A Masterpiece!

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Let's start with my usual caveat - writer/director. And then I sigh.It's not a bad movie but it wanders, it's a little confusing with its time jumps and it's overly long. 139 minutes? Yep. So maybe even with its 139 minutes it couldn't fit in the whole story but it's a MOVIE, not a documentary. And as a movie it has a lot of fat that could be shed. Writer/director syndrome :-( It does tell a harrowing tale, and of an area of American history which Southern Americans seem keen to suppress so it hits the 'worthy' button right on the nose.The direction is good and the actors superb, even if Matthew McConaughey (who I adore) often plays himself. Brilliant support from Gugu Mbatha-Raw, too.American history and civil war aficionados will want to see it, and it may tickle the fancy of western buffs, too, although probably not as much.

Great movie, good acting, though if you don't have an interest in history or the civil war, or the south for that matter then this movie is entirely avoidable. It is good though.

"Free State of Jones" only survives by Matthew McConaughey's terrific lead performance. There is too much packed into the film for it to concentrate. Director Gary Ross fumbles here, as the film is too low on historical accuracy for what it's trying to tell. One positive from it is that the acting performances are actually strong, but the script's consistency does not help them at all. But, an aspect that continued to annoy me throughout the film were quick cuts from one scene to another, like Ross's slow pace suddenly became too quickened. Often, when one scene did not feel complete, it's cut to a different time of day with usually a different setting. The film itself is a failed opportunity for a little-known story that definitely could have been better capitalized on. Overall, "Free State of Jones" is a sloppy historical telling that quite frankly deserved to be condemned by most critics.

This is a bitter-sweet tale of Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey) who led a rebellion and established an area free from Confederate or Union control. The tale follows through the reconstruction period as defeated Confederates return to make lives miserable for those recently liberated.At over two hours, the film felt rushed, or pushed at the end, while they seemed to have spent too much time in the beginning. Great acting. There is some small juxtaposition to the 1940's (?) when an ancestor is challenged in court.Good acting. Good drama. Class warfare message.Guide: No searing sex or nudity. Some intense scenes.