Mandy 曼蒂 (2018) - USA
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)
Absurd and absolutely crazy are words that instantly comes to mind in the critically acclaimed Nicolas Cage starrer in “Mandy”. This is easily Cage best sensationally over the top performance (believe me when I say this) for the past decade and most likely the most insane character we have seen him play. Cage have been known for classic over the top villainous performances in “Face-Off” and many others, but “Mandy” director Panos Cosmatos tops all that in this grossly twisted revenge thriller that is also inspiringly original in both execution and genre matters.
Cage played the part time logger who shares a cosy cabin with the love of his soul, played interestingly raw by Andrea Riseborough. When a group of twisted and crazy punks (led by the scene stealing Linus Roache) that call themselves “God” simply invades and kidnap the couple and put them through different torture and end up burning Cage’s love interest on fire. What happens next is perhaps to the shock, horror and excitement to the impending audience as we witness Cage going insane and screaming as he goes through the transformation into the ultimate killing machine in the impeccable bathroom sequence. The final hour is simply showtime for Cage to slash all heads, go on a chainsaw burst and literally squeeze eyeballs out of a face. It’s all fun and games!
All in all, “Mandy” stands out as a film that defy any kind of genre conventions and all hell break lose completely. With the imaginatively dream-like sequences and combo with plenty of brutal and slasher scenes, we get a film that takes everything to the extreme and it’s probably safe to say, we have not seen Cage having so much fun performing for a very long time. Be prepared and let’s rock on in this one hell blend of a ride.
I rated it 8.5/10