Nightmare Alley (2021)

Every con artist eventually meets someone better at the game. Guillermo del Toro's "Nightmare Alley," co-written with Kim Morgan from William Lindsay Gresham's novel and a remake of the 1947 film noir starring Tyrone Power, follows drifter Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), who joins a traveling carnival in the late 1930s after leaving a dark secret behind. Taken in by the carnival's shrewd owner, Clem (Willem Dafoe), who runs a grotesque "geek" show, Stan learns the secrets of a mentalist act from Zeena (Toni Collette) and her alcoholic husband, Pete (David Strathairn), including a coded language for fooling audiences. Striking out on his own with Molly (Rooney Mara), a sweet-natured performer, Stan brings his mind-reading routine to 1940s New York high society, where audiences pay handsomely to see him "read" their minds. There he teams with cunning psychiatrist Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett) to fleece wealthy marks, including a powerful, grieving tycoon (Richard Jenkins) who longs to contact a lost love. But Stan's ambition is pushing him across a line Pete warned him never to cross. Ron Perlman and Mary Steenburgen co-star, and del Toro's gorgeous production design evokes classic noir. The film earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. You'll learn quickly that a gift for reading people cuts both ways.