'Mank' (2020) Review - Did I watch the same film as all of you?

I can’t speak for the historical accuracy of Mank because, as a child of the late 90s/early 2000s, I’m not the most well-versed in old Hollywood or the stars of the time. Still, I love Citizen Kane, and I was curious to learn more about the making of it. I hoped that Mank would be a window into this fast-paced, culturally significant world – unfortunately, I was wrong. As somewhat of an outsider looking in, I found the film incredibly inaccessible and dull.

 

Perhaps this companion piece, from the brilliant mind of David Fincher, will delight film history buffs and fans of the ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood. There are enough winks and nudges, and appearances of famous faces, to engage those with more knowledge of the background to Citizen Kane. But the story itself, at least for me, was tedious and uninteresting. 

When the film began, I was delighted at the visuals, feeling like I was watching an actual film from the early 1940s. However, as time went on the black and white gradient and old-school visuals became increasingly gloomy and depressing. Still, I can’t deny that the film is atmospheric, and I did love some of the stylistic choices such as the use of screenwriting captions appearing on the screen to lead us into new scenes and places. But within just forty minutes of Mank, I was close to tears with boredom.

It has to be said that the acting is terrific - for the most part. Gary Oldman does an okay job with what he’s given, but at times when I was watching him, I felt like I was watching an old, stuttering train trying its best to chug along as it rapidly ran out of steam - this could have been intentional, but I found it irritating. Tom Burke successfully brings Orson Welles back to life. Amanda Seyfried in particular lit up the screen, but her moments were few and far between.

For a film with such an esteemed cast, director, and stunning visuals, I truly struggled to get through it. Mank, for me, has been the biggest disappointment of 2020 – which, perhaps, is the most apt way to end a dreadfully disappointing year.