Park Chan-wook was asked at NYFF what the last great film he saw was. his response, “Guillermo del Toro’s NIGHTMARE ALLEY.”
Martin Scorsese had also praised “Nightmare Alley” in January and wondered why it was being overlooked by critics. Overall, Del Toro’s film has been embraced by the industry as it nabbed a Best Picture nomination. Del Toro eventually released a black and white version of the film.
“Nightmare Alley” is 80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has a 70 on Metacritic. It’s a solid neo-noir that encompasses many of Del Toro’s influences into a single entity. I originally found it used much style over substance, but a subsequent rewatch made me appreciate the film a little more, especially its darkly comic second half.
Back to Park, the director of “Oldboy,” and “The Handmaiden” just had his new film released today, it’s called “Decision to Leave.”