Mank
Composite Score: 83.6
Starring: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Tom Pelphrey, Arliss Howard, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Burke, Charles Dance, Ferdinand Kingsley, and Jamie McShane
Director: David Fincher
Writer: Jack Fincher
Genres: Biography, Comedy, Drama
MPAA Rating: R for some language
Box Office: N/A
Why should you Watch This Film?
Mank is David Fincher’s film about the life and times of Herman J. Mankiewicz (Mank), the award-winning screenwriter of Citizen Kane. It focuses on Mank’s relationships with Marion Davies, Louis B. Mayer, and William Randolph Hearst – the not-so-subtle real-life inspirations for the central characters of Citizen Kane – and the impact that the California gubernatorial election of 1934 had on his perception of those figures. The film stars Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Arliss Howard, and Charles Dance in those roles respectively, and each delivers the performance that the film needs. It was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Lead Actor for Oldman, Best Supporting Actress for Seyfried, and wins for Best Cinematography and Best Production Design thanks to its homage to the legendary film.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Mank has detractors from both sides – those sides being people who have seen Citizen Kane and people who have not seen Citizen Kane. Fans (I assume, since I find it difficult to believe someone could watch Citizen Kane and not end up liking it) of Kane take issue with the overt nature of the film’s script, removing any mystery and/or subtext as to the nature of the film’s subjects and its goals. Jack Fincher makes certain that even audience members (most likely including certain Netflix executives) who have not seen nor ever will see Citizen Kane know exactly why Mank wrote the story the way he did and why Davies, Mayer, and Hurst were so adamant about keeping it from being made. At the same time, audiences who have never seen Citizen Kane really have no reason to watch this film. Even if you’re curious about the context of the film, you could just as easily read a Wikipedia article about the political and social background rather than watch two and a half hours of Gary Oldman being a cynical drunk and come away with the same understanding. It feels like Fincher wanted Mank to be his Kane, but that already happened when he made The Social Network. In short, Mank is a film that doesn’t quite know who it is for and ends up suffering a bit for that.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Personally, I really like Mank. As you might have realized by now, I’m a fairly forgiving audience member and can look past a lack of subtlety if I enjoy the rest of the film, and in this case, I do. For starters, Mank looks and sounds great. Fincher’s decision to take inspiration from the cinematography and production design of Citizen Kane works so well – putting the legend in the audience’s mind even when the film drifts from that driving force. Additionally, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross bring their Oscar-winning talents to the film’s score, creating music that sets the tone and period of the film solidly in the minds of the audience. The musical duo lost to themselves at the Oscars this year, winning for Soul with the help of Jon Batiste, instead, but their Mank score was the only legitimate opponent facing the ultimate winner.
The performances also do a lot to make Mank as great as it is. Arliss Howard’s portrayal of the MGM exec Louis B. Mayer is every bit as sleazy and charismatic as Mankiewicz made him out to be as the assistant Bernstein in Kane. Charles Dance’s interpretation of William Randolph Hearst might be an even better villain portrayal than his performance as Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones (though I think it comes in as a close second). Gary Oldman’s Mank is the central figure of the film, and he fills those shoes nicely, playing the writer with all the snark, cynicism, and alcoholism one might expect of the writer of such an iconic piece of American film. His performance garnered an Oscar nomination in a field of solid entrants, ultimately losing to Anthony Hopkins for his performance in The Father, though I think he probably finished last in the voting behind Chadwick Boseman, Riz Ahmed, and Steven Yeun as well. The true star(let) of the show is Amanda Seyfried’s Marion Davies. She gives her best performance to date as the inspiring actress and Hearst’s lover. For the longest time, I expected her to win the Oscar for her performance, but I wasn’t too disappointed by Youn Yuh-jung’s win for Minari.
A collection of strong leading performances, a high-quality score from Reznor and Ross, and intentional homage to its inspiration, Citizen Kane, have made Mank one of the Greatest Films of All Time, worthy of a spot on this list. Its inability to fully draw in non-Kane fans coupled with its occasional alienation of more invested “film bros” keeps it as a subject of mild controversy within those great films, but Fincher’s directorial execution and the well-cast group of actors does enough to keep it above water for now. It is currently, and has always been, available to stream on Netflix if you’re interested.
