Mank was definitely my most anticipated movie of the year. David Fincher is one of favorite directors of all time. Any movie that he makes, I'm gonna be watching. The concept of the film sounded deeply interesting too. A David Fincher movie about the creation of the most influential movie ever made and starring Gary Oldman. It was also made in the style of a 40s movie. Sounds amazing. However, while Mank definitely had some positive qualities, all in all, it was a bit disappointing.
Let's start with the good. From a technical standpoint, the movie is phenomenal. The beautiful and creative cinematography, the immaculate editing, the set design, the costumes are all utterly astounding. We should expect no less from Fincher at this point who has consistently proven to be masterful at technical achievements.
Gary Oldman also gives a great performance. He completely disappears into the role, and it's not hard to forget that it's Gary Oldman who is playing Mankiewicz.
The movie is also very unique, surprising, and ambitious. However, I'm afraid it's one of those movies that you can more appreciate than actually like.
The movie feels inconsequential and insignificant a lot of the time. I love dialogue heavy movies (when done right), but some of the scenes in this movie just get downright tedious. The film's pace is, for lack of a better word, a bit meandering. The movie gets more and more repetitive as it goes on.
Being a big fan of Citizen Kane, I did enjoy the scenes of him writing the movie. But at the end of the day, did I learn anything THAT interesting about the making of the movie? No. Was I thoroughly invested in everything that was going on. Unfortunately not.
Add to that, the film also can get incredibly confusing, as it assumes the audience has knowledge of this era's film industry and politics. A lot of the time, I just didn't care because the film never really communicated to me why I should care. This can make some of the movie feel emotionally shallow.
However, I did love the stylistic concept of it all. It was a good love letter to the golden age of Hollywood. Also, the ways in which the movie replicates the structure of Citizen Kane... while talking about the structure of Citizen Kane, is brilliant.
This movie is commendable, bold, and utterly impressive in many ways, but it's not enough to save this movie from feeling like a disappointment. At the end of the day, it's a movie I can respect more than actually enjoy.
6.9 / 10.
Let's start with the good. From a technical standpoint, the movie is phenomenal. The beautiful and creative cinematography, the immaculate editing, the set design, the costumes are all utterly astounding. We should expect no less from Fincher at this point who has consistently proven to be masterful at technical achievements.
Gary Oldman also gives a great performance. He completely disappears into the role, and it's not hard to forget that it's Gary Oldman who is playing Mankiewicz.
The movie is also very unique, surprising, and ambitious. However, I'm afraid it's one of those movies that you can more appreciate than actually like.
The movie feels inconsequential and insignificant a lot of the time. I love dialogue heavy movies (when done right), but some of the scenes in this movie just get downright tedious. The film's pace is, for lack of a better word, a bit meandering. The movie gets more and more repetitive as it goes on.
Being a big fan of Citizen Kane, I did enjoy the scenes of him writing the movie. But at the end of the day, did I learn anything THAT interesting about the making of the movie? No. Was I thoroughly invested in everything that was going on. Unfortunately not.
Add to that, the film also can get incredibly confusing, as it assumes the audience has knowledge of this era's film industry and politics. A lot of the time, I just didn't care because the film never really communicated to me why I should care. This can make some of the movie feel emotionally shallow.
However, I did love the stylistic concept of it all. It was a good love letter to the golden age of Hollywood. Also, the ways in which the movie replicates the structure of Citizen Kane... while talking about the structure of Citizen Kane, is brilliant.
This movie is commendable, bold, and utterly impressive in many ways, but it's not enough to save this movie from feeling like a disappointment. At the end of the day, it's a movie I can respect more than actually enjoy.
6.9 / 10.