Mandy

First off, any movie that opens with a song by King Crimson should get our attention. MANDY is a hallucinatory, revenge / horror film set in the early 1980's. Red Miller (Nicolas Cage) is on a mission of bloody vengeance after a cult full of psychopaths does the unspeakable to the title character (Andrea Riseborough).

Oh, but it's so much more!

Whether you're a rabid Nicolas Cage fan, or you can't stand him, especially, if you can't stand him, you must see him here! Part Charles Bronson, Part Bruce Lee, Part Bruce Campbell, and all Cage! This is the role he was born to play! He forges his own weapon! He takes on demon bikers! He lights a cigarette with a burning, severed head!

Director Panos Cosmatos pulls out every stop, even outdoing his BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW! This movie is LSD itself! In case you were wondering, yes, there is a chainsaw! Two, in fact! Dueling chainsaws! My sweet Lord! The finale will alter your reality and change your religion! All this, and cameos from Bill Duke and Richard Brake too! Watch this ASAP!...

Parents take note! This is not your typical Nicolas Cage film. Although it starts off slowly with some character development, it is quickly thrust into a deep, dark, hallucinogenic, and very disturbing vehicle into raging madness and revenge. This film is not for the faint of heart!

Some of the characters are a bit difficult to understand, so it helps to turn subtitles on.

There is heavy use of color throughout which is reminiscent of many horror and slasher films from the 1970s and 1980s. Strobing and hallucinogenic effects are present periodically.

Despite the seriousness of the latter half of the film, small elements of campy humor are present where they are least expected.

This film is definitely over the top, but is one of those films which must be watched to the end to see what happens next.

Ok so I first watched this not sure what it was about but I was hopeful of some good old meme quality Nic Cage Rage scenes at the very least. After it finished I sat there thinking WTF and I had to go make a cup of tea and seriously think about some of my life decisions.

Once that was done I came on imdb to find out more about the film and to frankly rant a little. After spending a good half hour reading a lot of very mixed reviews I decided to leave it and watch the film again another day. Which I just have.

It's not my cup of tea. I think the majority of people will hate this film purely because it's not what they are used too, and they just don't get it. Yes ok sympathise with the haters the film is a very simple revenge plot, there's not much dialogue, it's filmed mostly in red and it can drag on in places and many will turn it off before it gets half way.... Which is a shame as this film left me with a similar 'wtf did I just watch' feeling that reminds me of the first time I watched 'Eraserhead.'

'Mandy' is very much an arthouse film with a dose of 80's grindhouse thrown in and if that's the kinda film you like you will love this film. Nic Cage is brilliant in it, and yes he has those rage moments, the violence is swift and brutal, there's even a chainsaw fight. It's surreal, the atmosphere and music blends perfectly with the madness and drug induced hysteria and anger the film is trying to portray in its own arthouse style and I genuinely think this will turn out to be a cult classic.

So yep, not for everyone, but at least try and appreciate it for what it is. 8/10.

I really enjoyed this film. Honestly, I'm really close to saying that I loved it. This movie is wonderfully inventive, beautifully shot, and totally unlike anything else I've ever seen before. Plus, you get to see Nick Cage fight with chainsaws. What's not to like?

Just a brief review here summed up in two words...Absolutely Mental.