From the filmmaker who's always looked for beauty in the grotesque and whose fascination with horror, fantasy, fairy tales & monsters knows no bounds, Nightmare Alley marks quite a departure from his earlier works. While the story features a dark premise and the imagery is infused with gothic flavours, it plays out like a straightforward neo-noir psychological thriller and is devoid of the supernatural.
Co-written & directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim & The Shape of Water), the first act does create an intrigue & mystery about our protagonist and what he may be up to but once the story departs from the carnival setting, the interest does start to fizzle out as it becomes evident where it's headed & how it's going to play out. It isn't necessarily a complaint but for a director of del Toro's calibre, more was expected here.
On the technical front, the film scores high marks with its sumptuous production design that brings its period setting to life in splendid detail. Deft camerawork & amber lighting also add to its noirish tone and the decadent score enriches it some more. Performances are where it delivers the most valuable goods. Bradley Cooper is committed throughout, plus his act only gets better as plot progresses and he is strongly supported by the rest.
Overall, Nightmare Alley is a perfectly fine example of its genre and will keep most viewers invested in its proceedings with its rich production value & impressive acting. However, the characters still remain distant for some reason and the story as a whole feels more or less underwhelming in the end. To sum it up, Guillermo del Toro's latest offering isn't without its charms and has a few neat tricks up its sleeve but nothing about it is original or refreshing.
