‘Mank’ movie review

‘Mank’ is an ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood.  Director David Fincher pulls no punches in telling the story of how Herman Mankiewicz (aka Mank) came to write ‘Citizen Kane.’  Cinephiles will adore Fincher’s meticulous attention to detail while filmed in an artsy black-and-white.  This is a nostalgic look at Hollywood when the movie studios had actors as well as screenwriters under contract.  Film historians hail ‘Citizen Kane’ as the greatest film of all time.  It is Orson Welles’ masterpiece but ‘Mank’ shows how important the screenplay is as a blueprint to the final product.  Gary Oldman plays Mank to perfection.  Will the alcoholic screenwriter make the deadline?  ‘Mank’ is worth your time to find out.

For those that know how a screenplay is constructed will appreciate how Fincher uses lines like “Ext. Paramount Studios – Day- 1930 (Flashback).”  The story is told in a non-linear fashion.  It opens with Mank laying in bed in a ranch style house struggling to finish the screenplay for ‘Citizen Kane.’  He is there because RKO Pictures gave Orson Welles (Tom Burke) carte blanche to make any film he wants.  Although the booze has gotten in the way, Mank has the reputation in Hollywood as a brilliant writer. Welles demands the first draft of the screenplay in 90 days.  We then get transported back to 1934 Hollywood and it is a fun ride indeed.  Fincher is obviously capturing the same vibe as the original ‘Citizen Kane.’

There are some glorious scenes of Old Hollywood.  One shows Louis B. Mayer (Arliss Howard) walking through the MGM studio lot with Mank in tow.  He gives a speech about the “dream factory” on a soundstage full of actors and grips.  He asks his employees to take a 50 percent cut in salary so the “family” can survive the depression.  Mank listens with a sarcastic demeanor.   There is also another brilliant scene at Hearst Castle.  There is a lavish dinner party taking place befitting royalty.  Mank became good friends with actress Marion Davies (played magnificently by Amanda Seyfried).  The two take a walk along the estate and soon realize they are kindred spirits.   

The film is in tune with Hollywood as a business. The fact that it is on Netflix is a sign of how the movie industry is changing.  There are some brilliant performances here.  I would not be surprised if Gary Oldman received an Oscar nod as well as Amanda Seyfried.  She brings the heart and soul of Davies to life in her performance.  When Mank goes into a drunken rant right in front of William Randolph Hearst, it is Seyfried’s facial expressions that elevate the scene to another level.  It’s the beginning of Mank’s downfall as one of Hollywood’s elite.

Mank was once told, “Write hard.  Aim low.”  Fincher just aims with dead shot accuracy.  The film is not just about a screenwriter meeting a deadline.  It is about the passion and obsession of getting something right.  It’s about making good art.  I don’t think ‘Citizen Kane’ would be made in today’s climate of people getting so easily offended.  ‘Mank’ is a movie about a movie.  ‘Citizen Kane’ is the greatest film of all time.  It’s a masterpiece because it goes against convention.  Fincher delivers a film that is obsessed with remembering the romanticism, glamour and corruption of Hollywood.  ‘Mank’ is a must-see.