Nightmare Alley reviewed by Mark Kermode 

This movie has style dripping off the screen. I was so intoxicated by either the film noir / art deco or the old-school carnival freak show aesthetic, I didn't even notice it being 2.5 hours.

The climactic scene where everything comes to a head was the most beautiful, shocking, horrific, brilliant piece of cinema I have seen for a long, long time. I sat there stunned after it, and even leaving the cinema, ten minutes later. You knew it was coming, but that didn't soften the impact! A masterful film, 10/10 from me.

As you'd expect, it looked great. There was nothing wrong with it, all the performances were good, but I was a bit disappointed overall. Not GDT's best work for me.

Back to studio makes me think things start going back to normal. Thanks KermodeandMayo!

I really loved this film. Cate Blanchett's charisma is off the charts. Impossible to take your eyes off her in this picture.

Because of how it was advertised, I was expecting something more fantastical to eventually become apparent but it never came and that was a bit of a disappointment. What I DID get was a lavishly filmed slow burn of a movie with a an end that felt inevitable from the beginning but that was still gripping as we got to the climax. Did feel long for me though

"Nightmare Alley" was a superb film-noir for the 21st Century. Bradley Cooper gave his best performance as grifter Stanton Carlisle. The original 1947 film was incredibly bleak and failed critically and commercially at the time. Ty Power rated it as his best performance. He never did anything as challenging again. The new version has done justice to the original. Fabulous stuff for people who like decent plot-driven films.

This is the most underrated film of 2021. It won’t win any Oscars at all. I thought it was perfect.

I think the supporting cast deserves a mention. I could watch Blanchett and Cooper square off for days, but this also has the highest concentration of “oh wow, it’s so-and-so!” supporting roles I’ve seen in ages. It’s not an ensemble piece yet every role is still filled with a superb actors bringing their best.

I saw this movie last night with a couple of friends. This movie blew us all away, incredible. Every single scene progresses the story, every actor is on their absolute A-game, and the cinematography and sets are stunning. Every character is well formed and acted, 2D characters are absent from this film. I would say the story is Shakespearean in it's general ark, whilst never being predictable. If you only see one film this year make it this one.

I loved this movie. I went in unsure because the reactions were lukewarm but this movie rules. Great noir movie. I think the original is great but this might be even better because of the ending. GDT crushed this one. Delicious visuals as well. Oh and a great ending.

I watched this at the cinema tonight. I thought the film was good overall but the 1st hour at the carnival was the best part. This was the world of Del Toro to a T. I felt after the "2 years later" bit that things dragged and I lost a bit of interest but it picked up towards the end. Overall, not Del Toro's best work IMO but I'd give it a 7.5/10

I absolutely loved this movie. My first trip back to a cinema, and one of my favorites of the year.

This is one of Guillermo’s very best! In my opinion, better than the original in many, many ways.

I think this might be the best movie I saw last year

The thread that runs through so much of Guillermo's filmography is this relationship between man and beast, and it runs through this film too. Unfortunately though I felt that the human side of this film felt very undeveloped, be it in the characters or the lack of conflict for much of the first half of the film - these feel like problems with the screenplay. Visually the film is a treat, it looks incredibly well researched and authentic, the set designs are incredible, and the 'ramping up' at its steepest gradient towards the end is very powerful cinema - its just a shame the rest of the film feels a little underdeveloped.

I feel so vindicated by this review! I freaking LOVED this movie, and it seems like people decided to shrug it off before even seeing it, and the few that did have all just said, “it’s too long, it’s too slow, blah blah blah”. obviously people can have their opinions but I walked out of this totally baffled. seven years from now some hip RU-vid filmbro is gonna get a million views for a video about how great this movie is and how unfair it is that everyone ignored it

Funny you should say he has the resources to make any movie when in fact he was denied the chance to do HP Lovecraft's 'At The Mountains Of Madness' which according to Del Toro was a hundred million dollar film. I think we would have been blown away by the intended visuals of it.

As someone who got a chance to see the first adaptation recently and enjoyed it very well, I do like Del Toro was able to get to do a little more with this in an era that isn't quite as confining on what and where a story can go. And I also really like just how much he was really enjoy how much he was really enjoying the carnival setting with it's wild visuals and characters and I also like giving Bradley's character the single eye on his mask to give it a more creepy vibe too. Film really sticks to me the more I think about it, and I love that feeling.

This is interesting for me because on one hand there’s so much to love about the movie but I also found it really dragged in the middle. I actually started to feel bored. And it felt a little too polished. Was looking forward to some really pretty noir mixed with some macabre GDT stuff but it felt very tame. There were hints of that here and there but never quite delivered for me.

Really, really liked this film when I saw it last month. I might try to see the black & white version playing now, but it seems a shame to lose the gorgeous colors!

