The previous two commenters only gave it a 6 because it was "slow in places" and because it wasn't "lively", while pointing out it's a true story of Stalin killing thousands. I'm not sure how lively you could expect it to be when we're talking about a slow killer like famine. No pun intended. How fast would you expect a trip through scenes where they are showing a countryside full of people dying such slow and miserable deaths?
Okay, so it's not fast like some sort of action movie. It's methodical. It's factual. It's about an unsung hero who told the truth trying desperately to help others. The only thing I would've changed was the ending. To me the last scene should've been him being killed in the mountains in Mongolia. Show the final evil and vile circumstances the liars and cowards put him in.
I gave it a 10, but it's probably a 9-9.5 for history buffs. I would put it on the must watch list for history, particularly in a day and age where we have a lunatic trying to resurrect the USSR. This is a grand example of why we must never allow such treacherous history to repeat itself.
"The True Story behind the 'True Story' of Mr Jones"
by Gareth Jones' great nephew, Philip Colley
https://www.garethjones.org/mr_jones/true_story.htm
A worthy film to be sure, and quite fittingly given its subject matter, quite miserable to watch. A little dull in places, and more than a little stuffy. However, it's worth a watch, if only for a reminder of the work of journalist Gareth Evans.
Shout by Saint PaulyBlockedParent2020-06-23T22:09:55Z
Like political prisoners in Russia, Mr. Jones isn't very lively but it is beautifully shot.
This true story of a Welsh journalist who uncovered the famine created by Stalin in the early 30s (and apparently inspired Orwell to write Animal Farm) is interesting and nice to look at, though a bit uneven in pacing and style. That said, history buffs will like it.