"MR. JONES" // KINO POLSKA: NEW POLISH CINEMA AT BAM
The true story of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones is a thrilling and compelling one, one that's dramatized with a sleek precision and thrilling pace in MR. JONES. James Norton plays the titular character, a journalist who has just interviewed Hitler before his horrific rise. He gets laughed out of a room filled with British high ranking officials as he tries to warn them of how dangerous Hitler actually is. No one believes him, dismissing Hitler as someone who will simply go away. Jones also knows that something is off with Stalin, so he pulls some strings and gets himself set on assignment to the Soviet Union to interview Stalin himself. The country at the time is presented itself as a paradise, boldly shining towards a brighter future under the wonderful rule of Stalin. However, Mr. Jones has reservations and wanted to see it himself. His journalistic need to find and report the truth easily transcends itself into modern day, as we see how history truly continues to repeat itself.
Once he arrives in the Soviet Union, he's guided by Walter Duranty (Peter Sarsgaard), the famed writer from the New York Times. He's a slimeball and a creep, but one with a Pulitzer Prize and trusted by millions. He throws lavish parties and tells the countries lies himself as if they were the honest truth, even though he seems to know that the country is lying about nearly everything. He's also aided by another journalist, Ada Brooks, played by Vanessa Kirby. She has walls built up around her but slowly is drawn to Jones' search for the truth. Jones does make it to Ukraine to see the celebrated factories for himself and once he's there he's absolutely horrified by his surroundings. Stalin is starving the people to death here and lying to the world about it. Everything is held in secret and he ends up fighting for his own survival through some truly brutal means.
The film also uses a framing device, interspersed throughout, showing George Orwell (Joseph Mawie) at his typewriter, crafting "Animal Farm," as a direct criticism of Stalin and partly inspired by Mr. Jones himself (we later meet him in the actual story as well). The device is interesting, showing how Mr. Jones and his heroic efforts to unmask Hitler and Stalin inspired so many, but it's a bit confusing and clunky. Still, the rest of the film is terrific, even as it seems to squeeze quite a lot into its running time. Norton is a powerful force on camera and his portrayal of Gareth Jones is a stunner. Sarsgaard is a wonderful sleaze here, sliming his way masterfully through scene after scene. And though Vanessa Kirby doesn't have as much to do, she still radiates intrigue and fascination throughout. Thinking back of how the nightmare that was Hitler and Stalin weren't immediately taken seriously is horrifying, yet as the past often does, informs us of our present quite extraordinarily. The search for the truth among the alternative versions of the truth has always been something plaguing our world. It's a shame that not everyone knows the perilous story of Gareth Jones. With MR. JONES, hopefully now they will.
GRADE: A-
WRITTEN BY Andrea Chalupa DIRECTED BY Agnieszka Holland STARRING James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard, Joseph Mawie, Kenneth Cranham. SELECTED AS PART OF THE BAM PRESENTS KINO POLSKA: NEW POLISH CINEMA. FOR MORE INFO: KINO POLSKA