OH America!
The biggest blight on american history is treatment of the indigenous peoples and then the slavery and treatment of blacks. I find it so hard to watch these kind of films, especially since we are seeing a revival of this underbelly of society. I just don't get it. How can colour of someone's skin be used as a means to commit such atrocities? For money, position, power. Their form of terrorism is just so sickening to me. If I could go back in history and use a wand to wipe these sorry a**ses off the planet, it would be very hard for me not to do it. How to show mercy in the face of such egregious behaviour ... it confounds me.
Now to the film. Free State of Jones is a great piece of history but I feel the film suffered from bad editing. It could have been shortened immensely or, as another poster suggested, made into a tv miniseries instead. Otherwise, I think Mahershala Ali, McConnaughey, and all the other actors did a great acting job.