#MovieReview: Nightmare Alley does everything right except to tell an interesting story

Nightmare Alley is a meticulously observed spiral from desperation into greed, but it never thrills in its two-and-a-half hour runtime.

The latest outing for Mexican director Guillermo del Toro again shows he is almost unrivalled at bringing genre period pieces to life.

From an incredibly detailed 1930s circus set to the inner-city banquet rooms of the decade’s elite, there is not a single misstep in terms of production design.

This has been a feature of Del Toro’s films throughout his career and his eye for detail remains.

In Nightmare Alley, however, Del Toro skimps on narrative thrust and despite excellent performances from a packed cast, many sections of the film tend to drag.

Spoilers to follow.
Nightmare Alley opens on a circus in post-depression USA, where all manner of charlatans and ‘freak-show’ performers congregate.

Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) – who has just been shown hauling a dead body into a burning house – arrives at the circus, evidently to become a carny.

Carlisle is not only seeking out a new life of course, but also trying to leave one behind.

He is an instant hit with both the circus performers and owner Clem Hoately (Willem Dafoe) after he helps to deal with an escaped ‘geek’ – an alcoholic circus performer made to look like a wild man by eating live animals.

Carlisle quickly learns the tricks of the trade and envisions greater heights for himself and new girlfriend, fellow performer Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara).

Together they leave, beginning a career in the big city as mentalists who use a sophisticated word code to perform their mind-reading tricks.

Although the two find success, Carlisle is motivated by an intense desire to find ever more fame and money, trying to shed the skin of his common background and chequered past.

To do so, he hatches a plan to swindle the city’s wealthiest families out of thousands of dollars by playing on their guilt and communicating with their dead relatives.

He is able to do this with the help of high society psychologist Dr Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), who knows the intricate details and secrets of the elites.

Little does he know that Ritter is playing her own long game, leaving Carlisle completely blindsided at the critical moment.

Everyone in this film has an agenda, swindling and hoodwinking each other in a game that leaves people’s lives in ruin.

There is a constant feeling throughout that the internal conceit of Carlisle’s in-film mentalist character is going to be found out and the entire house of cards will come tumbling down.

Well, it happens, but there is no satisfaction in seeing his downfall, because there is just another terrible person who has won the game.

The characters are well observed and the performances are fantastic throughout, particularly a charmingly evil Cooper and manipulative Blanchett in one of her career best outings.

Nothing is out of place in the film and everything functions as it should, but it can be an arduous watch and is longer than it needs to be.

Watch it for wonderfully creepy visuals and excellent performances, but know that it will probably be forgettable in the long run.

Rated 18 for violence, nudity and sexual content.
3/5.

For breaking news follow The North Coast Courier on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Join our Telegram Broadcast Service at: https://t.me/joinchat/yJULuN8NaCs5OGM0

Join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service: Simply add 082 792 9405 (North Coast Courier) as a contact to your phone, and WhatsApp your name and surname to the same number to be added.