A 'Hero's Journey' That Isn't So Heroic (Nightmare Alley 2021)

Oscar contender, Nightmare Alley revitalizes the noir-themed films in such a way that invites moviegoers - from any generation - who has the patience to watch and really understand this brooding sense of character study undertaking betrayals and survival tactics. Knowing that it is directed by Guillermo Del Toro should let you know and warn that this tale is not for the faint of heart and neither was the source material. However, as one of the few who are being introduced to this classic tale through Del Toro's eyes, an opinion should be considered as just an opinion. 

The film features an A-list cast that includes Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, and Cate Blanchett. It is hard to call this ensemble since the film revolves around Cooper's character, Stanton Carlisle who joins a circus after his father dies and lives with Zeena and her husband, Pete. The pair's act focuses on clairvoyance but after her husband dies, he runs away with Molly - played by Mara - to the big city to become a clairvoyant after being taught by Pete. 

Success rages when he comes across a psychologist, Lillith Ritter (Blanchett), as she gains interest with his work, using his con-like talents to heal the patients she can't seem to 'fix', while both are being paid, of course. When Carlisle comes across a case that leads to improbable measures, all falls apart and all is revealed. 

As clairvoyant and interesting this film may be to some, the film tells the story of a conman, willing to do anything to be successful, and that also means cutting off loose ends as well as what holds him back from that success. Our hero is not a hero. He is not a villain either, for his reasonings to his actions are... reasonable. However, methods may seem far-fetched as they go considering since Carlisle is also a mentally unstable man. You get instances of instability throughout all his actions taken within the narrative but it's really emphasized and shocking (as well as somewhat predictable) by the time the climax touches on the big reveals of his past. 

Bradley Cooper's portrayal of this character was great and most of his roles are, but his final scene --right before the credits start to the role -- was the most humourous yet haunting piece of acting he has ever done. Or at least in anything I have ever seen him in. He reaches a full circle moment by the end of the film, a narrative hack that reminds me of a certain storytelling tool introduced to popular culture by Dan Harmon. However, the concept was based on Joseph Campbell's way of going through a 'Hero's Journey'. William Lindsay Gresham, the author of the Nightmare Alley novel, may or may not have had the same idea as Campbell or at least got from him or vice versa, it is clear that the narrative is within a story circle that brings the main character to where he started... or in this case, somewhere much worse that resembles the start of the journey we were taken on. 

It's easy to forget anyone else's performances, especially Dafoe's, but Blanchett was indeed the scene-stealer of the show. Audiences may have to wait an hour to finally see her but once she enters the fold, there's no going back. If there's anyone who's as much as an anti-hero as Carlisle, it's Lillith Ritter. 

Other than the fact that this movie was slow and requires a certain amount of attention to be impacted by, Nightmare Alley is a character study through and through especially when it comes to Carlisle, as opposed to anyone else featured. It has been a while since I have seen an ensemble film that does not subtly state that the leading name of the cast list is in fact, the star of the show. With Alley, it's almost a relief because this one character was so complicated already. Despite the slow pace, the film is violent and explicit but only when it needs to be. It does not bombard audiences with unnecessary amounts of gore or swearing, which is something that is usually common with certain filmmakers, including Del Toro. 

After The Shape of Water, I had no doubt as to why the Academy would nominate this for anything but learning it was nominated for Best Picture, led me to be more curious as to where Del Toro's imagination was taking us now. Whether an original or an adaptation, Del Toro always seems to understand the assignment.