Director – David Fincher; Credited Screenwriter – Jack Fincher
Mank manages to be both a breezy quip-filled ride through the golden age of Hollywood while also interrogating the very point of such an exercise. Here, Fincher is at his most introsopective, asking pointed questions about the film industry, its role in politics, as well as the pitfalls of the ironic, detached apathy exemplified in spectacular fashion by Gary Oldman as Mank himsef – a liberal in a capitalist world, an alcoholic and gambling addict who, through the course of the film and his own self-interrogation, will co-author Citizen Kane. The supporting cast (or, in Mank’s own words the non-headliners) are also excellent, particularly Amanda Seyfried in a humanising and often hilarious turn. Though special mention too should go to Tom Burke, saddled with the unenviable task of playing Orson Welles, a challenge he rises to admirably. Mank is mediative and electrifying and absolutely cannot be missed.
Even Briefer, Please: A Yes without reservation, Mank is a cinephile’s dream.
Briefly, Please 