by Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Hollywood is full of remakes, so much so that even movies that appear to be original are actually remakes, from Keanu Reeves Knock knock (1977 reprint Death game) even animation Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (that it Flaming saddles With anthropomorphic kung fu dogs). In 2021, Guillermo del Toro brings his version of the classic film to theaters, bringing classic film noir. Nightmare alley Return to theaters as only a visionary director can do. Unfortunately, history repeated itself, and just like the first time around, the movie the second time around was still a box office failure, despite its stellar cast.
Nightmare Alley is a classic film noir
Nightmare alley It stars Bradley Cooper as Stan Carlyle, a man who has hit rock bottom and finds himself working at a carnival, under the control of Clem.Willem Dafoe) as part of Madame Zina's (Toni Collette) “divination” work, where he learns how to devise a fake psychological routine. Infatuated with an actress, Molly (Rooney Mara), Stan hits the road and turns out to be a con man by nature, except there's a problem, two actually: one, there's always a bigger fish, and two, he's been warned not to pretend to talk to the dead.
During one of his shows, Stan meets Dr. Ritter (Cate Blanchett), a skeptical psychologist who tries to prove he's a fake, but it backfires and he ends up toppling the first domino toward Stan's complete downfall. Secrets are revealed, the reading goes too far, and as with any good film noir, a murder occurs, and no one comes out unscathed. Nightmare alley It may have the external stylistic flourishes of Guillermo del Toro, but underneath, it's still noir, with all the darkness that suggests.
A box office bomb that requires the audience to think
Nightmare alleyUnlike most of del Toro's best work, it is not a story about the supernatural. Instead, it's a wonderfully illustrated story of a man on the edge and his rapid yet entirely avoidable downfall when bad people do bad things to each other with unexpected results. Bradley Cooper gives an amazing performance as Stan and shows a level of talent that no one would have expected from his jealous fiancée. Wedding Crashers.
With a budget of $60 million Nightmare alley It was a massive flop, earning just $39 million worldwide, and although that can be attributed to its release in December 2021, when the coronavirus was still lingering and keeping older moviegoers out of theaters, it's still a disappointment. . Those who watched the film enjoyed it, as evidenced by the fact that it received an audience rating of 68 percent Rotten tomatoeswhich is very good for such a dark film. It's not a good experience, and the harrowing story will haunt you for days after you watch it, but at the same time, there are a few Del Toro trademark flourishes that remind you that he's one of the best directors working today.
Nightmare alley Not for everyonebut with the recent success of NosferatuNow is the time to go bReturn to the remake of another classic from a lost era in Hollywood. There's not a lot of film noir being made today, and we're thinking of a modern film Science fiction noir, Reminiscence also failed to find an audience in 2021, as it's clear that no one is going to go to theaters to watch relentlessly dark films that include a lot more dialogue than your standard blockbuster. However, both films have recently found an audience My neighborproving that once given the chance, they will win over audiences and slowly and quietly become modern cult classics.
Nightmare alley Available to stream on Hulu.
