Mr. Jones – A Bleak But Uneven Historical Drama (Early Review)

Who would have guessed that a pre-WWII historical drama would be so timely but fortunately or not, Mr. Jones is. The idea of fake news is by no means a recent concept as this was still around dating back to the precarious time pre-WWII. Meanwhile, many may not be aware of the Holodomor, a man-made famine by the hands of the then Soviet Union that led to millions of deaths among the Ukrainian people. While this arguably is a story that should be told, suffice it to say that things for the most part get pretty bleak. It may be compelling, among many other emotions, to watch, however, the film fails to put it all together in the context of a greater message. Though the film doesn’t always work, taking a little while to get going, when it hits viewers, it really hits viewers with some beautiful yet haunting imagery. It’s just a shame that the film couldn’t have put more emphasis on this (while the cut I watched was just under 2 hours, a longer cut of the film clocking in at closer to 2.5 hours exists that may or may not address these concerns).

Mr. Jones is based on the true story of a man named Gareth Jones (Norton), a principled and highly-ambitious Welsh journalist who faced a fair share of opposition while finding himself inadvertently uncovering what would be later known as the Holodomor on a trip to Moscow to investigate a story. It was only inevitable as the signs were there and the red flags were mounting as Jones came face-to-face with the true nature of the Soviet regime, a powerful trading partner amongst the world’s superpowers. This would set the stage for the forces that be wanting to maintain the status quo. The subplot created by the grander scheme of the issue and the bureaucratic structure of the opposition were nowhere near as compelling to watch but what ultimately broke through all of that was Jones and his infectious enthusiasm, empathy, and determination, making it easy to connect with him on an emotional level. However in the end, he could only do so much.

That above point is key as Mr. Jones saw Jones encounter plenty of atrocities over the course of his journey. The Soviet Union may have been ruled by the dictator that was Stalin but the differences between the Soviet Union and Ukraine was essentially night and day. The film emphasized this contrast in a very engaging way with the cinematography and color. The Moscow and Ukraine sections felt like two different films. The almost black and white feel of the latter compared to the rest of the film simply reinforced the bleakness and the sadness of the starving Ukrainian people. The desolate, snow-covered landscape was littered with death and one could not help but feel helpless alongside Jones. Other than the obvious, just being there wasn’t safe for Jones as the Russians wanted nothing more than to suppress the truth from the outside world. While he eventually was allowed to leave Russia, that was only the beginning of his story as he was faced with a daunting suppression campaign. Meanwhile, Jones’ story even inspired famed author George Orwell’s (a.k.a Eric Arthur Blair) (Joseph Mawle) novel Animal Farm.

The best part of Mr. Jones was easily Norton’s performance as Jones. While it was certainly powerful in its own right, he made it worth it to watch though the film didn’t always do him any favors as the story around him was inconsistent at best and the pacing could have been tightened. Norton carries the film with his charisma and screen presence, making the film still somewhat worth investing in. Though the other performances were okay from the likes of Kirby as a fellow journalist named Ada Brooks and Sarsgaard as New York Times Moscow Bureau Chief Walter Duranty, they wouldn’t matter all that much in terms of the film as a whole.

At the end of the day, Mr. Jones may stumble with its delivery, lacking that emotional punch, but still tells a story that should be told and is worth the watch for Norton alone.

*still courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.