Nightmare Alley (2021)

[Eric Duncan]

Discuss

[Webslinger]

Glancing at its cast, budget, and running time, there is no doubt that Nightmare Alley marks Guillermo Del Toro cashing in on the blank check afforded to him with The Shape of Water’s Oscar triumph four years ago. The film, though a little too long and a little more distant than the very best of Del Toro’s work, is a handsomely made slow-burn thriller with handsome production values and admirably dark twists and turns in its narrative. Even in the film’s lighter and more human moments, Del Toro succeeds in crafting a menacing undertone in which viewers – like the marks Bradley Cooper’s mentalist Stan performs for – are left to wonder what we’re not seeing and how this hidden information might recontextualize what we are seeing. Cooper is stellar as a dark and enigmatic protagonist; he succeeds at making Stan feel like a potential threat, an expert deceiver, and a man who does not always realize when he might have overplayed his hand – sometimes simultaneously. Cate Blanchett is also in fine form as the psychologist who ropes Stan into a scheme; she slides right into the femme fatale role like a pro and succeeds in keeping viewers guessing about her intentions. Blanchett’ s Carol co-star Rooney Mara is also very effective as the closest thing to an audience surrogate and the film’s apparent moral center; she invests herself in the role thoroughly enough that it rises above the stock love interest it could have been in lesser hands. Toni Collette, David Strathairn, Willem Dafoe, and Richard Jenkins also get strong material to work with and tear into it with gusto in smaller supporting parts. And as is always the case with Del Toro’s films, the visual craftwork is sumptuous, adding further senses of beauty and menace where appropriate. Nightmare Alley will not have the impact of Del Toro’s previous film, but there’s more than enough to enjoy and admire within it to merit a strong recommendation for any viewers who enjoy the worlds he crafts in his films. 

 

B+

[filmlover]

This was intriguing but not without its flaws, like most of Guillermo del Toro's output. I must admit that I often find his movies to be much easier to admire than to outright love, because while he unquestionably knows how to put together exquisite production values, his writing has never quite come close to matching the artistry. Then again, I never read the book or saw the 1947 movie, so I don't know how much of the issues here are really on the original source (this definitely runs too long at 150 minutes). But even so, GDT's ability to deliver striking imagery means there's always something interesting to look at, and his newfound status as an Oscar-winning filmmaker has resulted in him pulling together easily his most impressive and prestigious cast date. Bradley Cooper is excellent: I'm not sure I would call this his best performance, but it might be the most I've seen him disappear into a character since he became a household name a dozen years ago. He's no less matched by Cate Blanchett, who is clearly having the time of her life playing such a charmingly wicked femme fatale. The whole cast is solid though, with standouts also including Rooney Mara (bringing heart to the one truly likable character in the entire movie) and Toni Collette (adding dignity to her handful of scenes). It's a good follow-up to The Shape of Water and very much worth checking out, although the endorsement isn't nearly as high as I would've liked with all the talent involved. B

[MOVIEGUY]

This was really damn good, kind of a shame no one's watching it. Slow burn noir is right up my alley (no pun intended) and GDT was a perfect fit for this story. Loved the way the story unfolded, the production design and cinematography were gorgeous, worth watching for that alone. Perfectly cast as well, my personal favorite being Willem Dafoe as the carnival barker which seems like a role he was born to play (also didn't recognize Richard Jenkins at all and didn't realize he was in it until the credits rolled). However as good as Bradley Cooper is (and he is very good in this), I couldn't help but think Leo would've been a better fit. That energy he brought to roles like Shutter Island would've been perfect here.

 

All in all I preferred this to Shape of Water. This was probably never gonna be the surprise hit that that movie was, but you'd hope based on star power and the actual quality of the movie that it would be doing better business than it's doing. Highly recommend.

[ddddeeee]

I love every Del Toro movie bar Pacific Rim (which I like), so it's no surprise that I loved this too.

 

There were ten of us there today (it just opened here) - three walked out, the people in front just slagged it off and my friends were all mad at me for making us go. I could feel the dislike for it in the room.

[CJohn]

On 1/22/2022 at 8:27 PM, ddddeeee said:

I love every Del Toro movie bar Pacific Rim (which I like), so it's no surprise that I loved this too.

 

There were ten of us there today (it just opened here) - three walked out, the people in front just slagged it off and my friends were all mad at me for making us go. I could feel the dislike for it in the room.

My girlfriend was enraged I made her go see this lmao. The GA seems to be hating it across Europe.

[Flopped]

One of the better movies of 2021, but that's not saying much. B 

Also reminded me that del Toro is def a bit overrated. Pan's Labyrinth won him a lot of long-lasting good will. 

[Joel M]

I 've watched this last week, I liked it with some reservations but it really stuck with me. I also liked a lot his previous 2 movies and Nightmare Alley felt a little too similar. All 3 movies feel like GDT is being a bit too drunk on his own style lately,  but after rewatching this at home I think it cuts much deeper and is way more interesting than either Shape of Water or Crimson Peak. 

I love the slow burn of it and almost the entire cast is aces. Maybe Rooney Mara being saddled with the only bland moral centre character felt a little too quaint, but everyone else in the supporting cast absolutely pops in every scene they 're in. BCoop plays a fantastic slimeball and he is riveting towards the end but his casting is also my only real gripe with the movie. As much as he won me over both times by the end the first hour still feels strange. And I don't think the movie is aimless or too slow, all the first hour stuff is crucial to the rest of the movie but BCoop is way too old for it and it shows in every scene, makes everything feel off. And I think DiCaprio would be exactly the same on that front. Mysterious young buck with enigmatic smile learning the ropes of the carnival is a big part of the movie, they should have just went with someone 10 years younger than BCoop and Leo. There are actors under 40 that could do it.

 

But it's a really good movie and depite the miscasting Cooper kills it in the second half. One of Del Toro's nastiest for sure too.