Film review: Manglehorn
Cert 12a
Three Stars
After years of scenery chewing, Al Pacino has entered an exciting phase in his career. We had this year’s surprisingly adept Danny Collins and now comes another thoughtful role for Hollywood’s favourite elder statesman. Manglehorn sees the Oscar winner play an elderly locksmith wrestling with the mistakes of his past. And while there’s no hiding how thin the plot is, Pacino’s portrayal of a man crippled with loneliness and self-destruction just about compensates.
You would need a hard heart indeed not to fall for his soulful, regret-filled voiceovers, or heart-breaking portrayal of moments such as a strained lunch with his estranged son. He’s paired with an equally engaging co-star in Holly Hunter, playing an energetic bank employee who tries to break his shell.
The problems lie with the production: the script, under the direction of director David Gordon Green’s, is too often bogged down with bleak symbolism and bloated dialogue, making for a film that’s frustratingly prone to losing direction.
Pacino, though, rescues Manglehorn from mundanity.