REVIEW: Mandy (2018)
To say Nicolas Cage has had an “Interesting Career” would be both an understatement and a cliche at this point. The man has gone from winning an Oscar for drinking himself to death to becoming something of a modern meme with his crazy but quotable turns in films like “The Wicker Man” and the “National Treasure” franchise providing perfect internet fodder and cementing him as the King of Crazy. These days Cage’s career has turned toward the direction of both straight-to-DVD/VOD action/suspense thrillers as well as the occasional sleeper horror film, primarily in the form of this year’s Richard Stanley-directed Lovecraft film “Color Out of Space” and 2018’s “Mandy,” directed by Panos Cosmatos.
Having seen “Color Out of Space” earlier this year and having been disappointed with both Cage’s performance as well as Stanley’s direction, I can safely say that having FINALLY seen “Mandy,” it’s everything COS should have been. Mandy lives a quiet life in a secluded log cabin with her lumberjack boyfriend Red. However, their peaceful existence is interuppted when a Satanic cult led by a Manson-like leader upends their lives and terrorizes them, leading Red on a path of vengeance.
The film, despite its dark tone and gruesome content, is shot in BEAUTIFUL colors of primarily neon pink and purple. What’s more amazing is that both the film and Cage’s performance run almost parallel. The film starts off very quietly, allowing the atmosphere and the tension to both build gradually and naturally. There are points early on where it’s actually very quiet but so much of it is told to the audience visually that it’s easy to follow along even if you can’t quite make out what’s being said. Cage’s performance is much of the same.
What really holds the film together is the relationship between Red (Cage’s character) and the titular Mandy (played by Andrea Riseborough). Everything about them is both simple, beautiful, and real. You don’t need to know much about their history or backstories initially and yet you get so much of it just from their first interactions up until Mandy opens to Red about her past. The truly intimate moments between them are where their chemistry truly shines.
Riseborough is quiet and vulnerable in the title role. She’s often been an actress who has carried an aura of mystery and anonimity around her and it certainly radiates her. Linus Roache (who most would know as Thomas Wayne in “Batman Begins”) plays cult-leader Jeremiah Sand (the role originally meant for Cage) and perfectly plays the part of crazy, creepy religious zealot, with a band of crazies to back him up.
What really took me aback, however, was Cage himself. Remember how I said the film’s gradual building of tension/atmosphere parallels Cage’s performance? When we first meet Cage’s Red, he’s quiet and simple, much like his love, but there’s definitely something going on behind his eyes. It’s clear that the one thing keeping him grounded is his love for Mandy and the relationship they have. Once this movie kicks into gear and goes up to 11, Cage takes things to 1,000. This movie is almost a perfect display of Cage’s range as an actor: he starts out quiet, reserved, and nuanced, but once he loses everything and goes over the edge, his outbursts are artful and natural.
Of course, there are typical Cageisms, like snorting coke or spouting lines like “You ripped my shirt!” But the film, especially the second half, is such a ride that once you’re on, you’re not coming off. Cosmatos’ cinematography, kinetic editing, and out-of-this-world visuals and animated imagery give the viewer the experience of being on drugs. A friend of mine who recommended this film put it best: “You don’t get high before watching ‘Mandy.’ Watching ‘Mandy’ GETS YOU HIGH!” I couldn’t agree more.
If I had any major critiques, it would be that some of the scenes are shot very dark and it’s not easy to tell what’s going on. Also the film is somewhat quiet early on before getting quite loud in the bonkers second half. Nevertheless, “Mandy” is a high-octane, visually stunning rollercoaster ride of a horror film made by a filmmaker who knows how to create something both out of this world and intimate, all while playing to the strengths of his leading man.
A-
