Nightmare Alley (2021)

Top comments

1. 

   crazy_bitch

   Definately a testament to the talent of everyone involved - director, actors, etc. But the end product doesn't work for me. It's very clearly a book adaptation and in my eyes it doesn't make good use of motion picture as a medium; no strong visual storytelling; this just feels like going through a book with fewer details and less depth. That is also my overall impression of the film - it's very shallow. The story is good, but it's not being explored deeply enough, and on top of that it is all also rather monotonmous - there are no emotional ups and downs, no difference in tension, no changes in exitement. It's all a series of events that just happen, until we reach the end - which is probably supposed to be an ironic twist, but is actually the obvious conclusion throughout most of the movie. I haven't read the book, but I can imagine many parts of the story that can work out better in a novel. Overall a very mediocre and forgettable movie, just shy of being boring. 2 years 2 months ago
2. 

   baraka92

   It's 40 minutes longer than the original and it doesn't do a lot with that extra time. Del Toro explains and shows way too much.

   The scene with Willem Defoe explaining how to get a "geek" was so bad. The only thing missing was him saying: "Be careful or you might end up being the geek yourself" The foreshadowing in the story is already easy to decipher as it is.

   Bradley Cooper isn't as effective as Tyrone Power; he's bad from the start. I don't know if the backstory came from the book but it set his character as a bad guy, unlike Power whose fall from grace is more tragic since he starts as a very charismatic fellow.
   
   Despite the compromised ending (just stop the movie a minute earlier), the ‘47 original is miles better than this. 2 years 2 months ago
3. 

   ucuruju

   The movie's already long as it is-- but I feel there must be an even longer director's cut. It seems like a lot of material is missing between each scene. Plot points happen with no forward momentum. It's just event after event after event without them ever really adding up. I think that is specially notable with the Zeena character. As opposed to the original, where the love triangle between Stan, Pete and her is milked for tension and ambiguity

   about whether he killed Pete intentionally to steal the act

   , in this version her presence is entirely functional. We never get an idea of who she is or what she wants from the protagonist. I'd bet (just a little money-- not too much) that there were tons of scenes with Toni Collette left on the cutting room floor. I don't know. Like the other comments say: something is missing. Still, the performances are good-- the visuals are amazing-- there's a lot of exciting moments.
   
   Tarantino used to have a section in his end-of-the-year lists that was called "nice try". He doesn't do it anymore cause it was a bit too cruel. In my opinion this is the definition of a "nice try" film. I hope Guillermo Del Toro will do better next time. He was born for it.
   
   EDIT: Del Toro's original cut was 3:15 hours long according to this interview-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yctViCOyEGc&ab_channel=ColliderInterviews 2 years 2 months ago

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