A Reel Review: MANK

CITIZEN KANE (1941) is often regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, but it has not been without controversy. The debate of the authorship of the screenplay rages on to this day. Does the credit belong to the then-young-and-budding Hollywood legend Orson Welles, or does it belong to the talented alcoholic writer Herman J. Mankiewicz (known as Mank)? This is the territory for director David Fincher, a legend in his own way whose films often fall into the class of got-to-see-it-again. 

Mank (Gary Oldman), is hired by Orson Welles (Tom Burke), to write the screenplay for his new project; a project that would eventually make history. 

MANK’s primary storyline sees our troubled writer beginning the process of writing what would become CITIZEN KANE; a task that he starts while recovering from injuries from a car accident. He is in somewhat of a seclusion; holed-up in a house assisted only by a nurse and his typist (Lily Collins). In a brilliant move, Fincher, directing from a script written by his late father, gives MANK the same structure as KANE…as the film goes into several flashbacks, slowly but surely building its way towards the elements that would inspire Mank to pen the script. These elements include his friendship with Hollywood actress Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried), his touchy working-relationship with studio head Louis B. Mayer (Arliss Howard), and newspaper publisher/politician William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance)…all people that would land in the screenplay in one form or another. 

While MANK’s primary goal is to set up the many paths that Mank would use to write KANE, the film often goes too far sideways. Much of the flashback time is spent on the 1934 gubernational race in California between socialist Upton Sinclair (played by Bill Nye the Science Guy), and Republican Frank Merriam. This time sees our characters spending ages talking (emphasis on talking) about the goddamn difference between Communism and socialism…along with other issues such as the inner-workings of the studio system, Hollywood contracts, and the formation of the writer’s guild (SAG). While these are vital pieces that Mank would work into the KANE script, the endless jabber drags the film to a halt too often. 

There is still a lot to admire in MANK, because when it isn’t stopping the story dead with bullshit, it dazzles with its presentation. It is shot, edited, and acted in the style of the 1930’s and 1940’s, and truly feels like a relic of the past. The non-linear storytelling is easy to follow, and the winks and nods to the bygone era of Hollywood are executed perfectly. The score by frequent Fincher collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is excellent. 

Also excellent is the acting. Gary Oldman is in nearly every scene and has a blast playing drunk and shows the despair Mank had operating under pressures. Lilly Collins is lovely and matches Oldman toe-toe-to-toe, and Tom Burke is perfect as the young Welles. Amanda Seyfried steals every scene she’s in. 

The burning question of who should get the credit for writing KANE doesn’t get much screen-time, for when the issue is finally brought up, the film is nearly over. It feels like a cheat and one can’t help but to wonder why we had to sit through so much political blabber. For a student of cinema MANK has a lot to love, and in broad strokes it serves as a companion piece to KANE, but its tendency to veer off-course doesn’t bring it into the got-to-see-it-again class. 

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it 

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MANK is currently playing in the few theaters that are open, and on Netflix.