David Fincher and Gary Oldman team up to tell the story of iconic screenwriter Herman J. (Mank) Mankiewicz.
When David Fincher drops a new trailer, the world of cinema sits still and pays very close attention. It has been a long time coming, but when Netflix released the trailer for Mank, things were no different.
Fincher’s first cinematic release since 2014’s Gone Girl sees him unite with Gary Oldman to tell the story of the acclaimed Oscar winning screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. Written by Fincher’s late father James, Mank focuses on the tortured final stages of Mankiewicz’s writing of the iconic Citizen Kane while facing a well-documented battle with alcohol alongside external pressure in order to complete the script.
Set in LA in the 1930’s, Oldman is joined by a stellar cast including Tom Burke as Orson Welles, Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies, Charles Dance as William Randolph Hearst, Tom Pelphrey as Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Lily Collins as Mank’s secretary Rita Alexander. Mank marks the reunion of a number of Fincher’s other collaborators, most notably Erik Messerschmidt (who reprises his role as Director of Photography after excelling on Mindhunter, another Fincher project), and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Bucking the trend of the Hollywood blockbuster trailer, we are spared the mind-numbing annoyance of a full plot reveal in the trailer instead learning a minimal, yet satisfactory, amount about the plot. We witness the drunken staggering of Oldman and his disheveled body lying in bed, but it’s likely we will have the wool held firmly over our eyes until the films’ cinema release in November.
In keeping with period style, Fincher has made the film in black and white, treating the audience to ominous silhouettes, deep shadows and excessively back lit hair which fans of 30’s noir will particularly enjoy. For those eagle-eyed Orson Welles fans amongst us, there are also a number of homages paid to the film icon, most notable among them being the final shot of the trailer, a true testament to Welles and in particular a certain Rosebud.
Mank will be released in selected cinema screens in November, while its streaming premiere will be on Netflix on 4 December. Many have already tipped Mank for award season success and it’s easy to see why: with the combined firepower of Oldman and Fincher paying tribute to a Hollywood icon, it will undoubtedly tick all the boxes for Academy voters.
Words by Johnny Percival
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