AKA: Nightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light
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81%
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7.4
- Release Date: Dec 02, 2021
- Rated: R | Runtime: 150 Mins | Language: English
- Director: Guillermo del Toro
- Stars: Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn, Mark Povinelli, Holt McCallany
Critic Reviews:
Years ago, I compared Del Toro to Orson Welles, a film-maker who instinctively understood the hypnotic power of cinema to dazzle, delight and deceive. On the basis of Nightmare Alley, which is blessed with more than a touch of evil, that’s a comparison by which I still stand.
Del Toro's movies are inevitably lush, and the casting and atmosphere here provide a significant come-on to film noir aficionados, who will probably catch up with "Nightmare Alley" over time. As for the immediate challenge, that pitch might not be as effective in luring people into the theatrical tent.
While different from Guillermo del Toro's typical supernatural and sci-fi tales, Nightmare Alley stays firmly rooted in the reality. The brutality of man is on stark display here, but it's no match for the film's femme fatale and its kindly lead. Though it's slow in parts and suffers from a bit of an imbalance from act to act, the finale delivers a comeuppance worthy of the history books.
