Review of Free State of Jones (2016) by James M — 25 Jun 2016

This is a terrific and timely film. I'm dumbfounded by the critic score. I suspect the right wing noise machine has invaded the movie review world and the wingnuts don't like the populist and anti-slavery message of this film.

As the New York Times pointed out, this may be the first movie to come with legitimate historical footnotes (posted online). It also has an impressive list of historians acting as consultants. Nevertheless, much of the negative criticism comes from the critics thinking they know more about history than the film makers.

They don't, and they should stick to reviewing movies. If they did, they would see that, regardless of historical accuracy, this is a riveting film about a relatively unknown chapter in US history, It deals with a rare US event: an armed revolt by the people against the wealthy.

This is must-see viewing for all one per centers.