Nightmare Alley

Guillermo del Toro has become somewhat of a premier director that can drive butts to seats (at least among cinephiles and his faithful) and whose distinct style is well known among some of his best films (i.e. Shape of Water). 

With a knack for horror and weird creatures - among some of his other more "technical" styles - he likes to explore the grim and the mysterious and the sometimes violent. 

Personally speaking, I enjoy most of his films and really like some of them, but rarely find myself re-visiting them or having the desire to. For whatever reason, his movies tend to all be "one time" views on top of the fact that I just don't have much extra time to rewatch things I've already seen. 

With Nightmare Alley, del Toro is remaking a 1947 film of the same name where the plot is described simply as "The rise and fall of Stanton Carlisle, a mentalist whose lies and deceit prove to be his downfall." This 2021 version is pretty much exactly that but with an extra sheen of del Toro polish and style. 

As enticing as a film with del Toro at the helm is, especially one with "Nightmare" in the title (which is quite a misdirection as it relates to what you may want from del Toro) and a cast like this, I found that I couldn't really get into Nightmare Alley all that much. It's based on an old novel (obviously one that came out before 1947) and I think a novel is where it best stays. In this film format, it felt like it was constantly holding me at arms length - and I to it - in terms of becoming invested or really caring where it took any of these characters. 

The biggest - and perhaps only important - reason for this is that the movie is a slog. At 2.5 hours, it felt closer to 3.5 in many ways, which is never a good thing no matter who is on screen or behind the director chair. That's arguably too long of a film to have the "slow burn" with a payoff finale and there a lot of areas in the 3 mostly-distinct parts of the film that blend together. At the beginning, it's Carlisle's (Cooper's) "learning the ropes", in the middle it's Dr. Ritter (Blanchett) and Carlisle's interactions, and near the end it's prepping for a bigger con. There are simply just too many scenes that, with a tighter screenplay (or just cutting stuff all together), could have gotten the point across in less time. That's a shame too because what's going on here is decently interesting-ish. At it's heart, Nightmare Alley is a character study and con job. Neither feel very high stakes and there also seems to be some element of del Toro's usual weirdness missing. It's probably best he didn't try to force in more than he naturally does here between the "freak show" attractions and rare gore, but I still can't help but feel like this is a pretty pedestrian and relaxed film for the director that's known for his imagination. 

Bradley Cooper doing his best Indiana Jones impression

"Wax on! Wax off..."

Luckily, del Toro is still a really strong director working with a really strong cast and that takes the film a pretty long way, particularly if you're a cinephile. While most audiences are flocking to No Way Home (for very damn good reason), there's still plenty to appreciate in Nightmare Alley. Immediately, I noticed and liked the editing, cinematography, and color palette, not to mention the incredible set design. These are staples of del Toro's skill and attention to detail, and it's perhaps apparent most in scenes that take place in Dr. Ritter's wood-adorned office that has such impressive design, coloring, and lighting that a) it feels like a very weird thing to be singling out and b) was almost distracting because it looked so good. Unfortunately I can't quite say the same for the original score that started so strong - and has moments of wonder - but kind of faded into the background, much to my disappointment. 

Our cast elevates the lackluster material too. It's an all-star list that includes Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe (what a weekend for him!), Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, among others. The talent is such that each of their performances is good/great. Cooper stands out the most since the film is about him and gives a multi-"phased" performance that starts with tons of silence, eventually to where you can't get the guy to shut up, and nearly back to silence again. That's not spoilery all too much and Cooper's performance along the way is worth praising and may even garner him some awards over the next couple months. 

Trying to be fair to Nightmare Alley, I do believe my lack of interest in the material could be to blame for my lackluster enjoyment of it. Even taking that into consideration however, this is just simply too long a movie that has too simple of a plot to take 2.5 hours to get through. Not a bad film by any means thanks to a once-in-a-generation director and a similar cast, but those things can't help me find Nightmare Alley to be any less dull. 

CONS

• Length. The film is too long and each segment has repetitive scenes that could have been combined/cut with a better screenplay
• Personally speaking, the content just wasn't all that interesting
• Related to the screenplay likely, but I couldn't connect with the characters. They felt as if they were at a distance
• Original score starts strong and fades away

PROS

• Del Toro still has impeccable style and Nightmare Alley has it in spades
• Cinematography and editing is gorgeous and smooth
• WOW at the set design. You'll know what I mean about the "office" when you see it
• When his weirder elements are there, it makes the film more interesting
• One of the most impressive casts of the year
• Bradley Cooper specifically will likely get recognition for his lead role
• Ending may be obvious, but that doesn't diminish its impact

Rath's Review Score | 6.5/10