---
title: "Mr. Turner"
year: 2014
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/mr-turner"
fi1m_id: "mr-turner"
imdb_id: "tt2473794"
tmdb_id: 245700
wikidata_id: "Q16028723"
fi1m_score: 84
critics_score: 85
critics_reviews: 26
published: "2026-10-01T23:14:34.253191+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-01T23:14:40.378190+00:00"
region: "PA"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Mr. Turner (2014)

Directed by Mike Leigh · 2h 30m · History, Drama

## Identity

Mr. Turner

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/mr-turner
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** mr-turner
- **IMDb ID:** tt2473794
- **TMDB ID:** 245700
- **Wikidata ID:** Q16028723
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2473794/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/245700, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16028723

**Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 85 from 26 reviews

*In a sentence:* Timothy Spall makes a grunt sound like a considered objection

> Timothy Spall makes Mike Leigh’s portrait of JMW Turner absorbing company, despite the painter’s manners. The landscapes give us ample reason to linger, though the loose structure makes 150 minutes feel longer than necessary.

## Synopsis

In nineteenth-century Britain, painter JMW Turner (Timothy Spall) gives his attention to work while the people around him make demands of their own. Hannah Danby (Dorothy Atkinson), Sophia Booth (Marion Bailey) and William Turner Snr (Paul Jesson) are among those in his life. Turner wants to paint, and his manner does little to ease his dealings with others. A grunt can stand in for a conversational reply. Painting, landscapes and ordinary encounters occupy his days, as those around him find their own ways of dealing with a man so absorbed in his work.

## Review

Mike Leigh’s *Mr. Turner* asks us to spend time with a painter without expecting him to become agreeable. It is a fine, patient film, led by Timothy Spall, though its succession of encounters occasionally mistakes another episode for a necessary one. Leigh is interested in the work and the awkward person doing it. He resists the convenient speech that would make both understandable. That leaves plenty for Spall to convey, and plenty of time in which to watch him.

Spall gives us plenty to watch while we wait. His grunts are funny because each seems to settle a conversation to Turner’s satisfaction, with little concern for anybody else’s. We laughed at the sheer finality of them. Spall makes each noise sound like a response to somebody, so the eccentricity has a purpose. There is feeling in the performance too, though Leigh and Spall make us pay attention to a man who will not politely announce every change in his mood.

Dick Pope’s cinematography makes looking at the landscapes feel like part of Turner’s work. Their careful composition could have become a succession of handsome interruptions; instead, the attention to light helps explain why this man might find a stretch of land so absorbing. We found ourselves looking harder as the film went on, which is a useful result for a film about painting. Pope’s images supply a reason to stay attentive during some of the slower passages.

Suzie Davies’s production design gives this nineteenth-century Britain enough substance to hold our attention away from its central figure. Jacqueline Durran’s costumes help the cast look accustomed to their surroundings, and comfortable with the business of inhabiting them. The detail is persuasive without constantly asking to be admired. Gary Yershon’s music gives little reassurance about how we should feel about Turner, which suits the performance. The grunts remain the sound we remember.

John Ruskin, played by Joshua McGuire, is less convincing. Leigh’s treatment of him feels too pleased with its own amusement, giving us permission to dismiss him before we have had much chance to consider him. This is a small but telling lapse in a film usually willing to stay with uncomfortable company. For a while, the humour seems to be deciding for us how much a person is worth hearing.

Jon Gregory’s editing preserves the independence of the episodes, and often that lets a performance finish without being hurried towards the next event. But there are stretches when the succession becomes flat: another encounter adds information without changing our sense of Turner. At 150 minutes, the film gives us time to notice the repetition. We would lose a little of the incidental company for a stronger feeling that each scene has earned its place, especially when the faces and landscapes have already told us so much.

As an artist’s biography, this is unusually willing to let behaviour remain puzzling. Leigh does not offer the reassurance of feeling we have solved Turner by watching him. Spall is absorbing enough to make that uncertainty worth tolerating, and the film’s humour keeps the slower stretches from feeling dutiful. Choose an evening when nobody will be checking the clock.

*Fi1m score 84, published 1 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics warmly endorse Mike Leigh’s unconventional portrait of Turner, with praise clustering around Timothy Spall’s performance and Dick Pope’s cinematography. Spall makes the painter’s difficult temperament, humour and contradictions compelling, while Pope’s handling of light and landscape evokes his way of seeing. The reviews also admire the detailed recreation of the period and Leigh’s attention to artistic labour, finding the film insightful without relying on tidy explanations of its subject.

The spread runs from enthusiasm to qualified approval, with only one mixed assessment. Reservations centre on the loose, episodic structure: some find it absorbing, while others question the length and narrative drift. Digital Spy offers the strongest reservation about the lack of structure, despite admiring Spall. The AV Club argues that the film’s craft does not overcome familiar biopic limitations, while The New Yorker’s otherwise appreciative assessment objects specifically to its treatment of John Ruskin.

