The script was written by David's dad Jack, who died in 2003, and it's based on Pauline Kael's claim that Welles didn't write a word of Citizen Kane, a claim which has since been completely undermined by Peter Bogdanovich. And it doesn't make any sense of the suggestion that Welles objected massively to Mankiewicz being credited - the film doesn't address why he would do that.
However the screenplay does also have an intriguing sub-plot about Hearst's nominee only winning the California election because of fake newsreels put out at his command, and it's this that drives Mank from being a friend and frequent visitor to the Hearst castle to deliberately courting controversy by writing the script the way he did (and being a topical and timely theme).
There are some lovely little touches (the end of reel markers, for example) and bits of lighting that subtly reflect Kane itself, though the decision to shoot in widescreen was a little odd. No argument with cinematography (Eric Messerschmidt, in an unusual 2.2:1 ratio), production design (Donald Graham Burt), editing (Kirk Baxter), music (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross) and all the other behind the scenes stuff, though I'd still argue it's not as beautifully shot as some much older films, Last Year at Marienbad being a prime example. The film will likely be a strong Oscar contender, if such a ceremony ever takes place again.
Gary Oldman's great in the title role, Tom Burke's Welles impression is brilliant, even Amanda Seyfried is unusually convincing as Marion Davies. With Charles Dance (Hearst), Lily Collins, Tom Pelphrey (Mank's brother Joe), Arliss Howard (Mayer), Tuppence Middleton (Mank's wife), Monika Gossmann (nurse), Joseph Cross (Lederer), Sam Troughton (Houseman), Toby Leonard Moore (Selznick), Jeff Harms (Ben Hecht).
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