Hmm I seen it last night and it felt like 3 different films moulded in to one. I thought it was a good 30 40 minutes too long! I did enjoy the ending but also seen it coming if I'm being honest, great cast it looked expensive but hmm 6.5/10 for me.

Finally going to seeing it tomorrow! Love Guillermo!

We love you Guillermo!! Now give us the dratted Pinocchio trailer already!!

If Tom Waits made a film - it would be like this one

Been waiting for this alllllll week. Maybe the best movie, along with The House, I've seen of the new year so far

Seen it 3 times including the black and white version - his best film. An epic. He is morphing into Spielberg.

It's really great! Don't fail this movie UK, like we Americans did

WOW - one of the best films i have seen in years - ignore the shockingly bad trailer and poor marketing - look the reviews - they dont lie..a great story, great acting, look sublime - MUST SEE FILM.

I love this film. I hope Mr. Del Toro makes more film noir features in the future. He is a wonderful filmmaker and person.

There are many fairly timid movies that get called 'haunting' nowadays, but this (which I believe Guillermo said was a film for people who say films like this don't get made any more) really is haunting. The last scene is obviously unnerving, but the garden bench one is one of the most riveting cinematic set pieces in ages. The acting and directing in that scene alone deserves an Oscar.

This movie was great until the ending, and then it was excellent. I haven't seen a film wrap everything up and put a picture perfect bow on top and bring everything back home so well since Blade Runner. Bradley Cooper should get a Oscar nom just for the final three minutes of this film.

So well done..many technical excellence..very dark story..

i wasn't sure what the think. the ending stopped me in my tracks. what i do know is that I keep thinking about the film after days have passed, which is a sign of a great film. will need to rewatch, hopefully in the black and white version.

I loved this movie so much. Visually stunning and superbly acted.

It’s pretty sad that this bombed horrifically in the US. It’s already gonna be streaming on Hulu and HBO in a couple of weeks.

i like guillermo del toro well enough but his movies are way too polished to really strike me as dark, dark in some respects but with no grit i suppose

The ending was brilliant

As soon as i saw the geek, i new the ending - too obvious - still a good film though. its a remake of an old film of the same name, which i have seen.

Simon Mayo, the complete home enterrtainer 🙌

Sounds like the film got the research right to take its mind reading act from the Complete Home Entertainer! Simon would no doubt enjoy Black Rainbow. As a huge Del Toro and Film Noir fan I can't wait to see this.

Del Toro never disappoints. NA is a fantastic film and I've seen it 6 times, will be watching it again soon.

Tod Browning's Freaks was a loose adaptation of an incredibly early (1923!) noir short story by Tod Robbins called "Spurs," so it's fitting that this noir-horror gives a nod to those two connected antecedents.

I love the original film version, and I love del Toro's films, so I'm sure this will be marvelous.

set design and actors were fantastic ....didnt see the ending coming , highly recommended

Spain Rodriguez did a graphic-novel version of this story. A labor of love.

I have that book you mentioned.

Guillermo Del Toro doesn’t easily miss. This another slam dunk of a movie that embellishes and recontextualises the themes of the original novel, whilst full to the brim of Del Toro’s meticulous attention to detail, imagery, production and performance. It’s not on the level of Pan’s Labyrinth and Shape of Water but it’s very, *very* close.

I think Richard Jenkins deserves supporting actor awards talk but I haven’t seen any.

Someday people will put it in most underrated movies lists.

Loved it!

Interesting review, some of which I agree. But the film was painfully long, and most unforgivable of all...almost obvious. Unsurprisingly, the performances, costumes, and sets were outstanding. In the end, I would have preferred to watch Double Indemnity or Body Heat, again.

Loved it. And I've been quite up-and-down on Del Toro in the past. This was not only a great thrill-ride but as the film progresses it makes very disturbing observations about the way spirituality/religion is unnaturally mutated by money and capital in American society.

I didn't expect that: perhaps my favorite del Toro movie

I called the ending before the first fifteen minutes of the movie passed and I was still floored by the ending.

I love del Toro, It looks fantastic but Nightmare Alley just felt hollow to me. I might be missing something and will give it another go at some stage. The main issue I had with the movie is that all the characters felt 2 dimensional and it felt like two different films. I did however enjoy the Geek through line to the story, it almost would have worked better as a short focussing on that.

Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett are great in this wonderful film!

Just watched it, great film.

Finally watched it last night. Great stuff. Totall up my (nightmare) alley being a period piece about carnies and grifters.

I had a terrible theater experience with this one cause a number of people thought this was equalivent to Spider-man which they couldn't get tickets to cause it was sold out. And unfortunately I think that experience negatively impacted my first experience with this movie and I came away pretty underwhelmed and a little more. I think cause I was never able to fully sink into the world, I didn't engage with the movie the way I wanted to. Once it's available at home, I'm definitely gonna watch it again and hope that more respectful atmosphere will make all the difference.

