Nightmare Alley

## **Nightmare Alley (2021) Review: A Gorgeous, Grim descent That Lacks a Final Punch** Guillermo del Toro’s *Nightmare Alley* is a masterclass in atmosphere and aesthetic storytelling. This is del Toro at his most refined, trading the supernatural for a different kind of monster; the human soul. From the rain-slicked, carnival's ground mud to the cold, art deco opulence of a high-society psychiatrist's office, every frame is a painting dripping with mood and foreboding. The script, co-written by del Toro himself, is a sharp and cynical dissection of ambition, grift, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. It is, without a doubt, a compelling and beautifully crafted film. Bradley Cooper delivers a career-high performance as Stanton Carlisle, a man whose entire existence becomes a performance. His descent from a blank slate to a cunning "mentalist" to a man consumed by his own con is mesmerising to watch. The supporting cast is equally stellar, with Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, and Willem Dafoe creating a rich tapestry of damaged souls in the carnival's orbit, while Cate Blanchett arrives in the second act like a venomous, perfect storm as the psychologist Lilith Ritter. And yes, **in spite of Stanton Carlisle always having a lit cigarette in hand (or mouth) becoming a near-comical visual motif**, the film maintains its grip. The smoke practically functions as a character, shrouding his intentions and symbolising the toxic haze of his ambitions. **But... it couldn't garner another 3 points, because...** For all its impeccable craft, *Nightmare Alley* maintains a chilling, intellectual distance that prevents it from achieving true, gut-wrenching greatness. The film is a meticulously constructed engine of doom you can see every gear turning, every fateful decision leading inexorably to the devastating, yet telegraphed, finale. While this makes for a compelling tragedy in the classical sense, it lacks a certain raw, unpredictable humanity that would make the emotional plunge as deep as the visual and thematic one. You admire Stanton's downfall; you don't always feel it in your bones. The relentless grimness, while thematically appropriate, becomes a weight that numbs rather than devastates. The journey is so clearly and artfully mapped from the start that the destination, for all its power, feels more like a foregone conclusion than a shocking revelation. ### The Verdict **7/10 - A Stunning, Flawed Masterpiece** *Nightmare Alley* is a film to be admired, studied, and absorbed for its breathtaking craft and unwavering commitment to its dark vision. It is a superior piece of filmmaking from one of our most distinct auteurs. However, its clinical precision and emotionally reserved core keep it from being a film you love, instead making it one you deeply respect. It’s a beautiful, haunting carousel ride that you’re glad you took, but whose grim predictability leaves you just slightly less shaken than it clearly intends to.

**RUN! Save yourselves!** The cinematography makes this movie lovely to watch while being miserable to experience. Filled with amazing actors trying to make sense of a film riddled with plot holes and disappointment. I was hoping for a good Del Toro horror movie and sadly was met with a poorly executed mystery romp... spent the whole movie hoping the ending would somehow save it... and sadly, it did not.

Bradley Cooper picks up the baton from Tyrone Power (1948) as the ambitious "Stanton Carlisle", a shrewd young man who works the travelling shows with an eye for the main chance. That chance comes when he hooks up with Toni Collette's "Zeena", who shows him the tricks of their mentalist trade. Pretty soon they are fooling the great and the good - and he meets "Dr. Ritter" (Cate Blanchett). She is a psychiatrist, every bit as ambitious and ruthless as he and is content to share some of the innermost secrets of her clients with him so he can exploit their suffering. To the top of their list goes sceptical millionaire "Ezra Grindle". Together they conjure up one hell of a sting on this man - but can they succeed? This film looks great, but I found it took too long to become interesting. Cooper is handsome, but struggles with the unscrupulousness that the part needed to convey, and his scenes with Blanchett lack chemistry, indeed it is Collette who really steals the few scenes she is in - especially towards the rather twisted end of the tale. It is good, but maybe just had too much time and money and the story sacrificed some of it's soul here.