Nightmare Alley (2021) - Review

For a man so positively in love with creatures one might describe as monstrous, Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Shape of Water”) clearly has a love for showing the evil side of humans more than anything. This is absolutely on display in “Nightmare Alley (2021),” a new adaptation of the classic noir novel and what might be del Toro’s first film to not feature any kind of actual non-human creatures, despite what the marketing might have you believe.

Instead it focuses on Bradley Cooper (“The Hangover,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Stan Carlisle, a mentalist working at a traveling carnival with past demons he struggles with who eventually leaves the Carnie life with Molly Cahill the electric girl, played by Rooney Mara (“Carol,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)”), to begin performing a mentalist act for the wealthy, eventually getting mixed up with a powerful tycoon Ezra Grindle, played with slimy calmness by Richard Jenkins (“The Shape of Water,” “The Cabin in the Woods”), and psychiatrist Lilith Ritter, played by Cate Blanchett (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “Carol”).

There is truly a lot of deception at play throughout the entire film and it quickly becomes apparent that Stan is not a good man by any means. More than that though, it becomes apparent that this is not a film to watch for those who want to watch a man be redeemed. It’s a sad, tragic tale that borders on the horrific, following cycles of violence, abuse, and manipulation as some bad people get exactly what they deserve.

Unlike del Toro’s previous films, there’s not a monster in sight here, instead choosing to focus on the concept of manipulation and the falseness of the world Stan chooses to inhabit. Smartly though, del Toro never deliberately demonizes anyone. Even Stan is never implied by the film to be evil or to do horrible things until we the audience have realized it. del Toro and co-writer Kim Morgan don’t play their cards close to their chest necessarily, rather they just present the information to the audience in a straightforward manner, allowing them to draw their own conclusions about each character.

Not only is this a smart way to avoid spoon feeding the audience, but it allows the performances to shine through even more. It might feel like hyperbole, but for someone who’s never really done a lot of dramatic acting, Cooper is turning in what might be the best performance of his entire career. Carlisle is a twisted man but not without his own set of morals and charms. Watching his downfall becomes an enthralling experience as you simultaneously hate the man and also want him to stop, put down the tricks, and go build a better life for himself. It’s a truly baffling kind of tightrope walk that shouldn’t work, yet absolutely does thanks to del Toro’s skills as a director and Cooper’s incredible performance.

Cooper’s not the only one turning in excellent work of course. This is, more or less, an ensemble piece and everyone does excellent work. Blanchett is a chilling portrayal of femme fatale danger that easily matches Cooper’s commited natrue. Toni Collette (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “Hereditary”) and Willem Dafoe (“Heaven’s Gate,” “The Florida Project”) are Zeena and Clem Hoately, respectively, and both play up their Carnie lifestyles without losing their humanity, or in Dafoe’s case, twisted moral code for that Carnie lifestyle.

Jenkins plays against his typical soft older men types and ends up being a rather intense and chilling manipulator who might just be worse than Carlisle. Mara turns what could’ve easily been a damsel type role into something memorable and excellent, and despite disappointingly being the least used of the entire cast, Ron Perlman (“Hellboy (2004),” “Drive”) and Mark Piovinelli (“Mad Dogs,” “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters”) as Bruno and The Major, respectively, manage to be a wonderfully charming duo who could’ve seen far more screen time.

Like all of del Toro’s previous films, the production design and cinematography are immaculate. Each location has such a palpable feeling to it, with wood grain so polished and carnival tents so tattered you could practically smell them. Even simpler areas, like a wealthy Chicago dining room appear as some kind of otherworldly location thanks to Dan Laustsen’s (“The Shape of Water,” “Silent Hill (2006)”) camerawork. Even for a film with no supernatural elements, make no mistake, it still feels and looks like anything could jump out at any moment.

Which is why it feels so bad to say that the film does have one minor (or at least the source material does) flaw and one major flaw. The minor one is that even a director as skilled as del Toro can’t prevent this tale from feeling like two movies mushed into one. There’s the carnie life Carlisle lives and there’s the life after he leaves with Molly. Both are equally thrilling and engrossing, but they both feel segmented from each other in a way that never feels cohesive. And then there’s the length. For a film as slow and methodical as this, of course you’ll have to approach it on its own terms, but because so much of the film does focus on dark alleys and manipulation, it begins to feel a bit long in the tooth by the end of it all. It’s not an issue big enough to bring down the entire film but, coupled with the segmented nature of the story, it does make the prospect of rewatching feel like something that might be better suited with an intermission.

Yet, do not let this deter you. As what we have here is a tale so thrilling and engrossing, with a performance so enrapturing that it dares to overcome and all obstacles that might lay in its wake (That bit sounds better if you read it in a carnival barker’s voice). Guillermo del Toro continues to prove why he’s the best at these kinds of stories, and with Cooper delivering a career best performance with a more than capable ensemble and look to everything, “Nightmare Alley (2021)” remains a chilling and engaging noir creep fest, even if the length might deter some from the start. 4/5