Review of Nightmare Alley (2021) by Bugga — 17 Dec 2021

This was my most anticipated movie of the year and it did not dissappoint! In NIGHTMARE ALLEY we follow Stanton Carlisle, a con-man with a good eye for reading people, as he falls deeper and deeper into darkness.

The con-man in question is played by Bradley Cooper in the performance of his career. Perfectly cunning, snobby and insecure. All the other actors also deliver great performances but their characters just weren’t deep enough for me to connect with.

Although with all that said I do think that Cate Blanchett and David Strathairn deserves a special mention as they were the stand-outs from the supporting cast. Btw there is no way in hell Rooney Mara is lead in this.

Litterally no argument for her being in lead. The directing by Guillermo Del Toro is outstanding as he brings his classic Del Toro touch to it and you can tell he’s having so much fun exploring this universe.

Now I know a lot of people got problems with the pacing, but personally, I had no problems with it whatsoever. I was hooked from beginning to end and would’ve happily watched it for another 30 minutes.

All the techs are on point, no complaints there, but the cinematography and production design are just outstanding. The way Dan Laustsen used lighting is just brilliant, and the set for the carnival in the beginning is some of the best I've seen.