'Mank' Review
'Mank' is directed by David Fincher and the screenplay was written by his father, Jack Fincher, in the '90s. He passed away in 2003. This is the story of how Orson Welles' 'Citizen Kane', widely regarded as the greatest movie of all-time, came to exist. But it's not about the filming of the movie - but how the screenplay was written.
Gary Oldman plays struggling ghost writer Herman J. Mankewicz. It's a fun role. He gets a lot of clever, rich, wise dialogue. Every fifth or sixth line has a deeper meaning or purpose.
David Fincher hasn't just made a movie that's set in Hollywood in the '30s. He's also stylized 'Mank' like an early Hollywood picture: the way it's shot, edited, the cuts to black, the sound work and some of the acting, including Amanda Seyfried as tinseltown starlet Marion Davies - the mistress of publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, the target of Welles' scathing expose.
The second half of 'Mank' doesn't pop quite as much as the first, but Fincher's intentions are loud and clear. And there are a couple of nice surprise appearances - one audio, one visual. This is one of the best of Fincher's career.
