Mank (2020)

 
Herman J. Mankiewicz explores Hollywood while he tries to finish writing "Citizen Kane"

Related titles: Citizen Kane, The Battle over Citizen Kane, The Social Network

Rating: 3/10
By Leanne

This film has a lot going for it. The cast are excellent; led by Gary Oldman who is a well established actor. It's got artistic direction, looks fantastic and has a great score too. Despite all these great things it has going for it; it's just so boring. 

Being based on the writing of Citizen Kane, I thought that having seen that and knowing a little of the history behind it would help but I was mistaken. I had no idea what was going on the first part of the film and wasn't hooked at all. It doesn't do a great job of explaining the battle between Mank and Orson Welles overly well. I personally don't think the politics being so important helped either. The politics of not only American Presidential candidates but the politics of Hollywood are all over the film and it easily gets confusing. On top of this, the constant jumping forward and backward in time between flashbacks and present day did very little to aid understanding.

I knew this was a film I hadn't enjoyed when I cared so little to do research about the film and the true story. While I know a little about it, I will admit that it's interesting that I had never heard of Herman Mankiewicz in association with Citizen Kane and had only heard of it in relation to Orson Welles.

It's no surprise that this film looks fantastic. David Fincher is a master director and this film proves no different. It's very aesthetically pleasing although I'm sure the black and white will put some people off. The score is used very well to accentuate the mood of certain scenes. When a character is left in the lurch or in an unknown situation, the music quietly swells in the background producing the tension and setting the mood well.

The cast for this film, as I've said, are fantastic. Gary Oldman is fascinating to watch as titular character Mank. His progression through the film is excellent and you can see the character succumb to his addictions despite those around him not always approving. His finest moment in the film comes towards the end where he is pitching the idea for the film in a flashback; he pitches his idea while clearly very intoxicated he continues to spew his ideas and offend everyone in the room. It's definitely the most enthralling scene in the film. Amanda Seyfried is very charming as Marion Davis. Seyfried is top of her game here in my opinion and steals the screen when she appears. 

There is an interesting discourse surrounding the age of the cast compared to the age of the real life people they are portraying. Oldman, for example, at the age of 62 is playing a 43 year old whereas his wife, was the same age, was portrayed by Tuppence Middleton who is only 33. Don't get me wrong Middleton is fantastic but the discrepancy between the ages is hard to ignore. This isn't the only case either with Seyfried (35) portraying famous actress Davies who was also the same age as Mank. You can find out more about this discussion in this interesting article.

The death of this film is that it's boring. I didn't really have a clue about what was going on for most of the film. By the time it warmed up in the second half, I had already lost interest and was ready to move onto the next film. 

Rating: 3/10
By Rebecca

What a struggle watching Mank was. It doesn't help that watching it in your own time (not at the cinema) means that you have the opportunity to pause or stop watching entirely. It literally took me over 3 days to watch it all. The biggest problem I had was the context. For the first hour I really had no idea what was happening/ got quite confused with the different characters. Once I got to grips knowing the characters, it then became a task to watch as I wasn't really interested in the topic. I could use this time to explain the synopsis, but I won't waste your time. Please watch the trailer and see for yourself if you think you'll be interested, then maybe it is worth a watch. 

I hate to completely talk bad on a film so lets draw some positives. The first thing you'll notice is that it is all in black and white. Really taking the audience back to 1930/40 when this takes place. It is authentic to its time and gives off that classic Hollywood vibe with the glitz and glamour that comes with it. By having the film in black and white it really gave a chance for the lighting to shine. There was a lot of natural light used, and when the characters were inside, the windows would cast shadows, but it would all add to the general aesthetic of the picture. The score was also brilliant - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, collaborate once again, this time to take us to old Hollywood. 

Mank did also have a political sub-plot running through. Economic change was present as the Great Depression had just happened in 1929, and of course it effected the movie industry. There was a race in California between the Democrats and Republicans, with the Republicans slamming the Democratic candidate for their socialist beliefs. It's crazy how in 100 years, nothing changed all that much. We also take a dive into political propaganda. It was starting to become a 'thing' - and it touched upon Hitler and movie executives laughed to think anyone would believe it/him. 

There are some great performances by ironically British actors. Gary Oldman takes up the role as titular character Mank. Mank is erratic and outspoken at times. He is also an alcoholic, and Oldman is able to portray that very well. You also have Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins & Tuppence Middleton as some of the female cast. They do their best in a male dominated picture, which I don't think passes the Bechdel test.

On the whole, the main problem was context as I said. If I knew a bit more about Mank, or even Citizen Kane, I maybe would have enjoyed it more. Instead it was kind of jumbled up, switching the action between years of Mank's life. It will probably do well this awards season, but it's probably not going to hit with your average movie watcher.