In 1863, Mississippi farmer Newt Knight serves as a medic for the Confederate Army. Opposed to slavery, Knight would rather help the wounded than fight the Union. After his nephew dies in battle, Newt returns home to Jones County to safeguard his family but is soon branded an outlaw deserter. Forced to flee, he finds refuge with a group of runaway slaves hiding out in the swamps. Forging an alliance with the slaves and other farmers, Knight leads a rebellion that would forever change history.
"For justice. For pride. For freedom."
Top Billed Cast
Matthew McConaughey
Newton Knight
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Rachel
Mahershala Ali
Moses Washington
Keri Russell
Serena Knight
Jacob Lofland
Daniel
Sean Bridgers
Sumrall
Brad Carter
Lieutenant Barbour
Jane McNeill
Miss Ellie
Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews
R RenoVerified TMDB Critic
2016-12-04
**A country that existed for a brief time in the history of American.**
Once again, it proves that the critics are so dumb. In this people to people and people to filmmakers contact era, no one listens to them. Let them do their own sideshow. This was partially based on the real events that takes place in the following years of 1862. When America was fighting a civil war, a man named Newton Knight returned home from the battlefield where he started to help the farmers who were robbed by the armymen. Its like they are fighting their own war, to protect the land and the crops. They knew the c...
R r96skVerified TMDB Critic
2020-11-25
Quality film.
<em>'Free State of Jones'</em> tells the true story of Newton Knight's role in the American Civil War. As you'd hope/expect, it leads to captivating viewing. Matthew McConaughey is superb, while he's supported excellently by Mahershala Ali.
It's tough to watch in large portions given the obvious things from the Civil War era, from the war itself but also to slavery. I had never heard of Newton Knight, so it was very interesting for me to see it unfold and learning bits - even with some creative license, I'm sure. It also serves an important message that slavery didn't end w...
