Over the years Nicholas Cage has had his ups and downs, but there is no doubt he can offer up some memorable performances. I personally love him the most when he is allowed to just cut lose like his recent film Mom and Dad. His latest film Mandy co-stars Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Denny, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, and Bill Duke, but does it live up to its hype or will it fall into the depths of hell? 

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Mandy follows the quiet life of devoted couple Red and Mandy that takes a dark and bizarre turn when a nightmarish cult and their maniacal leader seek to possess Mandy…body and soul. A shocking assault on the innocent pair leads to a spiraling, surreal, bloody rampage of all out, mind-altering vengeance. I had heard some crazy things about this film but it did not prepare me for the bizarreness of this film. From the moment this film begins you know it is going to be something really out there and it flies right off the rails pretty fast in the best way possible.

 

The story is kind of all over the place and often times is a bit confusing to what is actually happening, but as it all unfolds it becomes pretty clear it almost doesn’t even matter. The first half is like a strange acid trip with a variety of artsy and trippy visuals along with compelling characters and situations that might make it hard for some to get through. This sets up the violent craziness of the second half of the film that lets Cage cut loose. During this second half things go from trippy to downright insane as Cage unleashes a wrath of carnage fueled by vengeance, drugs, alcohol and insanity while wielding a badass ax that he makes during the film.

 

It’s kind of hard to really get the full impact of the movie into a review because it is that out there. It took me a day or so to really decide if I liked it as much as I thought I did, but it is one of those films that won’t work for everyone. There is a ton of violence, blood, drugs, sex and nudity so not one for those looking for a more straight forward thriller. Get ready for a violent crazed filled ride with this one that you won’t soon get out of your head in the best way possible. 

 

This release not only includes this insanely great film, but also bonus content including deleted & Extended scenes as well as a behind the scenes featurette that takes you behind bringing this crazy movie to life. Step into this violent psychedelic world when Mandy comes to Blu-ray and DVD on October 30th from RLJE Films.