"Step right up and behold one of the unexplained mysteries of the universe! Is he a man or beast?"
When charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle endears himself to clairvoyant and her has-been mentalist husband Pete at a traveling carnival, he crafts a golden ticket to success, using this newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York society. With the virtuous Molly loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist who might be his most formidable opponent yet. Nightmare Alley is Guillermo del Toro's return to cinema since his best picture winning film The Shape of Water. Based on the novel and film from the 40s, del Toro and his co-writer Kim Morgan manage to retell this complex story and bring a new vision. We all know the direction in this is stellar long before seeing this. We see his staple directorial skills that bring this circus and world larger than life. The carnival sequences only take place in the first act, but they leave such an imprint. Everything looks outstanding and eerie. Some of the best production design you'll see! Even the later stuff is just as good. As usual, we have the cinematography with blue and teal colors tinting the screen. Everything looks clean and perfectly places. This is a visual feast from start to finish.
We have quite the acting ensemble with veteran actors. Our main stars include Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, and Cate Blanchett. All give more than Greta performances. For Cooper, this is his most reserved and complex role. He's falling to pieces and does it in such a subtle way. The first 20ish minutes he doesn't even talk. By the end, he gives such a haunting performance that lingers. Rooney Mara plays his love interest and I think she's such an underrated actress. Her chemistry with Cooper is such a joy in those seemingly magical moments. She's forced to do things she doesn't want to do and is loosing it from it all. She's closest to the audience perspective. And then there's Blanchett giving her very best as usual. I love her character and how calm and uncomfortable she makes you. As a psychiatrist, she's absolutely entrancing and fits everything perfectly. Besides the acting and look, the highlight is the finale. Everything is unhinged and goes off the rails. With such a long film, the conclusion is very satisfying. In the middle things start to slow down and some could've been cut out to shorten it. But with how much happens within the story it's hard to lose interest. This obviously won't be for everyone. It's artistic and strange. Still, this is definitely worth checking out when you get the chance.
When charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle endears himself to clairvoyant and her has-been mentalist husband Pete at a traveling carnival, he crafts a golden ticket to success, using this newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York society. With the virtuous Molly loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist who might be his most formidable opponent yet. Nightmare Alley is Guillermo del Toro's return to cinema since his best picture winning film The Shape of Water. Based on the novel and film from the 40s, del Toro and his co-writer Kim Morgan manage to retell this complex story and bring a new vision. We all know the direction in this is stellar long before seeing this. We see his staple directorial skills that bring this circus and world larger than life. The carnival sequences only take place in the first act, but they leave such an imprint. Everything looks outstanding and eerie. Some of the best production design you'll see! Even the later stuff is just as good. As usual, we have the cinematography with blue and teal colors tinting the screen. Everything looks clean and perfectly places. This is a visual feast from start to finish.
We have quite the acting ensemble with veteran actors. Our main stars include Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, and Cate Blanchett. All give more than Greta performances. For Cooper, this is his most reserved and complex role. He's falling to pieces and does it in such a subtle way. The first 20ish minutes he doesn't even talk. By the end, he gives such a haunting performance that lingers. Rooney Mara plays his love interest and I think she's such an underrated actress. Her chemistry with Cooper is such a joy in those seemingly magical moments. She's forced to do things she doesn't want to do and is loosing it from it all. She's closest to the audience perspective. And then there's Blanchett giving her very best as usual. I love her character and how calm and uncomfortable she makes you. As a psychiatrist, she's absolutely entrancing and fits everything perfectly. Besides the acting and look, the highlight is the finale. Everything is unhinged and goes off the rails. With such a long film, the conclusion is very satisfying. In the middle things start to slow down and some could've been cut out to shorten it. But with how much happens within the story it's hard to lose interest. This obviously won't be for everyone. It's artistic and strange. Still, this is definitely worth checking out when you get the chance.