Review of Free in Deed (2017) by Lonewolfsones — 03 Jul 2016

Free State of Jones is a compelling drama that tells one of the lesser known stories of the Civil War. Matthew McConaughey plays the role of Newt Knight a Mississippi farmer that is disillusioned with the Confederate cause. McConaughey offers a solid performance and lends gravitas to some of the monologues given by his character.

Deserters? Bushwackers? Freedom Fighters? These are all terms that could be used to describe Knights' band of citizen soldiers which are a ragtag assortment of former soldiers and runaway slaves. The film is respectful of the history behind its source material and creates some incredible thought provoking scenes. How the film manages to juggle these themes is not flawless however. There are several jump cuts between the 1800's and the 1950-60's. Despite this I do understand why the director may have chose to do this in an attempt to juxtapose the struggles of the past with those of Knights' descendants.

At its best the film offers a poignant portrayal of a darker period in our nation's history by highlighting a group of people who fought for a better world and for what was theirs. Its unfortunate that at times the film seems to buckle under its own weight giving the impression the director may have struggled by trying to tell a broader narrative than it had to be.

If you are looking for action scenes, the film does have them though the battles are fairly limited in terms of screen time. They are shot well but ultimately don't carry the weight that the dialogue and other elements of the film do.

Free State of Jones is not a perfect film but is still ultimately a riveting watch despite its stumbles.