Nightmare Alley

Nightmare Alley

An ambitious carnival man with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychologist who is even more dangerous than he is.

  • Released: 2021-12-02
  • Runtime: 150 minutes
  • Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
  • Stars: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn, Holt McCallany, Mark Povinelli, Jim Beaver, Romina Power, Paul Anderson, Tim Blake Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Clifton Collins Jr., Lara Jean Chorostecki, Drew Nelson, David Hewlett, Troy James, Samantha Rodes, Peter MacNeill, Sarah Mennell, Mike Hill, Caleb Ellsworth-Clark, Dian Bachar, Matthew MacCallum, Linden Porco, Jesse Buck, Stephen McHattie, Bill MacDonald, Natalie Brown, Perry Mucci, Dan Lett, Catherine McGregor, Martin Julien, Tim Post, Will Conlon, Daniel Falk, James Collins, Lili Connor, Danny Waugh, Walter Rinaldi, Andrew Locke, Calvin Desautels, Derrick Moore, Grant Bradley, Dani Klupsch, Vikki Ring, Vanessa Botbyl, Michael Bridgeman, Charles Langille, Paul Taylor, Clyde Whitham, Romina Power
  • Director: Guillermo del Toro
 Comments
  • guisreis - 20 May 2024
    Dark circus, the world of deception
    Guillermo del Toro is a great director, who is able as few to explore fantasy and magic realism in a unique and dark way. Here, the world of circus is in the core. The magical and extraordionary on stage are generally just acting, we know, but depending on the intentions it may be seen as deception. Indeed, in the story almost everybody are terrible people, with no moral code but the search for profit or feeding a addiction. It becomes quite violent sometimes, as also harsh and depressing, raw. The good story (which is a remake, and I am very curious about also watching the 1947 movie) has a good development and the best end possible. Art direction and acting are perfect. The film perhaps becomes slightly less interesting in the middle, after a great beginning inside the circus, and becomes excellent again when Bradley Cooper's character follows his ambition and meets Cate Blanchet's.
  • ZeddaZogenau - 9 January 2024
    Neo Noir with Bradley COOPER and Cate BLANCHETT
    One thing in advance: ACADEMY AWARD winner Guillermo Del Toro has created a neo-noir film that is well worth seeing and cleverly introduces Hollywood's black series to contemporary audiences. And yet...something is missing that touches the heart and takes your breath away.

    Of course, we watch people make wrong decisions. We experience the rise and fall of a dazzler, played brilliantly by ACADEMY AWARD nominee Bradley Cooper. A terrific cast does its part to make the "alley of nightmares" sparkle or go out. Particularly noteworthy are the three terrific female roles, played by ACADEMY AWARD winner Cate Blanchett, GOLDEN GLOBE winner Toni Collette and ACADEMY AWARD nominee Rooney Mara.

    And yet something is missing at the center of this story. Of course, even with his OSCAR triumph SHAPE OF WATER, Del Toro no longer quite achieved the quality of his Spanish-language classic EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO. But it had the wonderful Sally Hawkins in the lead role. The division of NIGHTMARE ALLEY into a part on the fairground and one in the city of Buffalo isn't disruptive either. Something else is missing.

    In the classics of the Black Series, there was always a supporting character who represented sincerity and order and who made the fall of the stumbling protagonist even more clear. In the PARAMOUNT classic DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) this character was played by Edward G. Robinson, in the RKO hit OUT OF THE PAST (1947) by Dickie Moore. That's what's missing from NIGHTMARE ALLEY. It's not enough that we can experience Bradley Cooper's character as a "geek" right from the start to hit us right in the heart. A way out in the form of a friend should have at least been in sight. So failure is unstoppable and leaves the viewer all too unaffected.

    Unfortunately, NIGHTMARE ALLEY was not particularly successful in the box office (sales: USD 39 million), and only 85,000 tickets were sold in German cinemas. Certainly disappointing for Hollywood major DISNEY and Fox Searchlight Pictures. The film really doesn't deserve that, it's worth seeing. And besides, after the disillusionment that millions of people have experienced, the time is actually ripe for a revival of the Black Series.
  • Kysugo - 5 October 2023
    A darker, more sinister version than the original
    It really is mind-blowing seeing a reimagining of a movie that originally came out in the 40's come to life through the eyes and vision of Del Toro. It really is something else. This movie's visually impressive, rich with style and beautifully dark aesthetic. A much darker, sinister and deceptive world. The lighting and color palettes are incredibly rich and beautiful to look at. The set designs are impressive, immaculate. Reminds me of BioShock a little bit. I love how the movie subtly sneaks in the mention of WWII throughout the movie, reminding us that this takes place during the early 40's and reminding us that it is relevant. Fantastic performances from all the actors. Masterfully crafted movie that was given plenty of attention to detail. My only gripe with this movie is that it moves pretty slowly. Other than that, fantastic movie and much darker than the original.
  • nategerard77 - 11 December 2022
    This is two movies, unfortunately
    The first movie is engaging, interesting, well written, and genuinely got me invested in the characters and what was going to happen to them.

    We don't know much about the main character but we root for him for some reason. Maybe because he's decent to some of the people from the carnival or because he's down on his luck or maybe because it's Bradley Cooper and we like his leading roles.

    The second film begins a little past half way and I was fully invested in the story by that time, except the writing never made the story pay off for me. Some of the 1 and 2 ratings don't get the film noir nostalgia and the excellent acting throughout. But if there are only six stories any movie ever tells this one told the second half poorly and there are much better versions of this story. It's a pity I'm writing that summation more and more these days.

    There are aspects of this film worth experiencing but don't go looking for something that really has a message or makes you think or has a creative ending.
  • searchanddestroy-1 - 1 November 2022
    Not just another carnival or freak show movie, but a terrific rise and fall scheme.
    Guillermo Del Toro has put his trademark in this remake of the Edmond Goulding's film. Many many elements are Guillrmo's trade marks. It was a movie which topic was perfect for him. As could be any Tod Browning's films. David Lynch could also have made such feature. That said, it is awesome, also gruesome if you watch closely, never boring, often disturbing but riveting. Excellent production design, acting, directing, with a tremendous photography. I did not notice any one take scenes. If you crave for a splendid film to watch, with an anti hero, Bradley Cooper will give you this. This is the anti hero type movie, a lead character whom you can not admire at all. It is a rise and fall scheme as A FACE IN THE CROWD, from Elia Kazan, was.
  • killercharm - 2 September 2022
    So much better than the original
    So good. So much better than the original; they are worlds apart. This flick has the style, clarity and vision that one comes to expect from this talented director. It's like a suave crackle. Just the set direction alone is stratospheric, even for Guillermo Del Toro this movie has a sublime look. He's outdone himself in the production. The cast is smooth and note-perfect. New saying: It's "Cate Blanchett perfect." In this Nightmare Alley the newbie comes to the carnival with an evil brick on his shoulder. He pities the geek and learns everything he can. He has some extra panache and an ability to schmooze that others do not. It stands him in good stead, with that and his good looks he takes off from the carnival with the secrets in tow - and the carnival cutie pie. When they leave they enter the highlife and from there they jump to paranormal swindles.