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Mandy (2018)
7.3
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Mandy is set in the primal wilderness of 1983 where Red Miller, a broken and haunted man hunts an...
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Mandy (2018) in Movies
Nov 2, 2018
Unique storytelling and visual splendor at its finest!
You never know what to think when you start a movie starring Nicolas Cage. He's almost a mockery of himself these days with so many unusual, crappy over-the-top performances, I was skeptical of this one to say the least.
I don't remember where I even heard of this film. Must have been one of the movie sites I frequent. I actually decided to purchase having not watched first, something I rarely do indeed.
To say this is a story of revenge doesn't really do it justice. In fact any words I can place here in this review won't really explain. When Nicolas Cage and his wife are kidnapped by a gang of hooligan, crazed hippie religious freaks, that is just the beginning. After some bad things happen, Cage is changed forever as he embarks down the long tunnel of revenge and vengeance for blood.
Normally, technical prowess, or saying the film "looks great" doesn't impress me since, in the age of CGI, pretty much every movie looks flawless these days.
Something about the art direction, cinematography, editing, haunting musical score, costumes and gory brutal make-up effects come together to create a truly unique film.
I can see influences from Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness, Rob Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses and even Lars von Trier's Antichrist at times and even elements from Darren Aronofsky's Mother! or Clive Barker's Hellraiser.
The film is definitely not for everyone. I would predict others rating this film from 1 to 10 (like Mother!) but would have to admit you had never seen anything like it. Director Panos Cosmatos is one I will have to keep an eye on.
Please watch Mandy and let me know what you think whether you agree or disagree. I'd be very interested to hear and debate with you.
I don't remember where I even heard of this film. Must have been one of the movie sites I frequent. I actually decided to purchase having not watched first, something I rarely do indeed.
To say this is a story of revenge doesn't really do it justice. In fact any words I can place here in this review won't really explain. When Nicolas Cage and his wife are kidnapped by a gang of hooligan, crazed hippie religious freaks, that is just the beginning. After some bad things happen, Cage is changed forever as he embarks down the long tunnel of revenge and vengeance for blood.
Normally, technical prowess, or saying the film "looks great" doesn't impress me since, in the age of CGI, pretty much every movie looks flawless these days.
Something about the art direction, cinematography, editing, haunting musical score, costumes and gory brutal make-up effects come together to create a truly unique film.
I can see influences from Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness, Rob Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses and even Lars von Trier's Antichrist at times and even elements from Darren Aronofsky's Mother! or Clive Barker's Hellraiser.
The film is definitely not for everyone. I would predict others rating this film from 1 to 10 (like Mother!) but would have to admit you had never seen anything like it. Director Panos Cosmatos is one I will have to keep an eye on.
Please watch Mandy and let me know what you think whether you agree or disagree. I'd be very interested to hear and debate with you.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Mandy (2018) in Movies
Oct 30, 2019 (Updated Oct 30, 2019)
A ride from start to finish
Mandy is an utterly bizarre experience, but it's one that kept me absolutely enthralled from beginning to end.
The basic plot is pretty simple - Red (Nicolas Cage) and Mandy (Andrea Riseborough) live an idyllic and secluded life until a run in with a cult-like group lead by Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache).
After a night of terror falls on the couple, Red takes it upon himself to exact bloody vengeance on those who have harmed them.
This straightforward horror-revenge narrative however is washed in a truly striking example of filmaking.
The cinematography throughout is gorgeous, from huge sweeping shots, to grainier settings full of fog and red light. Director Panos Cosmatos lands numerous memorable shots and presents with a surreal visual experience with a continuous 80s vibe under the surface.
This distinct style paired with a beautiful synth heavy score from the late Jóhann Jóhannsson (which constantly reminded me of Twin Peaks) gives the movie a dream-like coating that gives the movie a really unsettling and downright creepy presence.
King Crimson plays over the opening credits also, which is always going to win me over!
The first half is a slow burner (the title card doesn't appear until 70 minutes in!), really taking advantage of everything mentioned above, before taking a pretty crazy, LSD drenched turn.
The gorier moments of Mandy happen here, and they're pretty effective, outlandish, but at the same time realistic. It certainly sticks with you as the movie slips further into a drug fuelled bloody nightmare. (there's a goddamn chainsaw duel!)
The cast are all pretty decent - Linus Roache makes for a menacing villain during his limited screentime, and his followers are suitably weird (the whole thing has a horrible Charles Manson vibe to it), and Nicolas Cage is both unnervingly restrained at times (even when drenched in blood) with the odd moment of full blown Cage that we've come to know and love.
Mandy deals with themes of love, revenge, toxic masculinity, religion, and cultism, all wrapped up in a truly outlandish and violent fever dream.
Some people love it, some people hate it, but it's certainly unlike any horror I've seen before and I though it's was pretty damn good.
The basic plot is pretty simple - Red (Nicolas Cage) and Mandy (Andrea Riseborough) live an idyllic and secluded life until a run in with a cult-like group lead by Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache).
After a night of terror falls on the couple, Red takes it upon himself to exact bloody vengeance on those who have harmed them.
This straightforward horror-revenge narrative however is washed in a truly striking example of filmaking.
The cinematography throughout is gorgeous, from huge sweeping shots, to grainier settings full of fog and red light. Director Panos Cosmatos lands numerous memorable shots and presents with a surreal visual experience with a continuous 80s vibe under the surface.
This distinct style paired with a beautiful synth heavy score from the late Jóhann Jóhannsson (which constantly reminded me of Twin Peaks) gives the movie a dream-like coating that gives the movie a really unsettling and downright creepy presence.
King Crimson plays over the opening credits also, which is always going to win me over!
The first half is a slow burner (the title card doesn't appear until 70 minutes in!), really taking advantage of everything mentioned above, before taking a pretty crazy, LSD drenched turn.
The gorier moments of Mandy happen here, and they're pretty effective, outlandish, but at the same time realistic. It certainly sticks with you as the movie slips further into a drug fuelled bloody nightmare. (there's a goddamn chainsaw duel!)
The cast are all pretty decent - Linus Roache makes for a menacing villain during his limited screentime, and his followers are suitably weird (the whole thing has a horrible Charles Manson vibe to it), and Nicolas Cage is both unnervingly restrained at times (even when drenched in blood) with the odd moment of full blown Cage that we've come to know and love.
Mandy deals with themes of love, revenge, toxic masculinity, religion, and cultism, all wrapped up in a truly outlandish and violent fever dream.
Some people love it, some people hate it, but it's certainly unlike any horror I've seen before and I though it's was pretty damn good.