Matthew McConaughey Fights The Confederacy In Well-Intentioned, Powerful 'Free State Of Jones' [Review]

If it weren’t for the close-ups on amputated limbs and dogs feasting on dead soldiers, “Free State Of Jones” might make for essential high-school viewing for its take on an oft-unseen part of American history in a corner of Mississippi. Not only does it focus on a single rebel among the Rebels in the Civil War, but it also reveals the struggles of former slaves in the years after the war. Its unique story needs to be told, but it deserves to be told better than it is here.

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After joining the Confederate army as a nurse, Newt Knight (Matthew McConaughey) sees the brutality of war at close range. “Free State Of Jones” quickly earns its R rating, both on the battlefield and off, showing the horrors of war and the infirmities. His young nephew Daniel (Jacob Lofland) is soon forced to join him, but he dies before learning how to use his weapon, emphasizing the chaos and futility of the war. Newt abandons his post to take the body home to the boy’s mother, and when he returns to Jones County, he sees that the home front is nearly as perilous as the fighting he left. He witnesses Confederate soldiers taking everything from the remaining women and children, theoretically as tax for the secessionist army, but it feels more like pillaging.

Free State Of Jones Matthew McConaugheyLabeled as a deserter, he soon is abandoned by his wife, Serena (Keri Russell), who leaves for Georgia. After witnessing the Southern army’s protection of its richest citizens while the poor die on the battlefield, Newt begins to raise his own group of guerrilla fighters, first a group of escaped slaves including Moses (Mahershala Ali), then more white men who didn’t see the rich plantation owner’s war as their own fight. They take a stand against their uniformed neighbors as they defend their farms from legal looting. Along the way, Newt is helped by Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a house slave who does everything from healing Newt’s sick son to bringing the hungry men biscuits. The group grows and they soon secede from the Confederacy, raising the American flag instead of the stars and bars and naming themselves the “Free State of Jones.”

Well-intentioned and ambitious, director Gary Ross’ Civil War epic doesn’t end with the surrender of the South. Instead, “Free State Of Jones” spends its final third on Reconstruction and the continuing struggles of the freed slaves in the aftermath of the war. Seesawing between despair and hope, these are stories rarely told on film, bringing freshness to history that’s 150 years old. While the movie is largely set in the 1860s and 1870s, a side plot in the late 1940s focuses on the legacy of slavery and discrimination in the South. Davis Knight (Brian Lee Franklin), the great-grandson of Newt and Rachel, is on trial in Mississippi for marrying a white woman. The film intermittently checks in on this story, and there are plenty of issues in this setting as well as in the 19th century that still unfortunately echo today. The commentary on wealth keeping young men safe while those without money or options join the armed forces still rings true, as do the challenges still faced by many black Americans.

FREE STATE OF JONESThough it runs over two hours, “Free State Of Jones” covers more than a decade and glosses over many of the details that might have made its story more compelling. It has the odd approach of over-explaining historical events through a combination of written titles, dialogue and action while not shading in details or making connections that might help the audience invest more in its story. For a film that has no hesitation in showing carnage in excruciating close-up, there’s a surprising lack of attention on most everything else, particularly the romance between Newt and Rachel. Some elements are left unexplained — such as exactly how Rachel gets away from her post as a house slave so easily and frequently when the film’s early scenes make it a point to emphasize her need for a pass to leave — while we’re fed dates and battle info that would be more useful in prepping for an American history exam than in serving as context here.

Though it’s only his fourth film in almost two decades, Ross is a capable and steady hand as a director. He shows particular talent in the movie’s visceral battle scenes, which feature some of the bloodiest cinematic carnage since “Saving Private Ryan.” One well-planned fight is particularly thrilling, though it loses some of its surprise thanks to being a centerpiece of the marketing campaign. He also gets good performances out of McConaughey, Mbatha-Raw and Ali in particular, not that the actors have needed encouragement in that area in the past.

free-state-of-jones-2His films (“Pleasantville,” “Seabiscuit” and “The Hunger Games”) are all well-made, if lacking directorial style or definitive throughline other than their emotional effectiveness. Despite the issues in “Free State Of Jones,” the movie is at its most powerful in its final act, revealing a South that was still gripped by racism and violence after the Civil War ended. Everyone here means well and wants to make an epic war film, but it lacks a narrative strong enough to make it essential viewing for those beyond the genre’s fans. [B-]