Film noir is probably my favorite movie genre. From proto-noirs like The Maltese Falcon to classics like Double Indemnity to neo-noirs like Chinatown and Blade Runner, I love the conventions: cynicism, inevitability, moral temptation and compromise, femme fatales. The 1947 film Nightmare Alley is regarded as one of the classics of the genre. I saw it some months back and really enjoyed it. No, this one isn't about detectives or gangsters; it's about a carnie who parlays a mentalist act into a scheme to make money by convincing rich people he can communicate with their dead loved ones. I saw the original film for the first time only recently, so I was excited when an updated version from director Guillermo del Toro was announced. I eagerly ventured to my local cineplex to see it. The new film follows the plot of the '47 version more-or-less exactly, though I was delighted that this one was even more noir in places. The violence is considerably more graphic and shocking in this new take, however. It's 1941, and Stan (Bradley Cooper), a vagabond with a troubled past, finds work in a travelling carnival, but his creativity and ambition let him quickly evolve from laborer to performer. He gets acquainted with mystic Zeena (Toni Collette) and her alcoholic husband Pete (David Strathairn), whose mentalist act was the toast of Paris. Through them, he learns a verbal code that enable the mentalist and his assistant to communicate secretly but openly, and which enables the mentalist to appear clairvoyant. Stan learns fast and before long convinces sweet young Molly (Rooney Mara), herself a sideshow performer of electrical spectacle, to join him in building a classy mentalist show (like Zeena and Pete's from years before). The act is well-received, but a bigger opportunity arises when a rich man comes to the show, hoping Stan is a true medium who can summon the spirit of the man's dead son, and willing to pay a lot of money for the service. Accompanying the man is Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), a psychiatrist who tests Stan's ability. She's fascinated with Stan because she knows he's a fraud, and Stan gets close to her because she has critical information that will enable his con to succeed... This is a very solid noir thriller. The cinematography is beautiful and Depression-era America is credibly re-created. The excellent cast also includes Willem Dafoe, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, Tim Blake Nelson, and Richard Jenkins. I enjoyed this modern reworking of a classic noir. Recommended. 7.5/10.
Saw it a few weeks ago and was so forgettable that I forgot to post my review. That's it, that's my review, it's a forgettable movie that I'm glad I waited for it on streaming.
I watched it (and Coda) last Sunday before the Oscars. Overall I liked it and agree about the cinematography and casting. It felt a little long, though, and the story could've been tightened up a bit.
