Mandy (2018 film)

Last updated
Mandy
Mandy (2018 film).png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Panos Cosmatos
Screenplay by
  • Panos Cosmatos
  • Aaron Stewart-Ahn
Story byPanos Cosmatos
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBenjamin Loeb
Edited byBrett W. Bachman
Music by Jóhann Jóhannsson
Production
companies
Distributed by RLJE Films
Release dates
  • January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19)(Sundance)
  • September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)(United States)
Running time
121 minutes
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million [3]
Box office$1.7 million [4]

Mandy is a 2018 action horror film directed by Panos Cosmatos, produced by Elijah Wood and co-written by Cosmatos and Aaron Stewart-Ahn based on a story Cosmatos conceived. A co-production of the United States and Belgium, the film stars Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, and Bill Duke.

Contents

It premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, and was theatrically released on September 14, 2018 by RLJE Films.

Mandy was praised for its style and originality, Cage's performance, Cosmatos' direction, and the action sequences. It is one of the last films scored by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, who died in February 2018. The film is dedicated to him. [5]

Plot

In 1983, near the Shadow Mountains, recovering alcoholic war veteran Red Miller lives with his girlfriend, artist and author Mandy Bloom, who had an abusive childhood. Mandy works as a gas station cashier by day and at night creates elaborate fantasy art, which Red greatly admires.

While walking to work, Mandy catches the attention of Jeremiah Sand, leader of the religious cult Children of the New Dawn. Sand orders his disciple Brother Swan to kidnap Mandy. Swan summons the Black Skulls, a cannibalistic, demonic biker gang that regularly consumes LSD.

After being offered a cult member as a sacrifice, the gang breaks into their home and subdues Mandy and Red. Cultists Mother Marlene and Sister Lucy drug Mandy before presenting her to Sand. The cult leader attempts to seduce Mandy with his psychedelic folk music, but she just laughs at Sand, infuriating him. In retaliation, Sand stabs the bound and gagged Red and burns Mandy alive before him. After Sand and his followers leave, Red frees himself, mourns Mandy's death, and, after consuming a bottle of vodka, wordlessly swears revenge.

The next morning, Red visits his friend Caruthers to retrieve his crossbow and bolts. Before Red leaves, Caruthers warns him of the Black Skulls; Red reinforces his determination by forging a battle axe. He shoots a biker with his crossbow and runs him down, but the biker crashes his car and Red is captured in the process. At their hideout, Red breaks free from his restraints and kills the rest of the bikers. As he investigates their hideout, he ingests some of their drugs, causing him to instantly and severely hallucinate.

Following the images in his visions, Red finds The Chemist, the person who made the Black Skulls' LSD. The Chemist tells Red where to find the cult. At their makeshift wooden church in a quarry, Red kills the cult members one by one in increasingly brutal fashions. In the tunnels beneath the church, Red finds Mother Marlene and decapitates her. He then confronts Sand, taunting him by throwing Marlene's severed head at him before crushing his skull. He sets Sand's body and the church on fire before driving away. As Red drives, he hallucinates Mandy smiling in the passenger seat of his car, while the landscape behind him now appears fantastical and otherworldly.

Cast

Production

On June 7, 2017, Nicolas Cage was announced as the star of the film. [9] Production used the Arri Alexa camera, coupled with the Panavision anamorphic format, to achieve the film's old-school atmosphere. [10]

Legion M, an entertainment studio that allows fans to invest in and be part of the creation of films, was a production partner for Mandy and hosted a panel discussion featuring director Panos Cosmatos and others at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. Cage made a surprise appearance at the event. [11]

The weapon forged by Red was based on the “F” from the logo for extreme metal band Celtic Frost. [12]

The song "Starless" by the English progressive rock band King Crimson plays over the opening credits. It is taken from their 1974 album Red , which is also the name of Cage's character. [13]

Release

The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19. [14] It began a limited cinematic release on September 13, 2018, playing at a maximum of 250 theatres, and was released on VOD on September 14. [15] [16]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 248 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Mandy's gonzo violence is fueled by a gripping performance by Nicolas Cage—and anchored with palpable emotion conveyed between his volcanic outbursts." [17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on review from 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [18]

Reviewing the film after its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com praised it, writing that "for all of the endless feral performances that Cage has given, in movies good, bad and forgettable, Cosmatos’ style-driven, ‘80s-tastic passion for weird worlds and characters takes full advantage of Cage’s greatness, and then some." [19]

