Nightmare Alley
Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Performances by Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins. Twentieth Century Fox, 2021. 140 minutes. Rated R. Psychological Thriller / Crime / Drama
When charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) endears himself to clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her has-been mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn) at a traveling carnival, he crafts a golden ticket to success, using this newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York society. With the virtuous Molly (Rooney Mara) loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins) with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who might be his most formidable opponent yet.