Interview: Filmmaker James Mangold Discusses His Approach to Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown’

It goes without saying, but James Mangold knows how to make a movie. Look at his resume and you’ll see a myriad of works, all of which display incredibly proficiency. For my money, it’s hard to beat Cop Land, though 3:10 to Yuma, Ford v. Ferrari, Logan, and Walk the Line are just more examples of how Mangold is one of the more underrated directors out there. With A Complete Unknown now in theaters, I’m thrilled to share my conversation with Mangold. We spoke during the press day for the film earlier in the year. Today, it’s yours to enjoy.

In my review of the film (here), I had the following to say about Mangold’s filmmaking:

Co-writer/director James Mangold just knows how to make a damn good picture. Co-writing the adaptation with Jay Cocks, Mangold doesn’t fall into any biopic traps, instead having the genre work for him. The same goes for his direction, which combines with the script to have a folk feel, while still looking at its protagonist in a properly curious manner. There’s confidence on display from Mangold, which allows it to stand alongside his best works to date.

Below, you can see my conversation with Mangold. I’d briefly spoken to him at an event for Logan years back and brought up not just Cop Land, but Bruce Springsteen as well, so it’s apt that this is for a music-related project of his. That film comes up, for sure, but I was interested in talking about all of his movies in relation to this one. After all, he explores genre in a really unique way, with A Complete Unknown being no exception. You can see the flick in theaters right now, and once you do, you’ll understand just how much Mangold aced this one…

Here now is my interview with A Complete Unknown filmmaker James Mangold. Enjoy:

A Complete Unknown is currently in theaters!