Director/co-writer Guillermo del Toro veers out of his customary lane in “Nightmare Alley,” a gorgeous-looking but narratively flawed movie that at its best evokes the lurid thrillers of the 1940s while meandering too much in between.
Cooper’s Stanton Carlisle should seemingly be younger, a bit of casting that requires a certain suspension of disbelief at first.
It’s in that setting where Stanton encounters Lilith Ritter , a cool and alluring psychologist who has the potential to open doors among the rich and powerful.
The real challenge, ultimately, will be whether the abundant star power and celebrated director offers enough of an incentive for the rubes to hand over their coins, especially for a movie that’s hard to describe and doesn’t really fall into the genres for which Del Toro is known.
Del Toro’s movies are inevitably lush, and the casting and atmosphere here provide a significant come-on to film noir aficionados, who will probably catch up with “Nightmare Alley” over time.