“Mister, I was born for it.”

From Nightmare Alley.

Running from a dark secret in his past, Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) has become a drifter, going as far as his dwindling money will allow. When he stumbles across a circus and watches the Geek show without paying for the grisly display, the owner of the carnival, Clem (Willem Dafoe), offers Stan a job to cover his debt. While originally hired to help move the carnival from town to town, Stan soon becomes a valuable asset to Clem when he finds Zeena (Toni Collette) and Pete (David Strathairn) who have a psychic act. Stan begins working with Zeena and Pete, helping them with their act, while also learning some of the tricks that so easily captivate audiences. As time goes by, Stan falls in love with fellow carny Molly (Rooney Mara) and the two look for a chance to get away from the carnival to a incredible career together. The quick-witted Stan is fast to use the challenges of those around him to ensure a new life for Molly and himself, and they set off to create a psychic show for high end nightclubs across the country. Several years after leaving the carnival, Stan and Molly have created a highly lucrative show and Stan’s adapted a shining persona to match, but when he meets the alluring psychiatrist Lilith (Cate Blanchett), he is captivated by her. Stan convinces Lilith to share information from her sessions so he can pull easy and highly profitable cons on the town’s wealthy elite. However, when they try to con the powerful Ezra (Richard Jenkins), Stan finds himself being drawn deeper and deeper into a deadly game that will cost him all he holds dear unless he can outsmart the unbeatable forces against him.

Despite a somewhat slow start, Guillermo del Toro’s newest thriller offers an interesting look at an unexpected monster lurking throughout society. Cooper is captivating to watch as he brings his character full circle, especially when combined with the whole cast and immersive settings. While Nightmare Alley will not appeal to all viewers, it does offer an unforgettably smart and gritty thriller.

| Rated: R | Running Time: 150 minutes |Genre: drama/thriller|

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 5* of 10|Nudity: 1 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 7 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|