'Mank' (2020)
91/100
Immersive, insightful, and sumptuously realised: Oldman's mesmeric performance provides spellbinding watchability
7 years is just far too long to have to wait for a new David Fincher film. Since his gripping 2014 adaptation of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, the supremely talented director of psychologically taxing thrillers such as Se7en and Zodiac has focused mainly on his TV commitments for Netflix with House of Cards and Mindhunter. But Mank - another Netflix collaboration - is a stunning return to the world of cinema. This is a bewitching, beautifully made, and hugely engrossing tale following Old Hollywood screenwriter Herman 'Mank' Mankiewicz during the process of writing Orson Welles' seminal Citizen Kane, exploring the influences in Mank's life which led to the development of the 1941 film's Oscar-winning screenplay. The late Jack Fincher, David's father, had written the script for Mank in the 1990s but it took another few decades to actually get made by his son. Thus, Fincher Jr's finished film bears the touching hallmarks of a tender and nostalgic ode not just to his father, but to a long-gone age of filmmaking even Fincher Sr himself would have only just been old enough to remember.
Stories celebrating 'Old Hollywood' have become a common fixture in a market increasingly looking to the nostalgic past for originality. From the Coen Brothers' delightfully farcical 2016 caper Hail, Caesar! to The Artist, another black-and-white piece, these films can sometimes seem self-important and smug, waxing lyrical about a forgotten time whilst failing to do anything original themselves. Mank avoids these pitfalls, however, through its uniquely personal approach. The laser-guided focus on Oldman's anchoring Mank (he is the focus of essentially every scene) provides direction and a sense of consistency that prevents character being overshadowed by spectacle or gimmickry. He is aided by some fabulous work from the likes of Amanda Seyfried, in her best role to date.
The chameleonic Oldman is no stranger to acclaim for his versatility and astounding commitment to the roles he plays, of course. Be they nightmarishly unhinged villains in True Romance and Léon, or serving as the loyal and universally popular allies of Batman or Harry Potter, he's undeniably and consistently one of the greatest actors working today. Mank is surely one of his best roles so far, a commanding and gigantic performance with his eponymous screenwriter dominating the screen at all times. The character is in physical decline due to his raging alcoholism and intense lifestyle, leaving Oldman responsible for portraying dependency in a manner similar to his Oscar-winning turn in Darkest Hour. As unrecognisable as ever, Oldman is fully believable in convincingly exhibiting Mank's keen mind and razor-sharp wit, aided by the deliciously written script. He does immensely in expertly conveying a weary despair at the lack of intellectual brilliance his peers demonstrate when compared with his own lofty heights. It's the kind of casual confidence of the effortless genius whose mind is always a few steps ahead of everyone else in the room, whilst inwardly planning an elaborate screenplay which will subtly lampoon them all. Oldman also excels in simmering with barely concealed quiet fury at the tone-deaf opulence and underhanded tactics with which Depression-era Republicans plan the political downfall of the socialist Democratic candidate in the 1934 California gubernatorial election.
Perhaps what makes Mank so remarkable is the clearly massive interest in the subject matter from all those involved at a production level. Aptly enough for a screenplay about a screenplay, nothing better demonstrates this level of fascination with the issues at play than the screenwriting. Fincher Sr's script is replete with slick references and the searing Sorkin-esque dialogue pings back and forth in a hugely entertaining fashion. Of course, Fincher Sr likely wrote this film before Aaron Sorkin became synonymous with well-choreographed rapid-fire exchanges and clever, scathing wit. Nonetheless the hallmarks and similarities are undeniable, with the introduction of Arliss Howard's scenery-chewing MGM head Louis B Mayer particularly reminiscent of classic The West Wing 'walk-and-talk' sequences. Maybe this is because of Fincher Jr's previous collaboration with Sorkin on The Social Network, another film about a real-life maverick who prioritised being the smartest guy in the room. It certainly lends the film the kind of directorial zip it needed to make a riveting story out of limited subject matter.
If there is one gripe about the film it would arguably be the ending, which felt a little rushed and could have been developed more at script-level in favour of some of the more reverential world-building and nefarious political intrigue. The bitter conflict which developed between Mank and Orson Welles regarding screen credit for what came to be regarded as a hallowed script is condensed into too short a sequence to truly do it justice. There was definitely potential for a late surge of dramatic energy on this front, and Tom Burke's excellent performance as Welles feels underused (though admittedly understandable given the film's desire to focus solely on Mank). A Fincher-led picture on Welles' own experience making Citizen Kane could certainly be a fascinating experience in the vein of Heart of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.
Fincher is well-versed in making transfixing biopics, with the excellent The Social Network already under his belt. Yet Mank is another beast altogether, and not just because of how radically different it looks, featuring wonderfully authentic colour grading and sound editing. The film is shot in gorgeous black-and-white, and the mono sound gives it an ethereal air, like you've found a long-lost reel of film from 8 decades ago. Little touches are crucial in achieving this level of engagement such as the opening credits, for example, which proudly display 'Netflix International Pictures' as the distributor in a tongue-in-cheek nod to how drastically the filmmaking process has changed. The innovative, iPhone-assisted costume and production design is also perfect, including the especially exquisite over-the-top period costumes. These are on display at the opulent castle of William Randolph Hearst, whom the ever-excellent Charles Dance imbues with the imperious air of a Californian Tywin Lannister. From a visual perspective, this really is a sumptuous film to look and marvel at.
The amazing score also plays a key role in adding to the sense of immersion, and is one of my favourite things about the film. Usual Fincher collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross can always be relied on to deliver in this department, of course. In The Social Network, their music provided deeply affecting electronic impetus to the taut story, whilst their titanic 3-hour effort for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (unusually excellent for a US remake and, dare I say it, even better than the Swedish original) buoyed the entire film through its cold, atmospheric layerings. In Mank, the score is refreshing and incredibly dynamic to the needs of different scenes. From toe-tapping big-band jazzy accompaniments that would not be out of place in Damien Chazelle's Whiplash, to sweeping orchestral pieces that contrast with the often intimate and personal glimpses into the lives of these contemporary celebrities, it is a real highlight. Moreover, the musical achievement is all the more remarkable once it is considered that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the orchestra was forced to record their parts separately in isolation at home.
This inconvenience is just another in the endless story of cinema-related disappointments engendered by the dreaded C-word in 2020's annus horribilis. But it seems a special shame not to have been able to watch the sublime Mank in the comfort of a grand old cinema, where the sound and visuals could have been given the platform for impressing audiences they deserve. Until the day it's screened as part of a glorious (yet almost certainly angst-inducing) Fincher marathon, though - open those laptops and get watching!
An immensely involving insight into a remarkable character, Mank shines due to its flawless technical production, killer script, and an enthralling central performance from the peerless Oldman. 91/100