In which the Mister joins me in reviewing NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2021), which is currently streaming on HBO Max and based on the book by William Lindsay Gresham that follows the story of Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a man making his way in the world who becomes part of a traveling sideshow and falls in love with one of the performers (Rooney Mara). They leave to make their own way and the story picks up two years later and their act is quite successful. One night during a show they meet Dr. Ritter (Cate Blanchett) who in classic femme fatale form, enters their lives and upends their existence. Gorgeous cinematography, stunning costumes and set pieces with strong performances help make this a better film. The film has a run time of 2 h 30 m and is rated R and is directed by Guillermo del Toro, from a script by del Toro and Kim Morgan. Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library.