When she finally arrives, she meets her menacing Uncle Joss (Sean Harris) and also his enigmatic and handsome younger brother, Jem (Matthew McNulty), whom she finds attractive, despite her best efforts otherwise.
It's not long before she realizes things are not quite right at Jamaica Inn. For one, no one ever stays there, but the tavern is full each night with raucous and rough men. She's also seen and heard things that she shouldn't have and suspects her uncle is involved with smuggling, something she loathes having lost her father to murderous smugglers when she was young. She finds some solace at the local church where Mr. Davey (Ben Daniels) serves as the vicar and his sister, Hannah (Shirley Henderson, The Crimson Petal and the White, the Harry Potter series), helps in the church, but something is a bit off with these two as well.
Soon, Mary finds herself more involved than she could ever have imagined and she must play a dangerous game if she is to survive. Who can she trust and who is truly pulling the strings behind Joss' elaborate operation? Discovering the truth may cost her dearly.
While Jamaica Inn is billed as a thriller and there are some tense moments, I found it to be more of a Gothic drama than anything else. The acting is quite good, but the story itself is quiet and slow. While Mary is always under the threat of Uncle Joss, she also finds herself being inexplicably drawn to Jem, even though he seems to toy with her heart. All of the cast play their parts quite well, but the story just won't be for everyone. As far as special features go, there is a photo gallery, some behind-the-scenes footage (which is exactly that, raw footage only), and some cast and crew interviews. They are nothing compelling, but are there for fans of the book or those who want more info.
Overall, I can only recommend Jamaica Inn to those who either really loved the book or are looking for a dark and brooding period drama.
