Movie Review: 'Mank'

Mank stars Gary Oldman in the role of legendary Hollywood screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz. Mank is not a biopic per se, but rather, Mank is an attempt to correct a bit of Hollywood mythology. For decades many have credited Orson Welles almost solely for crafting the masterpiece that is Citizen Kane. Mank is an effort by director David Fincher to claim more than equal credit for Mankiewicz whose personal friendship with media magnate William Randolph Hearst provided the basis for Welles’ epic takedown of the wealthy and powerful elite.

Mank is the story of how Herman Mankiewicz came to write Citizen Kane after having nearly destroyed his career via his drunken escapades. Mankiewicz was on the outs in Hollywood when he was involved in a car accident that nearly left him an invalid. Wanting to work with Mankiewicz in his Hollywood debut, and wanting to flex his newfound entertainment industry muscle, Orson Welles needed to dry Herman out before he could begin to excavate Herman’s relationship with Hearst to create Kane.

Locking Mank up in a desert cabin, Welles, portrayed in cameo by Tom Burke, has his friend and collaborator John Houseman (Sam Troughton) keeping tabs on Mank and hiring him a staff to look after him that includes a German masseuse of Mank’s choice, Monica Gossman, and a typist of Houseman’s choice, Rita Alexander (Lily Collins). Rita will type for Mank who prefers to dictate the story or write it long hand, rather than type.

Rita will also have the task of keeping Mank sober, a challenge no one would be up for. Mank’s ability to get alcohol is nearly as legendary as his many drunken diatribes. The story of Mank will then unfold in a series of flashbacks to what inspired the script. Mankiewicz was a good friend of the Hearst family, first befriending Hearst’s actress wife, Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried) before becoming one of W.R Hearst’s favored dinner guests due to his entertaining conversational talents. Mank was unafraid to speak the truth to Hearst, played in a cameo by Charles Dance from Game of Thrones, something he appreciated even as he rejected much of Mank’s leftist tendencies.

The flashbacks build to the inevitable fallout of their friendship and a scene that is an absolute epic of performance and staging. At a dinner in Hearst’s home, Mankiewicz arrives late and more drunk than usual. Mank proceeds to drive everyone out of the room as he delivers an epic monologue about Hearst, laying out the story of Hearst’s rise and how his obsession with money and power had so deeply corrupted the man.

Gary Oldman could very well be holding an Oscar next April on the strength of this monologue alone. It’s a powerhouse performance that some may write off as drunken scenery chewing. Me, I found it to be riveting. Oldman is electric, brimming with passion and intelligence as his Mank is self immolating, burning his career to the ground as he sets fire to every bridge he ever built. It’s a masterpiece of drama, dark humor and speaking truth to power.

Oldman isn’t the only great thing about Mank, Amanda Seyfried stands out as well in the much smaller role of Marion Davies. The legendary kept woman of one of the most powerful men in America, Seyfried invests Marion with a wonderfully genuine, down home quality. Her Marion is street smart and emotionally intelligent. She’s aware of how people view her relationship with Hearst and strong enough not to care what others think. Her humor and earnest appreciation for Mank and his talent make his betrayal of her specifically, the dramatic heart of Mank.

As a fan of film theory and the debate over the auteur theory, the notion of Director as sole author of a movie, I found Mank to be a surprising rebuke of the auteur. David Fincher appears to have made Mank specifically to give more credit to Herman Mankiewicz for Citizen Kane. Orson Welles famously received a co-screenwriting credit and an Oscar for Citizen Kane’s screenplay and Fincher clearly sided with Mankiewicz in mocking Welles for his credit grab.

Director David Fincher, himself being what many see as the ultimate auteur, has been outspoken in the run up to the release of Mank about his respect for screenwriters. It makes sense, Mank is based on a screenplay by Fincher's late father, Jack Fincher, who passed away in 2003. It’s a testament to Fincher’s integrity that he so happily shares credit on his films with many popular writers who aren't his father and include luminaries like Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl). Mank and Fincher's career in general, are a definitive shot across the bow of the auteur theorists out there.

Mank was shot in black and white to evoke not only Citizen Kane but also the Hollywood of the 1930’s and 1940’s when Herman Mankiewicz went from the toast of the town to just being toasted, and back again with his Oscar winning, Citizen Kane triumph. As always, Fincher’s direction is rich in technical detail, right down to the cigarette burns marking what would have been reel changes when movies were shown on film projectors. Mank is a beautiful film to look at on top of being a brilliant character piece and a correction to Hollywood's historic mythology.

Mank debuts on Netflix on December 4th.