Mank (2020)

Mank is a sharp, elegiac period drama that reexamines 1930s–40s Hollywood through the alcoholic, acerbic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to deliver the first draft of Citizen Kane. The film intercuts Mank’s present isolation—holed up at a desert ranch with only drink and memory for company—with flashbacks to his studio days, his friendships (and rivalries) in the industry, and his dealings with powerful figures like newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and actress Marion Davies. At its core it’s a look at authorship, power, compromise and the corrosive effects of ambition and addiction. As a viewer you’ll get a richly textured, old-Hollywood experience: meticulously recreated period detail, a moody black-and-white palette, and a mixture of biting, witty dialogue and quieter, melancholic character moments. The film balances caustic satire of the studio system and media influence with a slower, character-driven study of a brilliant but self-destructive man trying to shape a controversial screenplay under intense pressure. Expect a film that feels both theatrical and forensic — intimate conversations and barbed banter sit alongside political intrigue and newsroom machinations. The tone moves between dark comedy and sober drama, so you’ll laugh at the biting one-liners while also being drawn into the moral and personal costs behind the craft of screenwriting. If you enjoy films about filmmaking, biographical reconstructions, and period pieces that interrogate fame, power and legacy, Mank offers a stylish, thought-provoking, and emotionally layered viewing experience.

Actors: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins

Director: David Fincher

Runtime: 131 min

Genres: Biography, Comedy, Drama

6.5 /10 79 /100 6.8 /10 7.1 /10