Mandy *** (2018, Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Olwen Fouéré, Ned Dennehy) – 2018 Movie Review

Co-writer/ director Panos Cosmatos’s deranged 1983-set 2018 horror thriller Mandy stars Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough as bearded lumberjack Red and his fantasy paperback-reading artist girlfriend Mandy, who live happily in a secluded cabin in the woods until uber-weirdo Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache) and his nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen arrive on the scene.

Unfortunately, Jeremiah Sand takes a liking to Mandy, and he gets the motorcycling demons to kidnap her for his enjoyment. But Mandy’s staunch refusals lead to an appallingly brutal conclusion, propelling Red into a crazed rampage of vengeance, armed with a crossbow and his custom-made axe.

Cosmatos’s full-on movie is pretty sick, depraved and disgusting, and it takes a strong stomach to watch. But it is extremely well and very imaginatively made, has the total courage of its oddball convictions, and is, arguably, good disreputable fun. Though Mandy is maybe over-long at two hours, Cosmatos ensures that there is never a dull moment, and even includes several spectacular ones, most notably perhaps the chainsaw fight. The film manages several very big, black comedy comedy laughs on its way to a satisfying conclusion.

Cage delivers the crazed performance of a lifetime, even for him, topping his previous crazed performances of a lifetime – remember Mom and Dad (2017)?. Probably no other actor could do this, or get away with it. He’s called Red, and he’s going to end up red, spattered with at least as much blood as Sissy Spacek in Carrie. This is one hell of a gory movie. Riseborough is tremendous, too, very weird and other-worldly, really effective, and Roache, cast against type as the Manson-style leader, is great also, matching Cage in a masterclass in giving a crazed performance. Olwen Fouéré is creepy in support as Mother Marlene and Ned Dennehy stands out as Brother Swan, both colourful portraits of evil.

You do kind of want to have a shower immediately after this bad karma kind of movie, which has a place as a must-see midnight movie, though hardly at a film festival, especially on a lovely, warm sunny afternoon. It’s good to know the real world can be, just very occasionally, more attractive than the celluloid dreamworld. Thanks for that, Messrs Cage and Cosmatos.

Aaron Stewart-Ahn is Cosmatos’s co- screenwriter.

Panos Cosmatos is the son of director George Pan Cosmatos, maker of The Cassandra Crossing, Escape to Athena, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Cobra, Leviathan and Tombstone.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

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