Nightmare Alley * * * *

I find Guillermo del Toro a bit like the Andersons where style takes precedence over substance - or reality.  

I was never much enamored with The Shape of Water, however Nightmare Alley is a story less populated by make-believe monsters. The human monsters are enough.

Nightmare Alley was first made in 1947 and that version is regarded as a Noir classic.  del Toro has chosen to maintain the Noir look and feel with shadows and the grotesque, except this time in vivid colour. This certainly gives it a seductive look: however, old films have situations and incidents which look decidedly contrived and clunky today: unfortunately that too comes across.

Clairvoyant Stan.
He probably saw this review coming.

The other thing that del Toro has done has made it much longer. with an unecessary bladder testing length of 160 minutes. 

Nightmare Alley presents itself as a two part film.  In part one we meet Stan (Bradley Cooper).  It's the 1930's. In a rundown old house, he drags a body across the floor and then torches the place and walks away.  The reason he does this is to remain a mystery for most of the film, but we are soon to learn of Stan's unfortunate habit of killing people "accidentally on purpose".

Stan becomes yet another hobo wandering around.  He gets some work at a carnival and pretty soon he settles in with them.  Typical of 1930's carnivals, freak shows are a major attraction. The freakiest of the freak shows is a Half Man-Half Animal Gimp that eats live chickens. They keep him in a cage. How the Carnival produces such a freak is a disturbing story and will play a part later.

There is also a pretty girl, Molly (Rooney Mara). She allows electricity to be pumped through her body because it does not effect her.  Sparks fly off her as the crowd look in awe.  There is also a clairvoyant, Zeena (Toni Collette).  Zeena and her alcoholic husband have devised a fortune telling scam.  Stan is drawn to this and finds himself working with them. From a book written up by Pete, the clairvoyants husband, Stan learns the "tricks" of clairvoyance.  How unfortunate that Pete is soon to die by "accident".

In part two, Stan runs off with Molly and together they start a nice gig in a fancy hotel.  Now it's tuxedos and ball gowns as he entertains the wealthy of an unnamed major city.  The rich and sophisticated pay handsomely to watch Stan do his fortune telling and clairvoyance with his assistant Molly.

Stan meets a woman who is a psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett).  Despite her apparent sophistication she's not exactly above the odd scam herself.  With the secrets her wealthy patients reveal to her, and the "skills" Stan has, a fine opportunity to make real money suggests itself.  It also gives the psychiatrist a chance to exact overdue revenge on someone.  However, Stan soon learns he is dealing with very dangerous people. 

After a bit more "accidentally on purpose" killing, Stan finds himself on the run again, to an ending that fulfills the title.

At the time, the 1947 version of Nightmare Alley was considered an ugly film because of it's subject matter and the amount of immoral, cynical, cruelty and exploitation featured in it.  Today it comes across more like an amusing yarn from an old pulp novel.  Different times I guess.

Nevertheless, as piece of cinema its a fine creation and if nothing else it is worth going to see for it's visual gorgeousness with the smoky, dirty, tawdry carnival, followed by the city where you will see art-deco so beautiful it will take your breath away.