Mandy

Nicolas Cage delivers one of his most unhinged performances—which is saying something—in Panos Cosmatos’s wacky horror movie, a simple revenge story about a man out to kill his wife’s murderers that is told in wildly overblown terms. Set during the Reagan years, Mandy begins with a long prologue in which lumberjack Red (Cage) and his wife Mandy (Andrea Riseborough) cuddle in their isolated home in the Pacific Northwest. But when Mandy is observed by a van full of cultists, their leader Jeremiah (Linus Roache) orders his followers to abduct her. Even when drugged, Mandy obstinately rejects Jeremiah, who reacts by having her burned to death and Red staked out to die. He survives, of course, and after treating his wounds he tracks down the cultists, some of whom are demonic bikers, administering to each a horrible death using instruments such as crossbows and chainsaws. All of this naturally leads to a final showdown between Red and Jeremiah. The movie’s palette is florid, with visuals shot in saturated reds coupled with gaudy animated hallucinatory memories that interrupt the gruesome action (and only add to the sense of disorientation). Mandy received rave reviews and will likely appeal to genre fans, but for many viewers this flamboyant fever-dream of a film will feel like an excruciating, stomach-churning nightmare. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)