Nightmare Alley (2021)

The critic praises the film as a spectacularly grim neo-noir that treats the genre as a lavish funhouse, with Bradley Cooper’s brooding performance capturing the putrefaction of one man’s American dream. The intricately designed carnival world and Blanchett’s malevolent femme fatale are highlighted for their visual and performative richness.

The critic praises this neo-noir as a dazzling, deliciously damnable drama with human monsters and a bleak conclusion. Production design, cinematography and score are singled out for their evocative power.

The review praises the enveloping atmosphere, compelling characters led by Cooper, gorgeous filmmaking, and del Toro's shift to noir while retaining his signature beastliness and detail.

Del Toro delivers a deliciously dark, visually sumptuous neo-noir feast with architectural precision and lush textures, especially in the carnival and art-deco sequences. The critic praises Blanchett’s commanding turn and the pitch-black conclusion but notes some heavy-handed metaphors and an overlong runtime.

Del Toro delivers a luxurious love letter to film noir with high production values, glossy finish and a jet-black heart. Cooper subverts his charismatic image and Blanchett offers a glorious femme fatale, making this a handsome, fascinating character study despite its indulgent length.

The critic praises del Toro's adaptation as a blood-dark jewel and luminous noir vision, highlighting the vivid worlds created, strong performances especially Cooper's, and the film's fluent direction, while noting some literal screenplay moments.

The critic finds it a glossy noir remake where del Toro pivots from supernatural but the film is haunted by the difference between monsters and men; praises Cooper's shine but notes it's a strange fit for the director's style, with a sleek patina that doesn't fully suit the bleak material.

The critic praises del Toro's adaptation as a decadent, genre-true noir about a hustler's rise and fall, highlighting the strong cast and lavish production design in both carnival and city settings.

The critic commends Cooper's career-best performance as the anti-hero and the excellent supporting cast, along with the rich visuals, while noting the overly long runtime as a drawback.

The critic notes that del Toro’s distinctive nightmares stand apart from the pack in this adaptation.

The review highlights strong performances, especially from Cooper and Blanchett, and the atmospheric noir spectacle, but criticizes the wordy, shallow script and some miscasting.

Del Toro’s remake is a grotesque yet fanciful carnival noir with a clammy, quease-making lead performance from Bradley Cooper. The critic praises the director’s eye for oddballs and the carnival world as a haven, while noting the film adds Freudian elements that sometimes undercut the central performance.

The critic notes that del Toro’s adaptation hews more faithfully to the novel than the 1947 film but sentimentalizes the source material. The carnival setting is described as rich with grotesque and sleazy details that suit the director’s style.

Del Toro crafts an immaculately designed morality tale with deliciously grotesque carnival scenes and strong supporting turns, but the remake prioritises craft over moral complexity and lacks the original’s tension. Cooper’s assured performance feels too knowing from the start, making the central character less compelling.

The critic finds the polished aesthetics a poor fit for the sleazy, despairing tale, describing the result as pointlessly deluxe. Production design is highlighted as overly fussy in a grim morality story.

The critic criticizes the film for being too art-directed and lacking real darkness, calling it the noir equivalent of a fake dive bar; praises the bursts of violence and the ending but finds it distancing and stylized in a way that undercuts the pulpy material.

Del Toro’s rich remake is a noir richer in mood than compelling characters, with impeccable period details and a seductive look, but the muddled script lacks killer instinct. The film is chilly and views the world as full of cynical takers, though it will appeal to upscale audiences.

The critic finds the remake bloated, literal in its messaging, and overdecorated, with del Toro’s grotesque flourishes emptying out the story rather than expanding it. The extended length and elaborate period sets are singled out as draining tension and spontaneity from the narrative.

The review calls the film a glossy, overstretched and needlessly bloated noir that is visually gorgeous but profoundly dull. It criticises the narrative and casting choices while noting strong production design.

Del Toro’s version is overwrought and overlong but also a masterpiece and his best film in years. It is praised for its lavishly detailed world-building across carnival, noir, and melodramatic acts.

The critic praises the performances of Cooper and Blanchett, the production design and cinematography, calling it a vivid film noir remake that noir and del Toro fans should enjoy. They single out the sumptuous visuals and the strong cast for praise.

The critic praises del Toro for crafting a chilling noir that explores monstrous humanity through its doomed protagonist. The film is noted as immaculately made but perhaps too polished to fully capture the grime of its characters.

Del Toro’s most satisfying film in years, with exceptional control of noir themes and stunning visuals, especially in the carnival half. It is critiqued for narrative imbalance between halves but rewarded for its rich psychological drama.

The film is a thrilling, stylish carnival noir with a hauntingly beautiful world and an all-timer ending. Cate Blanchett's icy femme fatale is the standout, though pacing drags in the second half.

The critic describes the glossy tragedy about the dangers of ambition, with human monsters replacing del Toro's usual supernatural ones. While hampered by some sentimentality, it remains entrancing as the director grapples with his own themes.

The critic calls it a stylish and dark work about lies and liars that shouldn't be overlooked in theaters. It is praised as a sordid drama acutely of the moment, spinning a cycle of exploitation with few major studio films matching its feel.

The critic argues that the film often fails on both spectacle and thematic counts despite del Toro's knack for combining the two. It is seen as outwardly accomplished but frictionless, fetishizing its Depression-era despair without deeper resonance.

The critic finds the film visually gorgeous but lacking in noir intensity and substance, calling it an empty impersonation and a rare misstep for del Toro. They praise the carnival scenes and some performances like Dafoe and Collette but complain about the lack of depth.

The noir misses its mark overall despite Blanchett adding verve as the femme fatale. Cooper is miscast, the film is bloated and emotionally inert with excessive CGI and unclear thematic intent.

The critic finds the film a feel-bad holiday hit that resembles a fetish object more than a strong adaptation, with its context and execution failing to land effectively. Del Toro's take on the bleak ending from the novel is acknowledged but overall the result is deemed underwhelming.