Before I even start this review, let me just put this out there: people from one particular political party are going to HATE this movie. Free State of Jones shows how those from a certain side of the aisle directly violated the 15th Amendment by obstructing black voting rights, founded the KKK, denied integration and miscegenation, confiscated property from citizens for war expenses, and believed that only certain lives matter. Oh, and the film shows how gun rights protect citizens from racist enslavers and their own tyrannical government. So there you go--you've been warned.
Free State of Jones is the true story of a Confederate Army medic, Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), who decides to desert his side of the fight after seeing too many young men, including his own teenage nephew who has been conscripted, forced to die for a cause they don't even support. Knight and many like him don't own slaves, and they simply see plantation owners getting richer due to the practice. (This is actually a great historical reminder that the South should not be thought of as a monolith of racists and slavery proponents, and only a tiny fraction of white southerners actually owned slaves.) Knight finds himself hiding with and befriended by other deserters, along with escaped slaves, in a Mississippi swamp. This group of men, which gradually grows throughout the film, begins to fight back against Confederates hunting them down. They eventually declare Jones County a "free state" and desire to govern themselves, white and black together. The rebels declare a few simple laws: every person is a person, no one owns another, and no stealing what others produce. (This is pretty much the basics of classical liberalism.) But when the war ends, Knight and his comrades realize their victory over racism is far from over.
Knight is a fascinating character, as is his second wife Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), an escaped slave herself. However, character development is noticeably lacking in this film. We never fully understand the psychology of Knight (and know nothing of his early life which has led him to this point), nor do we know much of Rachel beyond her terrible treatment at the hands of her masters. We can tell these two love each other, but more domesticity would strengthen their bond for the audience. Rachel needs more screen time here, as do other characters.
The film also doesn't exactly have a narrative arc. It simply meanders chronologically from event to event. We are able to see history move, but we are always unsure of people's place in it. And there are distracting cutaways to historical photographs and caption notes, and an awkward parallel plot line in which one of Knight's descendants demonstrates that the racial divide lasts long after emancipation and Reconstruction.
But the acting is solid, particularly from McConaughey, who continues in recent films to be able to disappear into interesting roles despite his superstardom. Mahershala Ali, as escaped slave Moses, is also excellent. And the visceral nature of the battle scenes and life in the rural South captures the mood of era with a harsh honesty. But some may find issue with Knight's fight, as it isn't really about racial equality (at first), but rather about his own economics. And some may see him as just another example of a white savior figure. These are valid observations, but Knight's character is indicative of many at the time. And pursuing one's self-interest, while assisting a larger cause, is often how most revolutions begin.
Overall, Free State of Jones is a great history lesson. But it's a flawed movie. I was expecting a Civil War Braveheart, but this film has a prominent didacticism that works in some places while falling flat in others. Go check it out for its historical depiction, but don't expect the emotional impact of other great war films.
Grade: B-
Free State of Jones is the true story of a Confederate Army medic, Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), who decides to desert his side of the fight after seeing too many young men, including his own teenage nephew who has been conscripted, forced to die for a cause they don't even support. Knight and many like him don't own slaves, and they simply see plantation owners getting richer due to the practice. (This is actually a great historical reminder that the South should not be thought of as a monolith of racists and slavery proponents, and only a tiny fraction of white southerners actually owned slaves.) Knight finds himself hiding with and befriended by other deserters, along with escaped slaves, in a Mississippi swamp. This group of men, which gradually grows throughout the film, begins to fight back against Confederates hunting them down. They eventually declare Jones County a "free state" and desire to govern themselves, white and black together. The rebels declare a few simple laws: every person is a person, no one owns another, and no stealing what others produce. (This is pretty much the basics of classical liberalism.) But when the war ends, Knight and his comrades realize their victory over racism is far from over.
Knight is a fascinating character, as is his second wife Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), an escaped slave herself. However, character development is noticeably lacking in this film. We never fully understand the psychology of Knight (and know nothing of his early life which has led him to this point), nor do we know much of Rachel beyond her terrible treatment at the hands of her masters. We can tell these two love each other, but more domesticity would strengthen their bond for the audience. Rachel needs more screen time here, as do other characters.
The film also doesn't exactly have a narrative arc. It simply meanders chronologically from event to event. We are able to see history move, but we are always unsure of people's place in it. And there are distracting cutaways to historical photographs and caption notes, and an awkward parallel plot line in which one of Knight's descendants demonstrates that the racial divide lasts long after emancipation and Reconstruction.
But the acting is solid, particularly from McConaughey, who continues in recent films to be able to disappear into interesting roles despite his superstardom. Mahershala Ali, as escaped slave Moses, is also excellent. And the visceral nature of the battle scenes and life in the rural South captures the mood of era with a harsh honesty. But some may find issue with Knight's fight, as it isn't really about racial equality (at first), but rather about his own economics. And some may see him as just another example of a white savior figure. These are valid observations, but Knight's character is indicative of many at the time. And pursuing one's self-interest, while assisting a larger cause, is often how most revolutions begin.
Overall, Free State of Jones is a great history lesson. But it's a flawed movie. I was expecting a Civil War Braveheart, but this film has a prominent didacticism that works in some places while falling flat in others. Go check it out for its historical depiction, but don't expect the emotional impact of other great war films.
Grade: B-