In a five-star review for Dirty Movies, Stephen Lee Naish called the film "a blood soaked revenge caper," praising Cosmatos for a "masterful approach" that "aligns him with Kubrick and Lynch in delivering perfectly believable and fully realized worlds and characters that operate within their own laws of physics." [20] Meanwhile, film critic Christopher Stewardson said the film "is sure to become a cult favourite all of its own." [21] In December 2018, Esquire named Mandy the top film in its 25 Best Movies of 2018 So Far. [22]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientsResultRef.
Austin Film Critics Association Awards January 7, 2019Best Score Jóhann Jóhannsson Won [23] [24]
Best StuntsMandyNominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards December 8, 2018 Best Original Score Jóhann JóhannssonNominated [25]
Detroit Film Critics Society Awards December 3, 2018Best Use of MusicJóhann JóhannssonNominated [25]
Dublin Film Critics' Circle Awards December 20, 2018Best CinematographyBenjamin Loeb5th place [26]
Best FilmMandy10th place [lower-alpha 1]
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards February 25, 2019 Best Actor Nicolas CageWon [27] [28]
Best Director Panos Cosmatos Nominated
Best Limited ReleaseMandyWon
Best Makeup FXOriane de NeveNominated
Best ScoreJóhann JóhannssonWon
Best Supporting Actor Linus Roache Nominated
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 14, 2018 Best Original Score — Independent FilmJóhann JóhannssonNominated [29]
Houston Film Critics Society Awards January 3, 2019 Best PosterMandyNominated [30]
Independent Spirit Awards February 23, 2019 Best Cinematography Benjamin LoebNominated [31]
Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival July 16, 2018Narcisse Award for Best Feature FilmMandyNominated [32] [33]
Saturn Awards September 13, 2019 Best Actor Nicolas CageNominated [34]
Best Independent Film MandyWon
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards December 17, 2018Best Original ScoreJóhann JóhannssonWon [35]
Sitges Film Festival October 15, 2018Best DirectorPanos CosmatosWon [36]
  1. ↑ Tied with The Rider

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Harvey, Denis (January 20, 2018). "'Mandy' Review: Sundance Film Festival". Variety . Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  2. ↑ Grierson, Tim (8 May 2018). "'Mandy': Cannes Review". Screen Daily . Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  3. ↑ Kaufman, Anthony (17 December 2018). "Sundance Hits and Misses: How MoviePass, Politics and Streaming Boosted the Indie Theatrical Box Office of 2018". Filmmaker Magazine . Independent Filmmaker Project. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  4. ↑ "Mandy (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  5. ↑ Debruge, Peter (February 10, 2018). "How Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson Helped Change the Genre Cinema Soundscape". Variety . Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Miska, Brad (January 16, 2018). "The 'Mandy' Poster Promises a Nicolas Cage Chainsaw Battle!". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  7. ↑ Benardello, Karen (January 19, 2018). "Mandy and A Boy. A Girl. A Dream: Love on Election Night Set to World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival". Shock Ya!. Anakando Media Group. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
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  13. ↑ "Nicolas Cage's Slasher Freakout 'Mandy' Makes Prog Rock Kick Ass". vice.com. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
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  29. ↑ "'Black Panther,' 'A Star Is Born' Lead 2018 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominees". Variety. 16 October 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  30. ↑ Darling, Cary (December 16, 2018). "'The Favourite' a favorite with Houston Film Critics Society". Houston Chronicle . Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  31. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 16, 2018). "2019 Spirit Award Nominations: 'We The Animals' Tops With Five, A24 Leads All Distributors, Studio Classic Labels Come Up Short". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  32. ↑ O'Keeffe, Christopher (June 21, 2018). "Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival Announces Full Lineup For 2018". Screen Anarchy . Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  33. ↑ O'Keeffe, Christopher (July 16, 2018). "Neuchatel 2018: Gaspar Noe's CLIMAX Takes Top Prize". Screen Anarchy . Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  34. ↑ Hammond, Pete (July 15, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame', 'Game Of Thrones' Lead Saturn Award Nominations". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  35. ↑ Macdonald, Moira (December 17, 2018). "Seattle film critics name 'Roma' best movie of 2018". Seattle Times . Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  36. ↑ Mayorga, Emilio (October 15, 2018). "Gaspar Noé's 'Climax' Takes Top Honors at Sitges". Variety . Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
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