With a star-studded cast, Nightmare Alley is a crime drama, directed by Guillermo del Toro, that looks to be a neo-noir dream, or rather nightmare; pun fully intended. Starring Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett, the film looks delightfully thrilling but don’t just take our word for it… watch Nightmare Alley’s official trailer below.
Where To Watch Nightmare Alley In Australia
- Disney+ – Prices start at $9.99/month
- Foxtel Now – Prices start at $25/month and comes with a free ten day trial
The Cast & Crew
The cast of Nightmare Alley is almost too good to be true. Bradley Cooper, the Oscar-nominated actor of The Hangover, American Sniper, and A Star Is Born fame, leads the all-star cast that also includes Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, and Rooney Mara. The film is directed by Oscar-winning writer, producer, and director, Guillermo del Toro.
The Plot
Nightmare Alley, a neo-noir crime thriller, follows ambitious carny, Stan Carlisle (played by Cooper) who is rather gifted at manipulating people with simply a few words; in other words, he’s a skillful conman. Things start to unravel when Stan meets Dr. Lilith Ritter (played by Blanchett), a corrupt psychiatrist who may just be even more dangerous than he is.
The film is based on the 1946 novel of the same name, although this is the second film adaptation. Many have already noted though that del Toro has put a wonderfully modern spin on the story in comparison to the 1947 Nightmare Alley film adaptation.
What The Critics & Reviews Say
Overall, the film seems to be earning favourable reviews as it’s currently got a 7.4 rating on IMDb and 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Most reviews rave about del Toro’s direction, the visual style, and cinematography of Nightmare Alley as well as the performances delivered by Cooper and Blanchett.
Oscar-winning film director, William Friedkin has highly praised the film on Twitter.
However, Benjamin Lee from The Guardian believes that the film was rather underwhelming and too drawn-out. He did applaud the final scene of Nightmare Alley though and mused it may have made up for the slowly paced beginning and middle.
“It’s one of the year’s best scenes at the end of one of the year’s most disappointing films.”
Benjamin Lee
Lee may be in the minority with his opinion though, as Nightmare Alley won ‘Movie of the Year’ at the AFI Awards.
Australian Release Date
Nightmare Alley was released in Australian cinemas on the 20th of January 2022.