Nightmare Alley || Spoiler-Free Review

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Genre:  Noir, Psychological Thriller, Suspense
Directed by:  Guillermo del Toro
Screenplay by:  Guillermo del Toro, Kim Morgan  ||  Based on:  "Nightmare Alley" by William Lindsay Gresham
Starring:  Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn, Holt McCallany, Clifton Collins Jr., Tim Blake Nelson
Score by:  Nathan Johnson  ||  Cinematography by:  Dan Laustsen


Brief Thoughts on the Movie 

"Gorgeously crafted, impeccably filmed, and masterfully acted - Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley is a visual delight that regrettably lacks the substantial storytelling and other-wordly magic found in his previous films."

What's It About?

Director Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley is based off of the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham. It tells the story of Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a hapless and ill-fated transient who ends up working at a local carnival where he endears himself to a clairvoyant, Zeena (Toni Collette) and her mentalist husband, Pete (David Straithairn). Stan, a shrewd and quick study, uses the knowledge gained from his fellow carnival workers (along with unyielding ambition) to formulate a plan that involves swindling the elite and wealthy performing psychic acts. After enlisting the help of the mysterious psychiatrist, Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), Stan finds himself pulled deeper and deeper into a long con with a dangerous adversary in the unstable investor, Ezra Grindle (Richard Jenkins).



What Worked?

The beauty of Nightmare Alley's cinematography is immediately apparent, as the movie begins with one of its most striking images - one that goes on to color the audience's perception of the protagonist for the remainder of the movie. Director Guillermo del Toro's love of movies, specifically the film noir genre, is evident throughout the entirety of Nightmare Alley's runtime. With cinematographer Dan Laustsen's appropriately lush and hazy color palette, along with the thick pulpy shadows accentuating every frame, Nightmare Alley is easily one of (if not) the best looking films released in 2022. This extends outside of cinematography to the lavishly adorned costumes, the lived in and palpable feeling of the carnival site, the elaborate and eye-popping Art Deco inspired sets from the second half - literally every visual element feels as if it was given an immense amount of consideration and attention.

Something else quickly becomes apparent with Nightmare Alley - there's nothing really other-worldly or supernatural to be found in this story of unrelenting greed and ambition - something that's been a staple of del Toro's previous films. In fact, Nightmare Alley ends up being the first entry in del Toro's filmography where there are no fantastical elements. Instead, del Toro's focus seems fixed on recreating the post-Depression era as accurately as possible, providing Nightmare Alley with its masterful visual style and authenticity in depicting the carnival acts. I ended up favoring the first half of Nightmare Alley fairly significantly due to its reverential and almost documentarian look into the acts and process of the carnival life. The carnival setting of the first hour imbues Nightmare Alley with a reverential tone that I adored. It's the perfect environment for del Toro to play around in, brilliantly highlighting his love and admiration of the "othered" - a recurring theme and focus of much of his filmography.

And I would be remiss to not mention the talented and accomplished ensemble at the heart of Nightmare Alley. The cast is an exceptionally stacked group filled with acting powerhouses such as Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, David Strathairn, Toni Collette, and the often overlooked Richard Jenkins - nothing short of astounding performances all around.



What Didn't Work?

The storytelling in Nightmare Alley is a bit too simple to demand its two and half hour runtime. While I enjoyed the first hour's narrative setup and its teases and hints at something more substantial scratching just below the surface of Stan's story - it becomes disappointingly clear that there isn't anything else. Although there is an element of mystery and guessing the ulterior motives of certain characters, pretty much everything you see narratively is what you're given. There are no deeper metaphor...no allegories...nothing unique in its commentary on the avarice of man and his subsequent downfall. There's just nothing truly exceptional about the storytelling in Nightmare Alley, which is problematic when pared with its deliberately slow-burn pace and plainly telegraphed twists.

A more specific issue inherent to the storytelling lies with the central relationship between Stan (Bradley Cooper) and Molly (Rooney Mara). It is never quite clear what Stan initially sees in Molly and whether or not he actually harbors feelings for her or if it is just a necessary part of his ambitious drive. This makes for some hollow and thinly written dramatic beats for the couple when their relationship gets tested in their move away from the carnival and into the busy New York setting. Equally problematic is the way in which Molly's character gets side-lined for the final two acts, with her character reduced to a thankless "worrisome" partner role, slowly but surely replaced with Dr. Lillith Ritter (Cate Blanchett) - in Stan's life and in Nightmare Alley's focus.

It would be fair to say that while I really enjoyed the first hour of Nightmare Alley, everything that occurs after Stan and Molly leave the carnival felt lesser than what had come before. The second half introduces the gorgeous Art Deco interiors of New York City, but they lack the charm and lived-in quality of the carnival setting found in Nightmare Alley's first half. The offices, meeting rooms, and mansions that take the focus in the second half feel so cold, cathedral-like, and uninviting by comparison. Gorgeous, but still uninviting.

The second half also sees some of Nightmare Alley's most stilted and dull dialogue - most likely a side-effect of the narrative's insistence on delivering a morality tale. But instead of trusting its audience to pick up on the themes made abundantly clear in its opening act, Nightmare Alley insists on incessantly commenting on it. Stan is given a near ludicrous amount of warnings and chances to stray from his current path to ruin. This is the crucial misstep in the storytelling which leaves Nightmare Alley's second and third act littered with repetitive story and character moments. Even worse, it ends up making Nightmare Alley already lengthy runtime feel even more prolonged.



Standout Scene

As Nightmare Alley's credits began to roll, I was immediately reminded of another movie - Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. As odd as the connection may seem initially, both movies provided me with similar highs and lows as a viewer - my hang-ups and joys with the two movies were curiously similar. Both were visually striking, downright beautiful movie-going experiences that did unfortunately err on the side of indulgent a bit too often. Both were made of brilliant and clunky parts that just never cohered into the more transcendent movie I was hoping for.

But the reason my mind wandered back to There Will Be Blood was in the way both movies were able to perfectly cap off their narratives. We're talking endings handled with pinpoint precision - with del Toro and Anderson knowing exactly when and where to wrap it up for maximum effect. And even though Nightmare Alley's ending is clearly telegraphed from early in the first act, the sheer conviction of Bradley Cooper's delivery in its final moments is a powerful display of top-tier acting.

Standout Performance

Even if there was nothing to judge but his delivery of the immediately iconic, final line of the movie, the standout performance would still go to Bradley Cooper. The role of Stan Carlisle serves as an acting smorgasbord, requiring a significant amount of expertise and prowess with navigating through the different hustles Stan is constantly running - some obvious, others not so much. Luckily, Cooper has more than enough experience playing a wide range of characters, allowing him to perfectly steer through the various turns Stan takes throughout Nightmare Alley's twisting storyline.



Behind-the-Scenes Trivia

  • Leonardo DiCaprio was originally picked for the lead role, as DiCaprio chose this over projects from Paul Thomas Anderson and Alejandro G. Iñárritu. But when negotiations fell through due to not reaching a financial agreement, DiCaprio opted out and was shortly replaced by Bradley Cooper. Ironically enough, Cooper ended up replacing DiCaprio in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza (2021).
  • Jennifer Lawrence and Lady Gaga were considered for the role of Molly Cahill.

Pairs Well With...


Film-FTW Rating  ||  6 Stars
"Better Than Average / Moderately Successful"




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