FREESTATEOFJONES(15)**

AS America’s two presidential hopefuls sermonise passionately about equality in their bids for the White House, Free State Of Jones provides a stark reminder of the bloody repercussions when citizens are denied their rights.

Gary Ross’ handsome historical drama is a fictionalized recreation of a bruising five-year period when the American Civil War forced neighbouring states to choose sides in the crossfire of a brutal conflict that led to the abolition of slavery. Writer-director Ross treats his subject matter with due sensitivity.

His crusading hero is real-life farmer Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), who famously led a platoon of deserters against the Confederacy and controversially aligned himself with slaves to establish a mixed race community in Mississippi. In October 1862, Newton is serving as a medic in the Confederate Army and witnesses a local boy being shot on the front line. Horrified, Newton abandons his post and returns home to Jones County with the boy’s body to perform a proper burial.

The threat of capture as a deserter exerts intolerable strain on his relationship with his wife and Newton eventually flees into nearby swamps, where he befriends runaway slaves.

Running to a gruelling 140 minutes, despite good intentions, Free State Of Jones is a slog and pacing errs towards the pedestrian, even in sporadic battle sequences.