Sounds like Angel Heart……

This was a masterful film . I was gripped the whole time

Sounds great

It was basically a two an a half hour episode of "Twilight Zone" made by a director way over qualified for the source material. This one and "The Shape of Water" feels like he's moving away from his signature style I know and love.

Del Toro has breathed life into a deservedly under-rated and little-known suspense novel. (The plot, when you consider it, is rather feeble.) Compared to the 1947 film, del Toro’s is is much edgier, disturbing and violent version. Both Cate Blanchett and Bradley Cooper are superb. So are the atmosphere and general design. The film is too long, tho - it could have been compressed by omitting some of Part One (the carnival scene), which does drag on.

Great film

l remember watching the original with Tyrone Power.

I found the array of big names distracting. I think it would’ve been a more effective film with a few more unknowns/character actors.

Beautiful, absorbing film with a very poorly paced second act. I really felt that second hour but then was fully absorbed again in the last 30 mins. The film weirdly reminded me of There Will Be Blood. Dan Lausten’s cinematography deserves every award available.

I suppose NMA is the best movie for 2 years. Right? Cate B is absolutely mezmerising. She should always be on screen.

The final act was great and I wanted to see the next chapter of his miserable life. Having said that, I felt the lead up to the ending was ho-hum.

this is a great ,great movie. The best of film noir.

Funny that critics are raving about this film. It looks very nice and has a pretty good performance by Cooper, but ultimately it's too Hollywood and too nice (not to mention a bit boring). It's like the last few seasons of Black Mirror, toying with darkness but never really going there.

Brilliant movie.

I thought it was excellent and looked superb, the carnival and deco styling was top notch. As Mark Kermaode says it is bleak, but not in a depressing way. The 'twist' (not really a twist) was pretty obvious very early on, although doesn't really matter. I found it a bit odd that some people chuckled as if they've just worked it out when a Defoe line was repeated near the end.

Why didn't you mention Tyrone power?

Ohhh... I coulda sworn you said 'Nightmare Abbey'...

the art is always good with Deltoro movies but the third act was so hammy and I saw the ending coming a mile away. Surprised to see the positive reviews. Pans labyrinth is amazing but I'm not too crazy about his others. Shape of water is waaay overrated.

I'm sorry but I was totally bored by this movie. I love the director and style of this movie but I felt it was under played. I sat there in the cinema waiting and waiting and wait for the film to kick in which it did but near the end of the movie. Really disappointed.

I don't care for GDT at all, his films look good for sure, but not much substance otherwise. This one is at least better than Shape of Water...

I think it is okay

It’s fabulous stunning magical happy thrilling dark tragic sad ..all at the same time ..

Wasn't sure of it narratively

The nightmare becomes reality...

This channel itself deserves an oscar!

Great for Netflix/streaming- Not so great for a cinema release IMO

I really wanted to like this more but it all felt a bit lifeless to me, despite looking beautiful and being well acted. Every time I felt myself growing a little intrigued, five minutes later I was kinda bored again.

Spoliers. I loved the style of the movie but the end was kind of obvious as it is front and a centre a lot early in the movie, it didn't spoil the movie but it did take away from my enjoyment.

I had to stop the review after 2 minutes. Mark is spoiling the whole goddamn movie.

Too bad I can only see this on TV

Wanted to like this a lot but I just didn’t like Bradley Cooper’s character downfall story or think it was original. I didn’t think the twist at the end was clever either and made me dislike this movie even more.

i found it boring. beautifully shot.

Bradley Cooper and Booze is a bad combination

The Shape Of Water is overrated. Nightmare Alley is underrated.

Slooooooow. Loooooong.

A beautiful but extremely boring movie. The end was completely predictable and the guy at the end didn't even put the drugs in the drink. Dafoe's character did that long explanation about how to make a geek and the guy didn't follow the setup. Someone could say that Stanton didn't need the drug in the drink, but the other guy didn't know that. I'm not buying the whole "huge moment in the film where Stanton kills the two guys" either. His wife was savvy enough and had been doing to con enough to keep the guy from touching her. Again, beautiful but boring and predictable movie.

I found it really boring and derivative, and some of the editing choices were a complete eye roll. It was too long, cooper, Mara and Blanchett were great but the script wasn’t exciting and the world building we’ve seen it all before. The Shape Of Water was a feat but this was just film by numbers

I'm sure it's a great film...but I wonder why he has this habit of not casting any POC in any (leading...or even ANY) roles? Happy to stand corrected if I'm wrong...

Looks awesome but ssssoooo boring 😴😴😴

The movie was too long it started really strong but by the end was really predictable and really boring this was very disappointing one😒👎