By Paul Hall
The sideshow is the beating heart of a carnival. The sights, the spectacles and the people all come together to make up an incredibly rich community. It is within that community that a tale of a life that takes many turns begins to unfold in the new film Nightmare Alley, in theaters now.
As Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) reaches the end of the line, he gets off a bus into the middle of a carnival. Although the reason he rode the line changed his life forever, this excursion is bound to offer even more pathways to a life that will encompass both good and bad, and all the oddities that come with both.
At the carnival, Stanton learns many of the secrets that go into the show; life, as we know, is filled with shows at every turn. Stanton enjoys some of the people in the traveling roadshow, but believes he is destined for more. The people at the carnival will have a real influence on Stanton. Clem (Willem Dafoe), the owner, teaches him how to run the show and how to break in a geek. Zeena the Seer (Toni Collette) and her partner Pete (David Strathairn) teach him the fortune-telling and medium fields that will hold his next adventure.
And then there is Molly (Rooney Mara). Molly steals the one thing that Stanton has to offer: his heart. Together the two head out, in love, to start a new life on the road, with a new act to rely on. It is there the roller coaster really starts to hit the peaks and valleys. Can he play the very intense game that is beginning?
In his new life, Stanton is introduced to more and starts believing in his own, nonexistent powers. Pete warned him that would be possible, but Stanton always believed he was better than that and it couldn’t happen to him. But what if life is a bigger journey than the individual events that get us there?
Cooper is amazing in his performance as Stanton. Drifting from one event to another, seemingly unfazed by valleys, and always looking to get ahead. As Cooper glides from good to bad times, all the while you believe that his Stanton is a chameleon of the highest order. Cooper adapts to his environment and truly embodies the character.
I loved Mara as her character arc rolls forward. Almost nondescript and in the background as we are introduced to her to a truly integral part of life for all who meet her, Mara can as easily be the girl conducting electricity at a carnival to Stanton’s partner in an upscale act and the abrupt character ride of his life.
The journey to madness that director Guillermo del Toro leads us down shows we are all two steps away from the best and worst moments in our lives. Del Toro is fluid in introducing characters with meaning who attach to our psyche in ways to remember long after the end credits finish. I was a huge fan of Richard Jenkins and Cate Blanchett as two very different yet interconnected characters who arrive later in the film. I stood with Ron Perlman in his aggressive, protecting nature and was in awe of even the smallest parts throughout the narrative.
This film has it all: story, acting, directing, production design, score and every element to craft a masterpiece. And yet, I know because of its dark and different nature, there are some who will hate the ride. I strapped in and screamed for the drops. My heart raced around the turns, and I hoped and prayed my own flaws would be less than Stanton’s, and be able to overcome it all. A dream ride down this Nightmare Alley had me rising with some devilishly cold sweats, and I loved it.
Paul’s Grade: A
Nightmare Alley
Rated R
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn, Mary Steenburgen, Mark Povinelli
Director: Guillermo del Toro