Movie Review: 'Nightmare Alley' Another Masterpiece from Guillermo Del Toro

Nightmare Alley is a gorgeous cinematic achievement. Director Guillermo Del Toro crafts visuals like few modern directors. With Academy Award nominated cinematographer Dan Laustsen, Del Toro crafts cinematic visuals of remarkable clarity and detail. It’s truly a sight to behold and it shows Del Toro as a consummate filmmaker, a man who cares so much about his film presentation as to turn each frame into a work of art. If you’re waiting for me to offer a caveat, keep waiting. I have nothing bad to say about Nightmare Alley.

Nightmare Alley stars Bradley Cooper as a drifter named Stanton Carlisle. Stanton is a figure of mystery and early on in Nightmare Alley, he doesn’t say a word. Instead, we watch him watch the world as if looking for his angle. Bradley Cooper’s face and the way Del Toro and Laustsen capture his searching eyes is glorious. Cooper and Del Toro tell us everything we need to know about Stanton Carlisle in the way he observes the world not as a wide eyed innocent but as a man with a strong sense of his skills and how to employ them to the best advantage.

Early on that means getting off of a bus in a town he knows nothing about and following a little person to a carnival where he sizes up the obvious grifts at play. This sequence is exceptional as several important supporting players are introduced with telling glimpses of who they are and why they are important. The casting of Rooney Mara, Ron Perelman and Clifton Collins Jr are pivotal for drawing our gaze to areas that pay off later in the story.

The most striking of all the carnival grifts on display is what was then called a ‘Geek Show.’ A geek is a man who bites the heads off chickens. In the presentation, the man is seen as feral and demonstrates an almost superhuman strength and speed, explained by the fact that the man in question is starving and kept from meals for long periods of time before his performance allows him the only opportunity he has to eat. The Geek Show is MC’d by Clem Hoatley (Willem Dafoe, all oily charm and mischievous smike), a classic huckster. Clem sees Stanton sneaking out of the Geek Show without paying and immediately sees something in him that he can exploit.

Clem eventually catches up to Stanton and after Stanton helps the carnival tear down for the night, Clem takes Stanton under his wing and gives him a place to stay. It is Clem who explains the nature of the Geek Show and the various grifts and cons of the carnival trade. It’s Clem who leads Stanton to Madam Zeema (Toni Collette) and her husband Peter (David Straithairn). Zeema is a mentalist and with Peter’s help she collects information about the audience and then uses that information to make amazing ‘Psychic’ claims that shock audiences into paying for more.

In mentalism Stanton finds a true calling. He’s great at reading people, observing details about them, and using those details against them. With training from Madam Zeema and an assist from a very drunk Peter in learning how to make people think you are a psychic, Stanton builds an act for himself. Eventually, he also begins a romance with Molly (Rooney Mara) after he improves her magic show which consists of her running electricity through her body in fantastic ways. Stanton charms Molly into becoming his partner in the mentalism con and the two leave for the big city.

Madam Zeema offers one piece of advice, never forget that you are lying and if caught, tell the truth. It’s one thing to take someone’s money but the real danger comes from giving false hope in exchange for money. Naturally, once Stanton starts making real money he can’t resist the idea that perhaps he’s some kind of healer who can repair the emotional wounds of those who have lost loved ones. Plus, if those people are very rich, he can make even more money.

This is where Cate Blanchett enters the story as a new partner for Stanton but I am not going to go into her character as she’s a huge part of what remains of Nightmare Alley. Blanchett's Lilith Ritter is integral to the twists and turns of the final act and to say too much about her would be to take too much away from your enjoyment of Nightmare Alley. Just trust me when I tell you that Cate Blanchett is incredible in this role and prepare yourself for just how awesome she is.

All of Nightmare Alley is exceptional, full of nuance, intrigue and detail. But, the ending of Nightmare Alley is what makes the film so truly remarkable. The ending of Nightmare Alley is so perfect, so poetic, dark and disturbing that it will stick with me for some time. It involves Bradley Cooper and a character played by the immensely talented Tim Blake Nelson. It's unusual to introduce a character at the very end of the movie, especially one played by such a recognizable face but the cast of Nelson proves to be one final master stroke in the art of Nightmare Alley.

Nelson's carny character is the perfect way to lead all of the variously foreshadowed elements in play to one final brilliant, stunning moment. Again, this is a spoiler free review so I will stop with all description and detail. I will close by saying that Tim Blake Nelson delivers so many layers of performance and deepens this moment in ways few other actors could. It won't be obvious to the casual viewer, but for people who love acting, Nelson's subtle delivery and effortless charm is an indelible part of what makes Nightmare Alley so ingenious and devilish.

Nightmare Alley is an absolute must-see movie. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful work of cinema and a grimy, gritty and exciting story. Nightmare Alley is a noir masterpiece of moral ambiguity, gruff cynicism and a fatalistic sense of the macabre. The first rate cast and the extraordinary design and camera work all combine to create a damn near perfect movie. Nightmare Alley opens nationwide on December 17th, 2021.