‘A Complete Unknown' Embargo Lifts — 70 on Metacritic [Review]

The review embargo has lifted on James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown.” The film currently sits at 68 on Metacritic, and 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m predicting it probably gets that last slot in the Best Picture lineup.

Maybe it’s because I had such low expectations for “A Complete Unknown,” but I was completely taken by surprise at how good of a film it was. It perfectly nails the essence of Bob Dylan, and the filmmaking is stellar.

It could also be due to Mangold refusing to adhere to the classic rise-and-fall biopic clichés — ‘A Complete Unknown’ plays more like a turbulent rise than anything else. The film also, somehow, manages to nail the enigma of Dylan, and his indescribable nature. Hell, there’s an abundance of naturalism to the film as well, and that’s not something I expected from Mangold.

There’s a complexity to Mangold’s Dylan, and Timothee Chalamet is wonderful as the singer-songwriter. Chalamet sang and recorded most of the songs, and he nails the singing voice, not to mention the guitar playing. The rest of the cast matches his intensity — Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, and Scoot McNairy.

Now, if you have no interest in Dylan, then maybe this isn’t the film for you. But then again, maybe it is. It’s a character study about Dylan’s beginnings in the 1960 NYC folk scene up until he changed the world by “going electric” at the Newport Folk Festival. The film plays more like a series of vignettes, the plot is very loose, and the film refuses to play by any token dramatic rules.

If anything, the reason why this is such a unique addition to Mangold’s filmography (“Ford V Ferrari,” “Logan”) might reside in it having been penned by the great Jay Cocks. Cocks has only written five films in 30 years, including “The Age of Innocence,” “Silence,” “Gangs of New York,” and “Strange Days.”

Cocks’ screenplay is an ensemble piece, involving a mosaic of artists who stumble upon Dylan, like Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash and Pete Seeger. There’s none of the polish that infested Mangold’s well-liked Johnny Cash biopic, “I Walk the Line.” Instead, this film dares us to walk the tightrope and hop along for an undefined ride.

Throughout the film, you have Dylan rebelling against what the establishment wants him to be, a man who refused to be pigeonholed, held down and defined by a single criteria. It wouldn’t have worked without Chalamet’s extraordinary performance, which defies impersonation, and goes for something deeper, more nuanced. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s as if you’re sent down a time capsule and watching Dylan himself make history on the screen.