Rating: 12A Cast: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Tom Pelphrey and Charles Dance Directed by David Fincher Written by Jack Fincher Length: 133mins

Over the last twenty-five years David Fincher has established himself as one of the most exciting and innovative directors working today. Known for his smooth and precise camerawork, as well as hidden CGI (his 2010 film ‘The Social Network’ featured more VFX than 2014’s ‘Godzilla’), his ability to have complete control over a scene means that everything featured in the shot is always relevant either to the story or character. As a result of this almost-obsessive approach to filmmaking, Fincher always produces high quality films which draw in the audience and tell the exact story they set out to. In his first feature film collaboration with Netflix – a name that seems to crop up more and more when talking about studios working with some of today’s greatest directors – he set out to tell the story of Herman Mankiewicz, Oscar-winning screenwriter best known for being the man behind one of cinema’s most critically acclaimed releases, ‘Citizen Kane.’

David Fincher is often known for littering his stories with strange and unusual characters. Initially working with the dregs of humanity, films such as ‘Fight Club’ and ‘Se7en’ work to explore exactly what makes these people tick, and even go as far as to portray them as the protagonist – an idea which his audiences have been known to mistake for idolisation in the past. However, as Fincher has progressed through his career, these sort of lead characters have evolved from being downright sadistic to simply a little morally corrupt. More recently, Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in ‘The Social Network,’ and Ben Affleck’s performance as a lackluster husband in ‘Gone Girl’ have led us away from the grittier side of Fincher’s filmography, and more towards a character like Gary Oldman’s Herman Mankiewicz, who may not be the most considerate man in the world, but is downright saint-like when placed next to the likes of Tyler Durden or John Doe. The director is clearly obsessed with character, and I feel that this evolution of morality shows that the humanity within a corrupt person is what draws him to a script. As a result of this, ‘Mank’ feels like the next logical step. 

Written by his late father, Jack Fincher, the words ‘passion project’ may be quickly tied to the film. However, this isn’t a negative attachment at all, and in fact I would argue that the film plays into a more personal and emotional narrative than many of Fincher’s previous releases. There are no grand climaxes or overtly-terrible people featured, and instead he turns his attention to the state of America and the role that the arts play in politics – a storyline that can all too easily relate to a contemporary audience. In some ways this feels like Fincher’s least-Fincheresque film to date, but despite this, the story always has your attention and the characters never feel uninteresting or outdated. This may perhaps be a result of the combination of care which Fincher allows for each scene, as well as the strength of the performances from leads Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried.

When considering the great variety and strength of Gary Oldman’s back catalogue, there was never any need to doubt that he would give anything less than a great performance in this film. His portrayal of a man who has to work to prove himself to those who hold power over him, whilst also staying true to his moral values in terms of politics and creativity is brilliantly brought to the screen, alongside a hidden layer of immorality when it comes to his private affairs. Despite all this, Amanda Seyfried’s performance as Marion Davies, the atypical 1940’s Hollywood star, might just beat out Oldman for the best performance in this film. Her frequent use of smaller, more expressive actions work perfectly both within the context of the film’s setting and the type of showmanship that was celebrated at the time, as well as providing the perfect energy for a supporting role that plays off the worn-out and cynical persona of Oldman’s character.

‘Mank’ is nothing if not authentic – the score was recorded using period appropriate microphones, many of the original locations that they used for the film were untouched since the actions of the story actually played out, the camera equipment works to perfectly capture the style of filmmaking in the 1940’s, with no colour version of the film existing. Fincher is a perfectionist, and he realises his father’s vision with extreme technical ability.

Despite all this, I would struggle to describe ‘Mank’ as anything more than a really well-made film. Perhaps it’s the protagonist’s disregard for his family life that prevents the audience from truly connecting with him, or instead the lack of any great narrative climax as a result of realistic grounding for the story. This feels like a film that may divide audiences, but will definitely bring up plenty of talking points in the future, hopefully with particularly high praise for it’s impressive technical feats and cast performances. It’s on Netflix, it’s an interesting film, definitely give it a watch if you’ve got the time.

Rating: 12A Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen Directed by Steven Spielberg Written by Jeff Nathanson Length: 141mins

Now that we’re into December, I’m sure many of you will be revisiting Christmas movie lists, thinking about what you might want to watch over the coming weeks. There are of course the obvious choices, with films such as ‘Love, Actually’ and ‘Home Alone’ topping such lists, but sometimes it’s the Christmas films that are a little more subtle in their inclusion of the holiday season that get forgotten about. Steven Spielberg’s 2002 release, ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ is one such film, with the seasonal influence coming from the repeating idea that Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks’ characters always cross paths on Christmas eve during their continued game of cat and mouse.

Based on real events, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ follows the criminal accomplishments of Frank Abagnale Jr, a highly successful con man who had stolen millions of dollars worth of checks before he was even nineteen. Originally working a scheme under the pretence of being a Pan Am pilot, the tactics he used to con businesses only became more elaborate as he grew older, and were fuelled further by the pursuit of FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks).

Steven Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors to have ever lived, particularly in relation to his ability to turn out high-quality blockbusters year after year, having done so since the release of ‘Jaws’ in 1970, a film that is generally considered to have been one of the first blockbusters ever. He’s continued with such success all the way up to cinema hits like ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ in 2011. Despite this, sometimes it’s easy to forget just how easy Spielberg makes bringing a great film together look. In ‘Catch Me If You Can’ every element of the film comes together so seamlessly that you can’t help but be drawn into the story – a practice that is found throughout Spielberg’s filmography.

With Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks leading the film, the acting is never anything less than exceptional. They both seem to be at the top of their game here, and DiCaprio in particular delivers an extremely versatile and charming performance, excellently showing the chameleon-like nature of his character. Hanks provides a level of humanity to his character that compliments the extravagance of DiCaprio excellently, and creates a dynamic between them that can range from being full of tension to extremely heartfelt. The relationship created by Spielberg is one that is full of charm, and leads the audience to wish for nothing but a happy ending.

Janusz Kaminski, the cinematographer for the film, provides smooth and precise camerawork which allows the visual storytelling to keep up with the fast and frequently changing story of ‘Catch Me If You Can.’ On top of this though, the camera seems to know exactly when it should and shouldn’t draw attention to itself, with great moments of the film being allowed to play out without the audience being drawn to the cinematography rather than the story. Of course, visually stunning films are always impressive, but Spielberg is a director who truly seems to want to tell stories in their purest form, and by working with a cinematographer who knows exactly when the camera should present itself, this is achieved brilliantly.

All in all, I would highly recommend ‘Catch Me If You Can’ at any time of year, but it works especially well as a great starting point for the holiday season, with the Christmas themes remaining understated enough for it to not be overwhelmingly festive, but apparent enough that you can starting getting into the Christmas spirit.