Rent Nightmare Alley on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book on Amazon (paid link)
Written by: Guillermo del Toro & Kim Morgan (screenplay by), William Lindsay Gresham (based on the novel by)
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
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
Rated: R
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Plot
An ambitious carny with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is.
Verdict
This has a great mood, exploring a few con artists in the 30s. Stanton is warned about taking it too far, but he gets greedy. Carnivals are always fun to explore with their tall tales and incredible sights. This uses that as a foundation for a con man that goes even bigger. The movie is really good, but the ending is so strong, making this even better.
Watch It.
Review
The book was written in 1946, with the first movie adaptation following in 1947. A black-and-white version of this movie, subtitled Vision in Darkness and Light, was released in select cities at the beginning of 2022.
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| Bradley Cooper plays Stanton Carlisle |
The first scene generates a lot of questions with answers coming in pieces throughout the movie as Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) leaves home and joins the carnival. He's just a carny at first but soon gets to be part of Zeena's (Toni Collette) act. There are a lot of question about Stanton's intentions and purpose. Did he intend to join the carnival or was it just a matter of convenience? You have to wonder if Stanton going through a fun house with a devil theme soon after arrival is a metaphor.
A turn of the century carnival is a lot of fun which is why it's so often a setting. The carnival is a show that claims to be real. It can be a grotesque form of entertainment with some of the acts. The setting along with the film noir style sets a great mood. The carnival sells a lie, but some of the acts go too far.
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| Bradley Cooper plays Stanton Carlisle |
Stanton wants his own act, and he wants to take Molly (Rooney Mara) with him. When Stanton gets a chance to try his act on a local sheriff, he's convinced he's ready to leave the carnival. Two years later and he seems to be doing quite well. At first it's difficult to tell what's part of the show and what's real. Stanton has bought into his abilities and lies. He's been given warnings since the beginning of the movie, but it can't constrain his overconfidence. Stanton designs an even bigger and much more lucrative con with the help of a new friend. The entire movie you're wondering when he'll falter, but he keeps managing to fool people. Half of his game is making it look legitimate, and the other half is telling people what they want to hear.
Stanton is gifted with the skill to see people and read them, but he's always looking for a bigger scam. He got greedy and took more because he could, because he's always had something to prove. He grew up poor and always wanted more.
I was waiting for his downfall the entire movie, and the conclusion of this movie doesn't disappoint. It connects back to the beginning of the movie, ending back at a carnival. It's an ending that makes an already good movie even better.
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