Arguably one of the greatest motion pictures of all-time, it comes as no surprise that Citizen Kane’s journey to the silver screen wasn’t smooth-sailing. It never is for the best films. For his latest, David Fincher recounts the story of how screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz came up with the script for the iconic movie.
Presented in a mesmeric monochrome, Gary Oldman stars as Mankiewicz – or Mank, as many refer to him as – the cynical, cigar-chomping screenwriter that took on Hollywood, politics, and a stubborn Orson Welles (Tom Burke) in the 1930s. When an accident leaves Mank bedridden, he finds himself with two weeks to present a script to Welles; as he dictates his dialogue to his scribe Rita Alexander (Lily Collins), Mank begins reminiscing on the past and his politically-charged encounters with newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance) – who eventually becomes the subject of Mank’s ‘Citizen Kane’.
If Mank is Fincher’s love-letter to Hollywood, it’s more of a tough-love approach than doey-eyed pastiche – a scrutinisation of the industry that the filmmaker is also celebrating here. Helming a script penned by his late father, there’s a clear passion for the material behind every frame and every line of dialogue. Fincher’s laborious directing methods may have made headlines recently but it’s hard to deny that he gets results; this is a stunningly crafted piece of work, technically immaculate in its sweeping cinematography and crispy sound design, and impeccably performed by every actor relishing such a deft, razor-sharp script.
It’s admittedly a heady and complex film. Despite being promoted as “the untold story behind ‘Citizen Kane’”, Mank is more concerned with the political landscape of the 1930s than anything else; it feels like a cautionary tale about the American political structure rather than a biopic diving into the controversial Welles/Mank dynamic. For those wanting a real look behind the curtain as to how ‘Kane’ came to be and what the troubled partnership between two Hollywood heavyweights was like, Mank will offer little resolution. If anything, that’s just the backdrop for a far more engaging and rewarding story of legacy to unfold against. But the well-informed writing coupled with an immersive visual palette makes for a compelling narrative nonetheless.
There’s a lot going on in Mank; sometimes it’s too much for its own good and it can become a dizzying exercise to keep up with the various timelines and tangents that the script embarks on throughout. However, if you stick with it, Fincher’s latest endeavour is a very reflective and provocative character study with themes and ideas that feel relevant now more than ever. It’s surprisingly funny too. Anchored by not only a career-best Oldman (once again unrecognisable and channelling the loud, motor mouth of Churchill in Darkest Hour) but by a cast all on excellent form – including Oscar-worthy turns from Collins as endearing secretary Alexander and a magnetic and joyous Amanda Seyfried as American actress Marion Davies – Mank is Fincher at his most thoughtful and intellectual. It’s a sharp, challenging, and gorgeous piece of work up there amidst the director’s better films and it certainly proves that 2020 still has some aces up its sleeves yet.
Mank
Summary
Fincher at his most thoughtful and intellectual; sharp, challenging, and gorgeous piece of work up there amidst the director’s better films.
