

'Nightmare Alley' Review: Guillermo del Toro Taps Bradley Cooper's Dark Side in This Bravura Carnival Noir The question is will the Academy go for it?

However, my feelings here are irrelevant. To be clear, I loved nearly every bit of “Nightmare Alley” and it very well could be the best movie del Toro has ever made. At minimum, the race for best production design may have just ended tonight. The darkly complex and gruesome outing may prove to be more difficult for some conservative movie-goers to take in. Depending on which one entices an Academy voter, they could fall for one, both or neither of the options.

The other would add another statue to the shelf of visionary director Guillermo del Toro. There are two movies within Searchlight Pictures’ “ Nightmare Alley.” One makes eight-time nominee Bradley Cooper a long overdue Oscar winner.
