Nicolas Cage has a reputation for being an incredibly prolific actor. His filmography includes critically-acclaimed roles in Birdy, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Leaving Las Vegas. Lately, though, his film choices have been made more out of necessity than quality due to large tax debt. Still, he remains a talented actor and sometimes he picks a role that perfectly suits his volcanic on-screen persona. Mandy is one such film. It’s not easily described and some might argue that it doesn’t make much sense. But, I enjoyed the hell out of it.
Logger Red Miller (Cage) and artist Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough) live in a wooded area near the Shadow Mountains. They live a simple life, enjoying the wilderness, and each other. Both carry some scars — emotionally and physically — but have put their painful pasts behind them. They genuinely are at peace together in their little forest home.
All that is shattered when Mandy catches the attention of Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache), the leader of a deranged cult called Children of the New Dawn. She becomes his obsession and he commands one of his followers, Brother Swan (Ned Dennehy), to bring her to him. Swan hires a group of LSD-fueled bikers called the Black Skulls to assist him in breaking into Red and Mandy’s home to retrieve her. From that point forward, Red is propelled by an afterburner of rage that finds him obtaining a crossbow named Reaper, a forged metallic battle axe, and, eventually, a chainsaw with the intent to use them all to hunt “crazy evil”.
What makes Mandy so special is a combination of Cage’s performance and writer/director Panos Cosmatos’ gonzo blend of visuals, intense atmosphere, and Jóhann Jóhannsson’s musical score. There are moments when you’re not sure if what you’re seeing is a drug-fueled hallucination put to film or something spliced-in from a 1980s science fiction movie.
I also know that Mandy is a film that will frustrate those viewers who need to have every scene spelled out for them. Cosmatos throws curve balls at those moviegoers and does so with glee.
Having only seen the film once, I have little doubt that successive viewings will provide me with more insight into its bizarro world. That said, Mandy provides everything you need to enjoy it in one sitting. Just don’t expect it to spoon-feed you pleasantries along the way. This is one crazy-ass ride.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
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