Nightmare Alley (rewatch)

One of the great films noirs and one that still is largely and sadly overlooked.  Carny life makes a perfect noir setting, and the film is loaded with cynicism, desperation, and other black themes.  It explores hucksterism and con artists… with psychiatry being the biggest con of all.  It’s got a trashy, seedy B-movie feel to it, despite being a fairly high-budget production and a little bit of star power.  Tyrone Power is the protagonist of the story who becomes more corrupted with ambition and (naturally) spirals downward.  Coleen Gray was coming right off Kiss of Death, and looking even more drop-dead gorgeous.  And Helen Walker has a bunch of devious surprises up her sleeve as the femme fatale.  The film just drips with atmosphere, and crams a hell of lot of plot into its running time (it is a bit longer than the average noir, though).  It doesn’t have as much snappy patter as Double Indemnity or Sweet Smell of Success, but it just has a certain magic to it.  Rating: 10

IMDb

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