Manodrome

Manodrome is a wild ride where we follow the subtlies of a quiet "average" man who meets the wrong people at the right time causing a pressure cooker situation. People saying the film was null of meaning may need some self reflection, the movie clearly nods at what is to come early on and the leads erratic behaviour shows how the pressure guides his choices. The film is the sad, violent and lonely story of a man who because of his upbringing was never able to express himself and now he's invited to open up and influenced into taking matters into his own hands, but his emotions have boiled over in ways he cannot understand nor control before it's too late.

Manodrome is an entertaining take on the toxic masculinity. Jesse Eisenberg alongside Adrien Brody and Odessa Young deliver stellar performances, though, the movie takes so many wild turns by the end, it loses some credibility and could even make you laugh, like it did for me.

The idea was there, and the direction was also promising. For the first half of the movie, I could feel what Ralphie, the main character, was going through. The frustration was crystal clear, and Jesse fantastically portrayed a person trying to handle it by himself. Yet, at one point, the density of dramatic scenes and explosive, reckless actions taken by him turned out to just be too much.

Although I must say, while Manodrome didn't exactly work for me, it kept me engaged until the end, thanks to a stellar mix of great acting, music, and cold, almost raw shots.

On top of that, it's a movie that provoked the most different reactions to it. I experienced it at a movie festival in Wroclaw, and during the whole event, no other film sparked so many different opinions. That is why, even though I felt it was decent personally, I think it should be seen if you have the chance.

Jesse Eisenberg at his most physical preformens. Adrien Brody is really an actor of a generation, and for me Odessa Young is a Revelation. But alongside some powerful scenes and well crafted disturbing imagery, it seems that the creator of the film hasn't quite decided where to take the story. And here it falls short of similar masterpieces like Gone Girl or Power of the Dog.

I saw the film at the Haifa Film festival. It was interesting to see the reaction of the audience, including one husband who, ironically, how couldn't stand the film any longer and informed his wife that he would meet her outside. You'll see which scene it happened in.

In dark dramatic thriller "Manodrome" troubled East-Coast blue-collar gym-rat Jesse Eisenberg (excllent - and ripped, as never seen before) struggles to cope mentally & financially with losing his job while girlfriend Odessa Young is nine months pregnant - and his psychological state sure ain't calmed by falling in with Adrien Brody's mysoginistic cult (with the likes of Ethan Suplee) that sparks him into rapidly spiralling volatility & violence. In his first US film, South African writer/director John Trengove packs a raw punch, with originality (while drawing inspiration from great movies like "Taxi Driver" & "Fight Club"). It'll not be for all, but is well worth seeing.

I'm sorry, Jesse Eisenberg was the wrong person to play this part. He ain't hard enough for it! Shia LaBeouf would have knocked this out of the park! Perfect guy for a film like this. This does have a sharp message in it, although, it's almost too real for the times we are in now. Our leaders have become toxic and their followers manic and frothing at the mouth for acceptance, no matter where it comes from. This film, although creepy but is still a good representation of some of the pressure our young people are under these days, sprinkle Mascagni, and a sparse of mental illness, and you have a bomb looking for a reason to explode!