Nightmare Alley was not a horror film, but a drama. Atmospheric but very drawn out

On January 20, a new film Nightmare Alley by Guillermo del Toro was released on Russian screens. The Mexican director, screenwriter and producer has earned himself the fame of the main supplier of various screen horrors and at the same time the owner of a unique handwriting. His "Pan's Labyrinth" became a cult hit, and "The Shape of Water" about the love of a woman and an amphibian received four "Oscar».

The fans were especially looking forward to the new film of the master, because a whole galaxy of famous actors starred in it, including Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe and Rooney Mara.

And for some reason, many thought that they would see a beautiful horror, close to the aesthetics of Crimson Peak. But there is nothing like that in the film at all (unless you consider the shot through the ear as horrors). By the way, even the scenes of violence typical of Guillermo are presented here as accurately and metered as possible. And it would be fairer to define the Nightmare Alley genre as a drama with thriller elements.

The film is based on the novel of the same name by William Linzi Gresham, which was already filmed in 1947. British director Edmund Goulding then shot an exemplary film based on the book. film noir. It flopped at the box office, but eventually became a classic.

Unreasonably long running time and prolonged exposure

USA, late 1930s. Charming rogue Stan Carlyle gets a job in a traveling circus. There he becomes an assistant clairvoyant Zina Crumbein and learns from her husband Pete the art of "reading" other people's thoughts. Soon the hero decides that he is too talented to work at the fair, and together with his beloved, the illusionist Molly, leaves to conquer the big city.

Together they fool the people in the salons with a verbal sign system developed by Pete. This brings in a good income, but Stan is not enough. He gets the idea to convince the rich that he is able to get in touch with their dead relatives. To do this, he uses the tips of psychoanalyst Lilith Ritter, a femme fatale who has collected a dossier on all the wealthy people of the city.

One day, Carlisle is approached by a millionaire who wants to talk to his dead wife. Lilith warns the accomplice that he has started a dangerous game and the retribution in case of failure will be severe. But nothing can stop Stan.

The main problem with the film, of course, is that it is too long. The picture goes 2.5 hours, and this decision seems not entirely justified. After all, some of the "Chekhov's guns" do not even shoot, and a number of scenes could be easily dispensed with.

Right now, go back to the first paragraph in the synopsis description and reread it. The essence fits into a few sentences, but the director takes about an hour to exposition, if not more. And only then the main events begin to develop.

Because of this, Nightmare Alley seems to fall apart into two different pictures: a tape about a traveling circus and a classic film noir. It seems that you are watching two titles at a time without switching. And even the most tireless viewer will get tired of this. Because of this, despite the chic visual, at some point, boredom sets in.

Aesthetics of noir and actors within their images

But still, we must admit that Nightmare Alley is one of the most beautiful detective stories of recent years. It is the visual side of the film that holds the attention, especially in the first third. And how could it be otherwise, when every frame is permeated with gloomy romanticism and grace.

Guillermo del Toro uses a clear noir genre formula. All the components of the crime drama of the 1940s-1950s are in place: the reckless protagonist, tormented by flashbacks from the past, femme fatale, sophisticated work with light. In a word, the film looks as if the director of the golden age of Hollywood was given all the modern technical possibilities.

Famous faces in the frame also do not let you get bored, although almost all the actors remain within the framework of their roles - in this regard, no surprises were prepared for the audience. Willem Dafoe plays an eccentric and slightly intimidating personality, Cate Blanchett - an exquisite femme fatale, Rooney Mara - an innocent girl with deer eyes.

Only one Bradley Cooper falls out of this series. Firstly, he simply does not have an established archetypal image in which he could easily be imagined. And secondly, the character is written in such a way that any famous actor could play him. Note: initially they wanted to take Leonardo DiCaprio for the role, but the company could not agree with him.

The theme of fatalism and the lost meaning of the title

Many critics write that this time Guillermo del Toro created a completely realistic story without fictional creatures and the like. But it is not so. The tape is permeated by the mystical theme of predetermination of fate, and the plot gracefully loops, ending with the same thing as it started with.

The key moment that predetermines the tragic ending is the prediction of Zina Crumbein performed by Toni Collette. By the way, it is interesting that the image of the actress in a strange way echoes her own role in the author's horror "Reincarnation", where the theme of predestination and fatalism also came to the fore.

It turns out that the main idea of ​​the picture is the inability to resist the destructive power of fate. But at the same time, it is very strange that the key image, which gave the name to the work, was lost in the film adaptation. In the original, the hero had a haunting dream about a dark street, at the end of which something glowed. And for some reason, Guillermo del Toro decided to bypass this obvious metaphor.

Nightmare Alley is an incredibly beautiful 2.5 hours, which, nevertheless, is not so easy to endure. The director seemed to get too carried away and focused only on the visual side of the picture. Because of this, the plot, especially at the beginning, sags. And to such an extent that in the first third the viewer simply does not understand what all this is leading to.

Perhaps Guillermo fans will have to lower their expectations a bit: Nightmare Alley can be a little boring. But still it is worth giving the tape a chance, waiting for the development of events. After all, closer to the finale, the action will become much more cheerful and interesting.