Mandy (2018) – Review

Watching a movie starring Nicolas Cage has been a gamble for years. At the start of his career he seemed to think about the the roles he played, but those days have long gone. As a result he’s starred in many bad films, which you might still watch hoping that he will go “full Cage”. A quick search of YouTube will show you videos celebrating those type of moments. For every Joe or The Trust you can name at least five bad films. Mandy had quite a buzz before its release, so is this one worth watching?

Red Miller (Nicholas Cage) and his girlfriend Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough) live in a remote cabin in the woods. They spend lots of time together and Mandy loves reading books and painting. There quiet life is disturbed by a religious group. Because of that Red only has one goal in life, revenge.

 Mandy is a film that stands out because it doesn’t tell its story in a traditional way. The story really isn’t that important, it’s more about atmosphere. It’s dreamy but a dream that can change into a nightmare at any moment. With lots of violent and bloody imagery it’s not something for everyone and because of its lack of traditional structure its hard to blindly recommend it. But if you are open to something else and weird, than Mandy offers an intense experience which impresses both visually and sound wise. Cage is excellent in this, managing to keep the crazy at bay. A title which you won’t forget any time soon.

[score7]