Nightmare Alley Movie Review: This one marks a departure for Guillermo del Toro and its stunning and hypnotic

STORY: The plot unravels in 40s America and revolves around a drifter who slowly and steadily inches his way and makes a name for himself in the world of the psychic medium. When all is going steady for him, he finds a match in a psychiatrist. REVIEW: Director Guillermo del Toro takes a turn with Nightmare Alley and this one is vastly different from his previous ventures. This time you will encounter no strange creatures or morphed human beings. It is also a first for del Toro that his film is devoid of any supernatural element and the place here has been taken by human trickery, but old habits die hard and thus you see a fetus in a medicine jar which is also a recurring sight in the film. This drama is based on a novel by William Lindsay Gresham and it is believed that the events of the film were told to him by a carnival employee while he was serving as a doctor during the Spanish civil war. Nightmare Alley is a patient watch and once you are able to stick around, its length of two hours and thirty minutes, you are amply rewarded. The backdrop of Guillermo del Toro’s drama is the era of the 40s when the second world war was on the anvil and Roosevelt was at the helm of things. He takes a leisurely and languid approach to set the proceedings and it completely gels with the setting of the film. Right from the time Stanton Carlisle (played by Bradley Cooper) murders his father and becomes part of a carnival as a low-level employee to touching dizzying heights of success, del Toro maintains a similar pace. This crime drama is an interesting watch, but when compared to films like The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth, remains only a notch below. The narrative revolves around a drifter who joins a carnival as a low-wage worker. There he learns the trick of the trade under a few masters and finally branches out to carve his own destiny and moves to Chicago not before marrying one of the tribes. When he meets Dr. Lilith, a psychiatrist, he enters a world that is dangerous and full of rich people. If this film makes an interesting watch, a lot of credit needs to be given to the performances of its star cast. Bradley Cooper shines as Stanton Carlisle, and the changes in his character's graph are well captured throughout. It’s a multi-dimensional performance and Cooper comes out as a winner every time. Rooney Mara as his wife Molly and Cate Blanchett as Dr. Lilith too are able to match their steps with those of Cooper’s. But while these are lead characters, Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette, and David Strathairn though appear in the film for a short duration ensuring that they leave an impression. The supporting characters are simply outstanding in the film. Another aspect that adds to the noir mood of the film is its excellent cinematography. Be it the mood of the carnival or the lifestyle of those employed by the carnival lead, it is potent enough to make you sit right next to the happenings. The sequences that feature Cooper and Blanchett depict a masterly portrayal of one-upmanship. The scene in which Blanchett tries to hypnotize Cooper and tries to get answers about his past life is simply fabulous. Willem Dafoe as Clem from the carnival has a menacing appearance and looks terrifying as a carnival entrepreneur. Nightmare Alley positions itself as a noir film, but somehow this element appears only in patches, and it would be wrong to label it as such. In the end, the performances by Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett tightly control this unpredictable psychological thriller, which is ably backed by a web of suspenseful plotlines.