Nightmare Alley

“Nightmare Alley” is a gritty remake of a 1947 movie based on a book of the same name.  It is filmed in black and white which gives  the film a dark and evil look. It perfectly fits the plot.  This is a depressing movie about the sad lives of misfits working for a rather sad carnival in the 1940’s.  In bygone days, people could make a living by being freaks or having some pretty cliched acts, such as Ron Perlman who plays the world’s strongest man; or David Strathairn who has a mind reading act, when he isn’t drunk, with his wife played by Toni Collette.  One of the bigger draws of the carnival is the resident wild beast man/geek who readily and eagerly devours a live chicken for the entertainment of the masses.  How someone ends up being such a geek is  disgusting (and hopefully long gone relic of those bygone days).  The story starts with Stanton “Stan” Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), whom we see burning down his midwestern shack of a house after putting a body in a hole in the floor.  The reason for this inexplicable act will become clear by the end of the movie.  Fade to Stan wandering into a cheap carnival during a rainstorm, and being offered temporary employment as a sort of roustabout.  He makes himself very useful and is befriended by some of the carnival denizens and joins the company. At first he takes any job he can fill.  But eventually he develops his own clairvoyant act (which he may or may not have stolen from Strathairn’s character) and jazzes up a geek act for Molly (Rooney Mara). He manages to overcome her initial aloofness and gain her trust. He then decides to try his luck away from the carnival and lures sweet, innocent Molly (who he’s made  into an assistant, or accomplice!) into coming with him.  All is not as it seems though.   Of course, Stan’s act is nothing more than a con. Molly is a shill. After a few years, they are somewhat  successful, but a chance encounter with Dr. Ritter (Cate Blanchett)  changes their fortunes and ultimately their lives.  We’re talking big money here. Or are we? This is NOT a happy story and you will  probably be repulsed at points.  By the jars of preserved, grotesque, babies who died at birth, for example.  Even so, this is a top-notch thriller which also includes performances by Richard Jenkins (the victim of the ultimate scam, which brings everything tumbling down), Willem DaFoe, and Mary Steenburgen.  Romina Power, daughter of Tyrone Power – who played Stan in the original –  cameos as a viewer of Stanton’s show, but I didn’t know which person she was.  Maybe you will.  The set designs and settings are terrific! Guillermo del Toro directs a cinematographically scrumptious movie, but I can’t give it a golden apple for two reasons.  First of all, it was too long and kind of lagged in the middle.  Second, the ending was just too depressing (and you may figure the ending out before it arrives).  However, if you are a fan of film noir from the 40’s and 50’s, I think you will enjoy this psychological thriller.