Rating of
1.5/4
History Lesson
Unknown - wrote on 07/04/16
'Free State of Jones' has some strengths to start. It begins with a great opening authentic battle sequence and a solid introduction to the main character and his stance to the Confederacy, as well as his personal (somewhat socialist) political beliefs. What's missing from the rest of the film is actual drama and characters worth investment. This decades-long story streamlines Newt Knight's Civil War involvement into history book format. It becomes a series of scenes that relate dates, names, and places on screen to create a continuously jumping timeline of events. The Civil War itself is resolved just after the hallway mark of the film. From that point on everything drags. Dynamic character relationships that could've added some much needed drama are completely brushed over. I had a hard time concerning who was related to whom and in what fashion. Much information was missing in the family history. The only thing that survives this mess in tact is the strong beliefs of it's main character. But even that doesn't resonate with much emotion when we are spoon fed all of this knowledge through a continuous series of speeches from him. The film's intentions are good, but the overall product holds little interest. I can at least say that I learned a couple of interesting facts about the aftermath of the Civil War I did not know before.