## Straight answers

**How long is Mr. Turner, and what is it rated?**

*Mr. Turner* runs 2h 30m. It is a history and drama film.

**Where can I watch Mr. Turner in Panama?**

*Mr. Turner* is available to buy from Apple TV from PAB 12.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**What should I watch after Mr. Turner?**

After *Mr. Turner*, try [*Topsy-Turvy*](https://film.one/film/topsy-turvy) (1999, Fi1m 88): Leigh gives artistic collaboration the same close attention he gives awkward people. Then [*Paterson*](https://film.one/film/paterson) (2016, Fi1m 84): A gentler account of making art while carrying on with ordinary life.

### Reviews we read (26)

- **Little White Lies**, Sophie Monks Kaufman (4/5/5): The critic considers the film a formal masterwork and a reverent portrait of artistic labour. They praise its vivid period detail and elegantly composed landscapes. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/mr-turner)
- **Radio Times**, Leslie Felperin (5/5): Felperin praises Mike Leigh’s portrait as an unconventional, insightful biopic. Timothy Spall’s portrayal of Turner is singled out as a majestic career-best performance. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-d99i2t/mr-turner/)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (trad. AP) (5/5): The publication gives the film its highest rating. The article text is unavailable, so no specific praise can be identified. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/fr/cinema/mr-turner)
- **Empire**, Ian Nathan (90/100, inferred): Nathan gives the film an exuberant, deeply admiring verdict, calling it a wonderfully alive portrait of Turner. He especially praises Timothy Spall’s extraordinary performance, which makes the artist’s contradictions and humanity compelling. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mr-turner-review/)
- **IndieWire**, Eric Kohn (A-): Kohn calls the film a first-rate match of director and subject, praising its compassionate, bittersweet portrait. He singles out Timothy Spall’s performance and the visual world created by Dick Pope’s cinematography. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/cannes-review-why-mike-leighs-mr-turner-starring-timothy-spall-is-a-masterful-biopic-26697/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): Turan finds the film exceptional and engrossing, despite its unconventional narrative. He especially praises Timothy Spall’s astonishing performance and the immersive recreation of 19th-century Britain. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mr-turner-review-20141219-column.html)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): Bradshaw calls the film glorious and an assured triumph. He particularly praises Timothy Spall’s performance and Dick Pope’s cinematography. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/15/mr-turner-cannes-review-mike-leigh-2014)
- **Variety**, Scott Foundas (90/100, inferred): Foundas delivers an enthusiastic assessment of Leigh’s richly detailed, visually masterful portrait of Turner. He especially praises Timothy Spall’s transformative performance and the film’s evocative handling of light and landscape. [Read](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-mr-turner-1201182098/)
- **Vulture**, David Edelstein (90/100, inferred): Edelstein finds Mike Leigh’s portrait of Turner subtly terrific and artistically complex. He especially praises how the landscapes and cinematography evoke what Turner saw without simply imitating his paintings. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/movie-review-mr-turner.html)
- **Evening Standard**, David Sexton (85/100, inferred): Sexton finds the film a remarkable portrait and a masterclass in Mike Leigh’s approach. He especially praises Timothy Spall’s vivid, committed performance as Turner. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/mr-turner-film-review-timothy-spall-plays-turner-magnificently-in-this-mike-leigh-masterclass-9830122.html)
- **Total Film**, Jamie Graham (85/100, inferred): The critic gives Mr. Turner a strongly positive verdict, finding its episodic approach rich and moving. They single out Dick Pope’s striking cinematography and Timothy Spall’s performance for praise. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/cannes-2014-mr-turner-reaction-review/)
- **Screen Daily**, Jonathan Romney (80/100, inferred): Romney presents the film as successful in both its small details and its epic scope. The accessible text praises its ability to balance those qualities. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/mr-turner/5071722.article)
- **Sight and Sound**, Isabel Stevens (80/100, inferred): Stevens finds Leigh’s film a spirited, funny character study and an incisive social critique. She especially praises Timothy Spall’s nuanced portrayal of Turner’s physical decline and the film’s impressionistic cinematography. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/cannes-2014-savouring-mr-turner)
- **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (B): Dowd calls the film a fine, lively, visually ravishing biopic, but says it dresses up rather than overcomes the genre’s limitations. He praises Timothy Spall’s entertaining performance and Dick Pope’s gorgeous cinematography. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/cannes-14-day-two-mike-leigh-makes-another-biopic-m-1798268642)
- **Slant Magazine**, Budd Wilkins (75/100, inferred): Wilkins gives the film a clearly positive assessment as an unsentimental, richly textured portrait of Turner. He especially praises its period detail and the opening shot’s evocative composition. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/cannes-film-festival-2014-mr-turner-review/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (75/100, inferred): Scott gives the film a positive verdict, finding it an unusually rich portrait of the artist. He singles out Timothy Spall’s performance and the film’s visual beauty for praise. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/movies/mr-turner-about-the-life-of-the-artist-j-m-w-turner.html)
- **The New Yorker**, David Denby (70/100, inferred): Denby calls the film harsh and strange but ultimately stirring, praising Timothy Spall’s portrayal of Turner’s oddity and temperament. He also admires how the filmmakers evoke Turner’s way of seeing, while criticizing the film’s treatment of John Ruskin. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/08/outsiders-5)
- **Eye for Film**, Richard Mowe (90/100, inferred): Mowe calls the film a remarkable and intelligent evocation of Turner’s life, with Timothy Spall’s performance at its heart. He especially praises Dick Pope’s cinematography for capturing Turner’s colour palette in breathtaking imagery. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mr-turner-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe)
- **The Playlist** (90/100, inferred): The URL’s headline describes the film as one of Mike Leigh’s finest. The page is blocked, so its supporting praise cannot be verified. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-mike-leigh-turns-the-lens-on-himself-in-mr-turner-one-of-his-finest-films-20141215/)
- **Paste**, Tim Grierson (9.1): Grierson praises the film as a beguiling, thought-provoking portrait that avoids familiar biopic explanations. He singles out Timothy Spall’s inscrutable performance and Leigh’s vivid, tactile rendering of the era for praise. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/mr-turner)
- **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (4 Stars): The critic calls the film a masterpiece despite finding it slightly too long. She praises Leigh’s sympathetic, nuanced portrayal of Turner as a flawed but likeable man. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/cannes-2014-mr-turner-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Tom Bond (4/5): Bond finds the film a meticulous, insightful study of Turner, though its loose plot and disposable everyday episodes weaken it. He praises Timothy Spall’s nuanced performance and the strong supporting cast. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/mr-turner-review/)
- **The Skinny**, Ross McIndoe (★★★★): The review finds the film captivating despite its lack of a conventional plot. It praises Timothy Spall’s performance and Mike Leigh’s camera for drawing out the beauty of Turner’s inspirations. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/mr-turner)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B): Goldberg praises the film as an expansive, richly observed portrait of Turner and his era, though its breadth sometimes makes the context hard to follow. He singles out Timothy Spall’s performance for its poignant range and humor. [Read](https://collider.com/mr-turner-review/)
- **Consequence**, Blake Goble (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film fascinating and rewarding, though often dour, as a study of Turner. He particularly praises Dick Pope’s cinematography, calling its carefully composed images a major achievement. [Read](https://consequence.net/2014/12/film-review-mr-turner/)
- **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (3/5): The review finds the film a fascinating, richly detailed portrait that is weakened by its drift between scenes and lack of structure. It praises Timothy Spall’s portrayal of Turner, especially his expressive grunts and dry wit. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a601558/mr-turner-review-timothy-spall-leads-mike-leighs-art-biopic/)

