Review of Mank (2020) by Sierra-117 — 06 Dec 2020

David Fincher’s genius new drama about the context behind the 1941 classic Citizen Kane, is a testament to how much can be accomplished by taking a 6 year break between films. I personally found Fincher’s last entry, Gone Girl, to be more than a tad underwhelming, so to see him come back in such a glorious fashion was a pleasant surprise indeed.

Mank follows washed up but genius screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz (or "Mank") as he races to finish the script of Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane. The plot is divided into two sections which play along side each other; the first of which being the period of time in which Mankiewicz attempts to write the script, with the other being flashbacks telling the events leading up to this.

It is in the flashbacks (which are hilariously indicated by the word "flashback" appearing on screen in typewriter font) where Mank really shines. Fincher absolutely nails the aesthetic of 1930s Hollywood, with magnificent sets, fantastic costume design, a specially made RED Monochrome camera (which even features old white scratches, black spots and other things you’d see in old B&W film), and the accompaniment of Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’s brilliant score (as always), all of which gives the film a sort of nostalgic authenticity.

The music in general is extremely varied. In some sections you might have a backwards tracking shot, with the extremely snappy dialogue (no exaggeration, the dialogue is the best Fincher has ever written) going back and fourth, and over the top you can hear jazzy drum beats with the occasional use of bass to quicken the pace (a little like Birdman).

In other parts the score might be more subtle, always replicating the style of music heard in 1930-40s cinema whilst still sounding distinctly like Reznor and Ross. However, regardless of how incredible the atmosphere and/or aesthetic is, the film wouldn’t be worth watching if not from the characters.

Fortunately the characters are exceptional. I didn’t think anyone could even come close to Delroy Lindo’s performance in Da 5 Bloods, but Gary Oldman might give him a run for his money. Anyone who’s anyone knows that Oldman is a phenomenal actor, but I can confidently say that this is as of right now my favourite of his roles.

Mank is witty, charismatic, arrogant, and even sometimes straight up unlikable, but under his pretence of callousness, he is a truly good person. Despite being heavily involved in the film industry, Mankiewicz is also a scathing social critic.

Similar to in Citizen Kane, there is a sociopolitical subtext in Mank, which illustrates how the media can influence politics and the apparent ignorance of society. It was especially interesting to see Fincher’s depiction of William Randolph Hearst, who is the main subject of Citizen Kane’s criticism.

To those who don’t know, Hearst was a newspaper tycoon who greatly influenced American politics during his lifetime, more often than not for the worse. In Mank he is played by Charles Dance (so you know he’s going to be a villain), and as per usual Dance is both cold and intimidating.

There is a fantastic display of both Dance and Oldman’s acting in a Macbeth style banquet sequence, which as I understand it, took over 100 takes to perfect. Gary Oldman does steal the show as both the best performance and the main focus, but the supporting cast is hardly forgettable.

The highlights for me were Lily Collins, Amanda Seyfried, and Tom Burke - who does a frighteningly accurate impression of Orson Welles. I do have some minor nitpicks about the film however. The pacing was at one or two points a tad too slow, and the flashback near the start which establishes how Mank broke his leg feels out of place and slightly forced.

Otherwise I have very few complaints. Mank is an absolutely outstanding effort by David Fincher to replicate the magic of 1930s Hollywood. As well as the extremely well done Mise-en-scène which gives the film a sense of authenticity, Mank’s absolutely phenomenal acting, dialogue, music and sociopolitical themes help it blow almost every movie of 2020 out of the water.