Free State of Jones

Cert: 15A. Now showing

The inherent problem with historical dramas is that we know the ending so suspense can be a little hard to conjure. Where they are most effective is in telling little-known episodes from larger events. Free State of Jones unquestionably falls into that category. However, set during the American Civil War and dealing with the increasingly fraught issue of race, it has had a mixed reception from US critics. From a less-involved perspective there are some problems around the storytelling mechanism and pacing in the film, but they don’t overshadow what is an interesting story with some important issues and a great central performance from Matthew McConaughey.

The film opens with Newton Knight (McConaughey), a Confederate medic during the US Civil War, tending to yet more injured men. Another death pushes him over the line and, already disgusted that so many poor farmers are being forced to fight for the rights of slave owners, who are largely exempt from fighting, he deserts. Back in Mississippi he finds that the only person who will care for his seriously ill son is a slave named Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and that the families left behind are being taxed into penury to fund the war. He incites rebellion, is forced on the run, and forges an alliance with runaway slaves led by Moses (Mahershala Ali).

Gary Ross’s script takes an hour to get to where the action begins when they launch a mixed-race mini revolution. It also cuts back and forth to 1948 and the (real) trial of Newton’s descendant Davis Knight for the crime of mixed-marriage which, although relevant, doesn’t totally work. Still the story and performances carry a film that history buffs should enjoy.