Mank - Movie Review

Mank - Movie Review

Critic Score - 8 of 10

General Audience Score - 5 of 10

The 2020 movie Mank, directed by David Fincher, is a very impressive accomplishment, even as David Fincher goes. The movie has so many things a cinephile can revel in, from the sets and production design to the wonderful camera work and truly beautiful cinematography. The direction on display in Mank is really spectacular, the vision that David is able to convert to the screen is superb and stunning on many levels. But this movie is simply not for everyone.

If you have any amount of cinephile blood coursing through your veins, your eyes will enjoy the masterpiece this movie lays before them. Your brain will work tirelessly to fill in the blanks the screenwriting and story leave behind as we follow the story of "Mank" Herman Mankiewitcz, even if it boils over into the realm of frustration and annoyance. The movie thrusts you into the world of pre-Citizen Kane and with very little backstory or exposition, expects you to keep up with the names, characters, roles and relationship dynamics of people you've probably never heard of before. The movie and direction is focused in on the story it wants to tell, certainly to the point of it being a fault with no consideration to an audience not comprised exclusively of Hollywood history students.

General audiences will not be able to appreciate much of what this movie is doing. If they enjoyed the cinematic experience of Roma, for instance, another black and white Netflix Oscar contender from a couple years ago, there was simply so much more general audiences could enjoy about those characters and that story. This movie will leave them far behind. Even big fans of the director of and actors in Mank may struggle to find real enjoyment and entertainment value. A 5 of 10 average viewer score may even be a little high. But setting the challenges this movie presents aside, there's a lot of movie craft at work here.

On the other hand, I'm giving Mank my personal critic score of 8 of 10. There's pure movie craft at some of its finest on display here. I can only assume as the movie is watched in successive viewings, the understanding of the story and characters will allow even general audiences but especially cinephiles to immerse themselves in a pure cinematic experience. Once one can view Mank with the understanding of the key characters, the relationships and their motivations, one can and will delight in the experience of Mank for years to come.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on Mank.

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