New film Mank, about famous screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz, comes to Netflix

CERT 12A, 132 MINUTES, ON NETFLIX 4 DECEMBER

Starring: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance, Lily Collins, Tuppence Middleton Director: David Fincher

THE PLOT In 1940, screenwriter Herman J “Mank” Mankiewicz (Oldman) hides out on a desert ranch, writing his movie masterpiece Citizen Kane at the behest of vigorous young director Orson Welles (Tom Burke). In flashback, we see the events that inspire the screenplay, including Mank’s friendship with starlet Marion Davies (Seyfried), mistress of powerful media mogul William Randolph Hearst (Dance). WHAT’S RIGHT WITH IT? The era is beautifully evoked by a black-andwhite film that looks set to win a haul of Oscars in the craft departments, and Mankiewicz’s dry wit proves reliably entertaining. While the story often hinges on the machinations of men, it’s the female characters (see sidebar) that provide vital access points, and

Amanda Seyfried delivers her best work to date as Marion. WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT? David Fincher’s similarly smart, ambitious Facebook drama The Social Network revealed a world that easily commanded our fascination. This story – scripted by the director’s own father, Jack Fincher – assumes an interest in 1930s Hollywood and studio bosses’ political machinations that won’t be so widely shared. VERDICT Netflix’s major bids for the Best Picture Oscar – Roma and The Irishman – lost out in 2019 and 2020 to Green Book and Parasite. Can this exploration of the dark side of Hollywood’s golden era finally give the ambitious streamer service the big win? HHHH Charles Gant