good except that there was no sense of flow and cohesion to the storyline. Because the producers,director and screenwriter(s) spent too much time telling you a lot about the story instead of "telling you the story"! They spent too much of the movie's running time jumping back and forth and it seemed too fragmented exponentially as an unexpected outcome. If you weren't into the movie from the start you would have been lost in the rabbit hole they unintentionally create with the peripheral stuff

With all these thoughtful, albeit run-on sentenced reviews (jk) i feel like there may be no reason for ol' J `Lovits' to opine.. But watch and opine i shall! // so upon viewing this , one thing strikes me quite plainly as something I feel is overlooked and deserved of mention . Idk if we are taking in account that , yes Newt as heroic as he is, would be nothing if not for the hero's hero, which we find in the form of a skeleton thread of slaves that shuttle the deserter (just or not , he does carry this distinction) out of harms way and enables any future actions to transpire. Dont get me wrong ... please, those who are familiar with my reviews know me to be fair and just but I felt this glaring element of his tale should at minimum be illucidated [I apologize for the context for this is the third iteration im attempting to get to 'stick' as I hit the submit key in vain]