Mank
Directed by David FincherIn 1940, film studio RKO 1940 hires 24-year-old wunderkind Orson Welles under a contract that gives him full creative control of his movies. For his first film, he calls in washed-up alcoholic Herman J. Mankiewicz to write the screenplay. That film is "Citizen Kane," and this is the story of how it was written.
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Mank Ratings & Reviews
- jackmeatJuly 8, 2025My quick rating - 6.8/10. Oh, Gary Oldman is just such a great actor. He really brings movies up a notch when he is in them. This is the story of the forgotten screenwriter for one of the greatest movies of all time, Citizen Kane. Oh, in case you need to know, his name was Herman J. Mankiewicz, a complete drunk who had no inhibitions in saying what was on his mind. Perfect for Oldman to convey on screen. In often comedic and at times confusing ways, he imagines as well as dictates his story to be adapted to film to be directed by Orson Welles. Hopefully, not all of this info is news to you. These were some pretty big names in Hollywood, LOL. So along the way, "Manks," as he is called, bumbles his way through interactions with bigwigs and crew to come up with the everyday situations for his tale. Often comedic in delivery, and completely inappropriate as well, the whole thing makes for an entertaining look at the 40s Hollywood. The supporting cast was stellar as well, with Amanda Seyfried getting a supporting actress nod. The black and white cinematography looks wonderful and captures the feel along the way. I really just wish there was more to the actual story. Just seemed a bit bland, minus a few well-done scenes. Not enough meat on my plate, but still a satisfying meal, all so to speak.
- cultfilmlikerApril 23, 2025From the opening it is incredibly stylistic. I mean…the sound was so fucking weird, I had to switch to Netflix to make sure it wasn’t an error lmao After the bathroom scene, I had to check the sound again. What the fuck. I get the idea of mono sound but it’s almost like it’s distorted even. Feels like an exaggerated lower quality and it really takes me out of the film. Maybe if it was filmed grainy af too but the juxtaposition is jarring as it is. Sweet cigarette burns lol (NOTE: At this juncture, approximately halfway through, I went and got a soundbar I haven’t been using for some reason, and tried it with that as well. The audio still made me mad) The writing is both cheesy and masturbatory lol also ngl it’s wildly boring. I fell asleep sitting up at three different points in the day. Mank himself is so quick-witted and I hate him and that lets you know the writing is good. Jk. The screenplay/story is wild though! The Finchers obviously takes themselves very seriously. And while it is being brilliantly boring, that means that the direction is on point but almost too much so. Can’t help but feel that this was done much better in Ed Wood, and I am not a Depp or Burton fan smh Orson Welles would likely be proud, but he’d also likely be rolling his eyes after giving the compliment. Exceptional, yet overdone. Good acting! Cut 20 minutes, gain a star * Another dangerous film for recovering alcoholics, but shoot the parallels in thinking re: alcoholism between this film and myself at the time of this film’s release are wild.
