Mandy (2018) ****
Mandy (2018) is a hallucinogenic fever dream that blends David Lynch with Heavy Metal, a revenge fantasy of two halves—one tender and tragic, the other savage and stupefying.
Even though it's slightly more narrative than Panos Cosmatos's debut film, Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010), I liked it a bit less. I can't quite explain why. For a film as weird as this, it somehow still felt a little too familiar. That could be because of the elements involved, things that seasoned b-movie veterans have seen before: beheadings, self-aggrandizing cult leaders, dueling chainsaws.
That said, Mandy knows its audience and it delivers (albeit after a slow first half, which I may have liked even more than the latter). Title character Andrea Riseborough’s alien-like beauty is oddly entrancing, Nicholas Cage’s (perfectly cast here) vengeance is fierce, and Linus Roache’s villain is both sadistic and pathetic. The brilliant Jóhann Jóhannsson (who sadly took his life earlier this year) gave us one of his last completed scores, a compelling mix of strings, guitars and synths. On top of that, Panos's vision is singular (despite those familiar elements mentioned earlier)—existing in its own special world. This definitely feels like his film.
If you're in the mood for a Cage Rage, Mandy is your movie.
Even though it's slightly more narrative than Panos Cosmatos's debut film, Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010), I liked it a bit less. I can't quite explain why. For a film as weird as this, it somehow still felt a little too familiar. That could be because of the elements involved, things that seasoned b-movie veterans have seen before: beheadings, self-aggrandizing cult leaders, dueling chainsaws.
That said, Mandy knows its audience and it delivers (albeit after a slow first half, which I may have liked even more than the latter). Title character Andrea Riseborough’s alien-like beauty is oddly entrancing, Nicholas Cage’s (perfectly cast here) vengeance is fierce, and Linus Roache’s villain is both sadistic and pathetic. The brilliant Jóhann Jóhannsson (who sadly took his life earlier this year) gave us one of his last completed scores, a compelling mix of strings, guitars and synths. On top of that, Panos's vision is singular (despite those familiar elements mentioned earlier)—existing in its own special world. This definitely feels like his film.
If you're in the mood for a Cage Rage, Mandy is your movie.
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