"Nightmare Alley" Review: Del Toro's Supernatural-less Noir Thriller

Platform: In Theaters

Release Date: December 17, 2021

Best known for his poetic blending of strong themes and supernatural/creature elements, it was intriguing to find that Guillermo Del Toro's follow-up to his Academy Award winning “The Shape of Water” was completely devoid of his signature supernatural presence. Having found myself enamored with Guillermo's style since 2006's "Pan's Labyrinth," Del Toro aligned himself with Christopher Nolan as must-see cinema for me. The trailers for "Nightmare Alley" captured a lot of my attention through its dark imagery, carnival setting and themes, and the psychological journey of the main character. With my local theater quickly narrowing the film down to two showtimes, I quickly nabbed a ticket 10 days after its release and how happy I was that I did.

Set in the 1940s, a troubled drifter and con man named Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) takes a job as a carny for a traveling carnival led by strong man Bruno (Ron Perlman). Upon meeting the members of a clairvoyant act from a fellow carnival, Zeena (Toni Collette) and Pete (David Straitham), Stan begins to show interest in learning the art and tricks of their show. Stan also meets Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara), a fellow carnival performer, for whom he develops romantic feelings and asks her to run away with him to start their own two-person show. Following Pete's sudden death, Stan takes his book of psychic secrets and leaves with Molly to start a new life. Two years later, Stan and Molly head a psychic show for the wealthy elite of New York using Zeena and Pete's techniques. Here, he first meets Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett) who challenges his claims of being an actual psychic. Upon meeting her challenge head on, he begins to conspire with her and cuts a deal in which she provides him with information about high profile clients that he can use in his practice in exchange for, at her request, his participation in psychotherapy. This relationship leads to his work with a very powerful and influential man named Ezra Grindle (Richard Jenkins) who employs Stan to help him communicate with a long lost dead lover and, ultimately, to materialize her spirit so that he can see her one final time. As Stan's confidence overtakes him and his personal life begins to unravel, he finds himself in over his head when his conning of Grindle comes to a violent climax. As Stan seeks help, he learns how easy it can be to get conned, and his life comes full circle as his past transgressions bring him back to a familiar place.

This was a movie that had a lot of wonderful things going for it, from the cast to the production design, and while those aspects will get touched on later, there is a glaring storytelling element that I found quite detrimental. Billed as a psychological thriller, the movie would have been made even better by reeling back on its foreshadowing elements. Whether intentional or not, there a few sequences of exposition that are slowly paced and felt like giant winks to the audience of how the story would unfold. From my ecperience, it was as though Del Toro did not want me to be surprised or make any predictions, but rather leave me the color-by-numbers to know what was coming next for Stan. That being said, this format did seem to help filter out unnecessary filler plot points, but the eye-rolling obviousness put a damper on some of the film's shocking moments. However, this does not distract from the overall story, its progression, and the journey of its characters.

Outside of those glaring dialogues, it is hard to pinpoint many weaknesses hidden within the rest of the film. Starting with its most obvious strength, the movie has a star-studded cast that not only are kept from trying to overshadow each other, but every cast member captures just the right essence. Whether it was feeling like a product of the time period, capturing their respective oddities, or simply captivating the audience with their elegance, this was a cast motivated to succeed. This film is solely led by Bradley Cooper, who for the first twenty minutes or so, was able to create a compelling curiousity surrounding his character while barely muttering a word. Both of the female supporting actors, Rooney Mara and Kate Blanchett, were equally as captivating, with Mara's elegance and naivety perfectly contrasting Blanchett's charm and intensity. There is no downplaying any of the other notable actors (Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlamn, David Strathaim, etc.), but it was no surprise that the standout of the film, only behind Cooper's lead, was Willem Dafoe's take on Clem, a heartless, business-first carnival performer responsible for the room of oddities. A man with little regard for others, his role as the keeper of the geek (a man stripped and corrupted to an animalistic state) delivers vital information, both implicitly and explicitly, about the journey Stan would take and sets the contrast between the man Stan thinks he is and who he actually is in the pecking order of life. In just the two roles in which I have seen him this year, his other being his portrayal of Normal Osborn in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Dafoe continues to be a tour-de-force at the ripe old age of 66.

Even being kept behind great performances, the film's writing left some holes in explaining and justifying character motivations. While scheming with Dr. Ritter, Stan makes it a point to hide the money he is making in her safe so that Molly would not find out. However, Molly never seems to not know that Stan is engaging in the forbidden practice of giving his rich clients a “spook show” (leading clients on as though he could really contact the dead). Additionally, he ends up needing her to complete his conning of Mr. Grindle, leaving the hiding of the money a further mute point. Perhaps the largest black hole of the movie's storytelling is the lack of explanation for Dr. Ritter's motivations behind her manipulating Stan. Was it simply revenge for his embarrasing her at his show? Is her entire psychology practice about conning others? Or did she simply want to beat him at his own game? It is strange that this is a stone left unturned considering how much the film tells you about its plot development.

Outside of the acting, the film utilizes some amazing set designs, being highlighted both at the carnival and in the dwellings of wealthy New York, particularly Dr. Ritter's office. The carnival sets capture the tattered grunginess of materials long overused, while still emulating the wonder of something that evokes primal curiousity. The wood designs and gold highlights of Dr. Ritter's office are both simple and highlighting, which is fitting for a wealthy profession that seeks to simplify one's experiences in life. I have never been one to analyze a film's costumes, nor am I qualified enough to offer much in the area, but everyone looked so sharp and sleek in garb inspired from almost 70 years ago. The intricacy of their dress was most obvious in the distinction between the poor and wealthy, particularly in how different Stan and Molly's garb end up being following the two year time jump.

“Nightmare Alley” is a circular story that relies on a long first act to set-up the payoff at the very end. For some, the film’s first act that establishes the psyche of the carnival and hints at the internal struggles of the main character may feel too long. There is little denying that this is a slow burning story, but with Del Toro bypassing the use of supernatural elements to help bridge the story, it needed to be. The second and, very short, third act of the film are a constant build to both the climax of the film and the resolution to Stan's actions, the latter of which takes us back to the beginning of the first act with the carnival geek. As much as I enjoyed Cooper’s performance, even to the point of not necessarily disliking his character and even becoming a bit sympathetic towards him, the realization that he has forever lived as a carnival geek was beyond satisfying. I found it to be worth the prolonged establishment of imagery and experiences of the first act that indicated Stan’s eventual self-destruction at the hands of his past transgressions and vices. This movie could not surpass the beauty of “Pan’s Labyrinth,” but I do think this is in direct competition of being Del Toro’s best work of the past decade and, with its unfortunate release date, will likely end up a little recognized gem.

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RATING: 🎪 🎪 🎪 🎪.25 / 5

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