Nicolas Cage brings insane and emotional tenacity in Panos Cosmatos’ MANDY. The year is 1983, and our lovers Mandy Bloom ( Andrea Riseborough) and Red Miller (Nicolas Cage) are simple people in love.
Mandy is an artist and Red is a lumberjack living off the grid in the secluded forest nearly acres away from Red’s job. One night, as Mandy was walking home she is noticed by Jeremiah (Linus Roache) a cult leader with his followers passing by. Jeremiah becomes quickly obsessed with Mandy and finds out where Mandy and Red reside. What happens now is violent fantasy into revenge after tragedy ensues. Red is left for dead with revenge on his mind. As Red finds himself rehabilitated, Red brings an entire war path against all of those involved. Other stars include Bill Duke (Predator, Commando) Richard Brake (31, Game of Thrones) as well as the cult members played by Ned Dennehy, Olwen Fouere, Line Pillet, Clement Baronnet, Alex Julemont, Stephan Fraser, Ivailo Dimitrov as Scabs, Hayley Saywell as Sis, Kalin Kerin as Scabs, Tamas Hagyuo as Fuck Pig. Elijah Wood was one of the producers for MANDY as well.
Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow) brought his stylized visualization that he perfected in Beyond the Black Rainbow. MANDY’s look and feel is close to Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Holy Mountain and Sante Sangre muddled with Homer’s Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno. The first hour of MANDY shows vulnerability, whether through the eyes of our lovers Mandy and Red or the audiences perception of feeling helplessness. The second hour is hard core violence and pure revenge and Red annihilates everyone involved. Nicolas Cage shines like the embers of an industrial fire when he embarks on pure carnage armed with a custom death blade.
This was my first initial reaction via social media immediately after watching MANDY until 3am.
“So, I just finished watching Mandy and holy shit. It’s more than a revenge film, it’s a fucking odyssey through the darkness of humanity with brilliant performances all around. Nicolas Cage was fantastic and raw. I haven’t seen Nicolas Cage this brilliantly chaotic since Wild At Heart. This isn’t a movie for everyone though.
Go see it”
Watching MANDY is really a game changer for modern films. MANDY has a presence of watching a master painter create their entire vision of heaven and hell stroke by stroke. When the painting is complete, the master painter acid washes their work with vibrant technicolor and flames.
Watching MANDY is not like watching Face/Off, CON-Air, or The Rock but much more like Cage’s performance in Wild At Heart. If you are looking for an action packed blockbuster PLEASE DO NOT WATCH, but if you are looking for a movie with heart, rage, fantasy, and surrealism then MANDY is the perfect movie for you. MANDY is now available on VOD on all platforms and select theaters.
Oh, and Cheddar Goblin… I fucking live for Cheddar Goblin..
11/10***
this one goes to 11
