'Mank' film review: Nostalgic, searing take on the old Hollywood that inspired 'Citizen Kane'

David Fincher's latest isn't merely a caustic indictment of corruption in Old Hollywood - the biographical drama 'Mank' (streaming on Netflix starting Dec. 4) practically is a throwback to a bygone era of cinema.

In short: Alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) struggles to write the script for 'Citizen Kane.' Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins and Charles Dance also star.

At one point, a character critiques Mank's early draft of 'Citizen Kane' as "bit of a jumble" - which is itself an apt description of 'Mank' itself. This is honestly a lot of film - all of it rooted in what inspired the pointed, legendary cinematic masterpiece. To the degree that 'Mank' is a decadent and beautifully crafted work of cinema, it's equally alienating. This is a film about film ... that all-too-readily takes asides to debate the merits of socialism versus conservativism, the evil of propaganda and the politics of the old studio system. And yet, 'Mank' is an undeniably captivating work that honors early Hollywood while outright condemning the men who ruled early Hollywood.

'Mank' is best appreciated by anyone with a doctorate in Old Hollywood history and a strong familiarity with the iconic 'Citizen Kane.' In fact, a rewatch of 'Kane' is highly recommended before diving into 'Mank,' if only to have the iconic film fresh in mind as a touchstone. A keen awareness of all the movers and shakers in 1930s Hollywood would be all the more helpful, but the audience can be forgiven for not knowing the full biographies of Tinseltown's luminaries from almost 100 years ago. 'Kane' itself is already thematically complex enough to deconstruct - understanding what influenced Mankiewicz and consequently 'Kane' is aided by having brushing up on some Golden Age of Hollywood 101.

This decidedly non-linear narrative is by no means a straightforward story - 'Mank' flips between a bedridden Mankiewicz writing his magnum opus in 1940 while flashing back to his previous years in and around the MGM studio that influenced one of the greatest films of all time. This back-and-forth chronicles the (mostly self-inflicted) difficulties Mankiewicz faces while finishing the 'Kane' script, as well as his growing disdain for Hollywood power brokers. Truly masterful editing beautifully weaves these two plot threads together, with the past always informing the present and the present leading back to a memory of the past.

Oldman absolutely dominates every frame as the hard-drinker without a verbal filter. 'Mank' is definitively his journey through the creative process and through old Hollywood. The sharply-written, quick-witted Mankiewicz is an unpredictable loose cannon, and in Oldman's hands, the titular character is downright acerbic, charming and wildly unpredictable. While the film doesn't really give the sense of who Mankiewicz was as a man - something 'Mank' itself notes as an impossibility for any film to accomplish - the film instead uses him to guide the audience through the studio system. While the movie might not capture who Mankiewicz was as a man, it does honor his almost forgotten role in crafting 'Citizen Kane.'

The layered character tensions and Depression-era politics are complex enough without the script's tendency to meander and stray. It's possible this film is actually too textured for its own good. It's possible to convey Mankiewicz's recklessness without letting scenes of his rash gambling linger quite as long as 'Mank' lets the scenes breath. The screenwriter's live-in nurse has a small scene that reveals some of Mankiewicz's off-screen good deeds. Another moment has Mankiewicz learning the language origin of 'nerts.' These are small moments that seem innocuous enough - but they don't advance the story or develop characters. 'Mank' is already an ambitious enough script that these moments just clutter an already rich and immersive story. The script throws the audience into the deep end of 'Kane' backstory with a heaping dose of old Hollywood history (with little to no explanation) in trying to show how the Mankiewicz witnessed first hand in Hollywood informed 'Kane.' It's a lot to digest - the script could have done without a prolonged writers pitch meeting about a hybrid monster movie.

The stark black and white cinematography is so exquisite that a viewer could probably pause the film at most any moment and find a perfectly framed shot worthy of hanging as a poster. Composers Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor channel a haunting score to accompany this film that seems pulled directly from one man's memories. The script, written by Jack Fincher (the director's deceased father), has the unmistakable cadence of a 1940s talkie. This film is such a faithful throwback that casual movie watchers 100 years from now couldn't be blamed if they mistook this 2020 film for a movie produced 80 years earlier.

Final verdict: 'Mank' is simultaneously absorbing, intoxicating and thought-provoking -- as much as it is meandering, oddly sentimental and perhaps too nostalgic at times. This could have easily been a 5/5 review if only the script was just trimmed back a little bit.

Score: 4/5

'Mank' is now playing in select cities and streams on Netflix starting Dec. 4. This biographical drama is rated R for some language and has a running time of 133 minutes.