Mank Movie Review: Gary Oldman Is Amazingly Brilliant in David Fincher’s Compelling Ode to the Man Who Created Citizen Kane (LatestLY Exclusive)

Mank Movie Review: Have you seen Citizen Kane? The late Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece is considered as one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever made, set around the fictional life-story of a media mogul Charles Foster Kane. So before you get into watching David Fincher's new film Mank on Netflix, it is quite advisable to watch Citizen Kane first to understand some of the conflicts in the movie. Mank Review: David Fincher’s Biographical Drama Starring Gary Oldman Is a Winner Among the Critics!

When Citizen Kane came out, many pointed out that the lead character bears similarities to some of the prominent media barons on the era. Especially, William Hearst, also a movie producer. Mank harks on how this parallel came about as the film revolves around its eponymous screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman)'s attempts to finish the screenplay for Welles within the span of 60 days.

When we meet him first, Mankiewicz has been bed-ridden in an accident that leave him temporarily incapacitated. He is assigned a secretary in a British girl, Rita (Lily Collins), whose husband is fighting in World War II, and whose task is to take dictations from Mankiewicz and type out the script for Welles (Tom Burke).

As they get together to complete the screenplay, we get flashbacks to Mankiewicz' past, showing his career as a 'script-fixer' and his equations with Hearst (Charles Dance) and actress Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried), who is also Hearst's mistress. We see how Mankiewicz gets increasingly disillusioned with Hollywood's capitalist attitude and its nonchalant view of the rise of Hitler in Germany, and his increased dependence of alcoholism. What begins as a quippy take on the classic era of cinema turns into a cynical view of the political situation of the country, suffering from economic depression and war.

Watch the Trailer:

Mank, brilliantly photographed by Erik Messerschmidt, is show completely in black-and-white in the same way as you see a film from the '30s and '40s. Watch out for the spots that appear randomly on the screen and you would often forget that this is a film made in present times. Even though Mank is a bit lengthy, some of the important sequences are so snappily edited that they remain memorable. Especially that party sequence that turns a fun conversation into a discussion of merits and demerits of communism. David Fincher Birthday: From Fight Club to Gone Girl - 5 Best Films of the Director That Are Must-Watch! 

Mank, which had been scripted by the director's late father Jack Fincher, isn't as frenetically paced as the filmmaker's previous films. It deconstructs the psyche of Mankiewicz as the screenwriter uses his words as a form of rebellion against majoritarianism. At the same time, you can see Fincher's class in how he manages to create a truly captivating drama without being preachy or even dragging.

Mank is not a very easy watch compared to rest of Fincher's films, mostly because you need to have some knowledge of the political situation in USA pre-WWII to understand how it begins affecting Mankiewicz. At the same time, if you have watched Citizen Kane, then you would love to see and hear Mank's thoughts into penning one of the greatest screenplays of all time, mostly through his conversations with Rita. And if you have the knowledge of the legends and icons of that era, do catch quite a few of them in the film, including a certain Mr 'Tramp' (Tramp, not Trump!)! Also you would not see the MGM logo the same way again, after watching Trump! Who knew Louis B Mayer (Arliss Howard) was such a manipulative 'nertes'!

Above all, Mank features another stupendous performance from the great Gary Oldman, who is bound to get another Oscar nom for sure. Even while depicting his bouts of alcoholism, Oldman keeps it contained, which makes his drunken retelling of Don Quixote's tale at Hearst's costume party, all the more effective and affecting. Amanda Seyfried is another standout actor in the film, fantastic as the actress, whose talent is questioned over how much her lover is pushing her in the limelight.

Yay!

- Gary Oldman

- Effective Story-telling and Beautifully Photographed

Nay!

- Needs You to Have Insights into The Political Climate of The States in the '40s

- Slow-Paced in the Latter Half

Final Thoughts

Mank may not be one of Fincher's 'fan-pleasing' efforts, but it is a more searing, more intrinsic work from the director, whose stamp continues to persist in every frame of the film. Also, features yet another brilliant turn from the reliable Oldman. Mank is streaming on Netflix.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 05, 2020 03:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).