[usr 2.5]
The enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance.
“Mandy,” for all intents and purposes, is nothing more than a vengeance story covering the loss of past love and connection. In “Mandy,” Andrea Riseborough’s character, Mandy Bloom, is in love with Nicolas Cage’s Red Miller, who just works his day-to-day job only to meet after the end of her shift.
Mandy works at a job where she can spend time reading a bizarre fantasy allegory that also represents her own life as well. The setting is 1983, and the viewer learns this through Red’s mentioning of Erik Estrada from “CHiPS,” a TV show from that era. That is only one of the elements as to why Cage chose this script. He also mentions the comic book character of Galactus, an evil entity that consumes entire planets.
Cage also delves into the weird mannerisms that accompany some of his work. Like his Oscar-winning role in “Leaving Las Vegas,” he succumbs to a brief drinking habit after he mourns the identity and soul that was Mandy.
He also shares some great scenes with Bill Duke (“Commando,” “Predator”), a close friend of his that was holding some of his weapons in storage. Duke’s Caruthers understands his circumstances and wishes him the best since he feels that he will not see him alive again.
The score is an immersive one, the type wherein the whole theater rattles during the events that unfold, sending you to another time and place.
The villains in “Mandy” are reminiscent of the cenobites, the evil entities from Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” entries. In “Mandy,” however, they are just run-of-the-mill human beings who can actually perish via stabbings, swordplay, chainsaws, and anything else that a person can do to eliminate someone from this great planet of ours.
Linus Roache is creepy as the cult leader, Jeremiah Sand. He feels insulted when Mandy hears some awful music he poured his soul into and she just giggles and laughs. The juxtaposition of his nonsense rants is intriguing since he intersects shots of Mandy crossing over with himself. I have to give Cosmatos credit for this since he wants the viewer to understand his character’s nonsense and fake philosophy.
“Mandy” comes from director Panos Cosmatos, whose father George P. Cosmatos, helmed some big flicks from the 1980s era with “Cobra” and the mammoth hit that was “Rambo: First Blood Part II.”
“Mandy” marks the sophomore directing effort from the filmmaker, whose only other credits were second unit work on his dad’s “Tombstone,” the Wyatt Earp story with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer.
Panos’ only other credit is for helming is “Beyond the Black Rainbow,” an avant-garde mystery-thriller which that he also directed in 2010.
Like director Jonathan Grazer’s little-seen “Under the Skin,” with Scarlett Johansson a couple of years back, “Mandy” delivers, but for those who like their movies with a quirky and offbeat taste. It is also fun to see the Oscar-winning Nicolas Cage chew up some scenery for a few chuckles as well.
Available on Blu-ray & DVD October 30th
