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Film review: Nightmare Alley

High camp meets nerve-wracking tension in this skillful adaptation

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This image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Mark Povinelli, left, and Ron Perlman in a scene from "Nightmare Alley." Searchlight Pictures


Cert: 15 | ★★★★★

Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born) leads a stellar Hollywood cast in this new adaptation of Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel of the same name. Directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) from a screenplay he co-wrote with Kim Morgan, Nightmare Alley is the second feature adaptation of Gresham’s novel — the first in 1947 starred Tyrone Power. Here Cooper stars as a cunning carnival worker who tricks people into believing he has supernatural powers.
In 1940s New York, wayward drifter Stanton Carlisle (Cooper) happens upon a carnival troupe and is reluctantly offered a job by owner Bruno (Ron Perlman). As time goes by, Stanton endears himself to middle aged clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her alcoholic mentalist husband Peter (David Strathairn) who teach him the tricks of their trade.
After fleeing the carnival with young performer Molly (Rooney Mara), Carlisle builds a career swindling the wealthy elite. When he is caught in a lie by crafty psychiatrist Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), Carlisle hatches a plan with her to score his most daring scheme yet.
Del Toro employs a mixture of stylish old Hollywood sensibilities with B movie tropes to bring us an engaging psychological thriller. His depiction of rural post-depression era America in juxtaposition with the opulence of 1940s metropolitan elite has an almost Citizen Kane-like quality. The film is further elevated by some truly peerless performances from Cooper, Blanchett and Mara.
With moments of high camp and nerve-wracking tension, Nightmare Alley manages something seldom achieved in Hollywood of late. It is a remake which stands on its own two feet, while staying faithful to its original source material.
This is a thrilling and expertly executed adaptation from the reigning master of modern supernatural horror.



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