## Details

- **Director:** Mike Leigh
- **Director:** Mike Leigh
- **Writer:** Mike Leigh
- **Cinematography:** Dick Pope
- **Editor:** Jon Gregory
- **Music:** Gary Yershon
- **Production design:** Suzie Davies
- **Costume design:** Jacqueline Durran
- **Producer:** Georgina Lowe
- **Cast:** Timothy Spall as JMW Turner; Dorothy Atkinson as Hannah Danby; Marion Bailey as Sophia Booth; Paul Jesson as William Turner Snr; Lesley Manville as Mary Somerville; Martin Savage as Benjamin Robert Haydon; Ruth Sheen as Sarah Danby; David Horovitch as Dr Price
- **Runtime:** 2h 30m
- **First release (France):** 15 May 2014
- **Genres:** History, Drama
- **Budget:** $14 million
- **Box office:** $22 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWjKggucxIU

## Where to watch in Panama

- Apple TV: buy PAB 12.99, sd

*Checked 2026-10-01.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, DE, DK, EE, FR, GB, HR, HU, IE, IT, JP, LT, MX, NO, PA, PL, RS, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2015: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Costume Design (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Actor 2014: European Film Award for Best Actor (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Horse's Mouth* (1958): Another difficult painter, with more room for comedy and no compulsory good manners.
- *La Belle Noiseuse* (1991): Patient attention to painting, with the work allowed to take its time.
- *The Colour of Pomegranates* (1969): A poet’s life approached through images that require attention rather than explanation.
- *Topsy-Turvy* (1999), Fi1m 88: Leigh gives artistic collaboration the same close attention he gives awkward people. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/topsy-turvy.md)
- *Paterson* (2016), Fi1m 84: A gentler account of making art while carrying on with ordinary life. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paterson.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/mr-turner