Mank - 💥💥💥

Director: David Fincher
Writer: Jack Fincher 
Release Date: 4th December 2020
Hot Rating: 💥💥💥

After a six year hiatus, director David Fincher's return to the (not so) big screen is a sorely underwhelming affair. Very much a document of classic Hollywood's political, "studio era" past, Mank is loose biopic of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, a prolific, yet often uncredited wordsmith behind many successful films of the 30s and 40s. But, Fincher's focus is on what we are persistently told by critics and publications is 'the best film of all time' – Citizen Kane. At the expense of a rounded profile of Mank himself, the film trades scenes for moments and people for characters. While Fincher is clearly at ease with his iconoclastic brand of biopic, the film doesn't conjure enough emotional engagement that would allow the viewer to navigate through this already dense document of cinema history. It's fun for film lovers, but sorely lacks the narrative arc that would consolidate this novelty as admiration. 

    Image: YouTube