1862. A Confederate Army solider, Newton Knight, is disillusioned with the war and its causes and deserts, going back to Jones County, Mississippi. There he finds even more reasons to despise the Confederate cause. Over time he amasses an army of deserters, women and runaway slaves and turns Jones County, and a few neighbouring counties, into an independent region, the Free State of Jones.
Based on a true story, a powerful story of defiance and tolerance against a backdrop of bigotry and hate. These great themes, plus some excellent, gritty action scenes and solid performances make this a solid historical drama.
Far from perfect though. With all this historical information to work with, the writer and director find it hard to turn it into a concise, coherent, point-making film. You get the feeling they didn't know when to end the story, so keep going long after the natural end. While the story of African-Americans in the post-Civil War South is a sad one, especially in the light of the hope that the result of the Civil War promised, by tacking this on it feels like an over-extension of the story.
Moreover, that part of US history is not unique to Jones County. It feels like the writer and director were just trying to milk an already-known part of history, rather than add anything new to the conversation.
This clumsiness is not limited to the final few scenes. The story set in 1947 seemed unnecessary and there are scenes near the beginning that do nothing but slow down and draw out the movie.
Overall: good, but with better focus, better editing and a tighter script this could have been brilliant, and done in 20-30 minutes less.
Based on a true story, a powerful story of defiance and tolerance against a backdrop of bigotry and hate. These great themes, plus some excellent, gritty action scenes and solid performances make this a solid historical drama.
Far from perfect though. With all this historical information to work with, the writer and director find it hard to turn it into a concise, coherent, point-making film. You get the feeling they didn't know when to end the story, so keep going long after the natural end. While the story of African-Americans in the post-Civil War South is a sad one, especially in the light of the hope that the result of the Civil War promised, by tacking this on it feels like an over-extension of the story.
Moreover, that part of US history is not unique to Jones County. It feels like the writer and director were just trying to milk an already-known part of history, rather than add anything new to the conversation.
This clumsiness is not limited to the final few scenes. The story set in 1947 seemed unnecessary and there are scenes near the beginning that do nothing but slow down and draw out the movie.
Overall: good, but with better focus, better editing and a tighter script this could have been brilliant, and done in 20-30 minutes less.