First of all, I know this looks more like a synopsis than a review. It was not my intention but I felt it important to mention all the facts surrounding the story and its ending.
In this neo-noir readaptation of the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, Guillermo del Toro presents the story of Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper). The movie starts with Stan finding work in a circus in the 1930s owned by a fella named Clem Hoatley (Willem Dafoe). Clem appears to be a well-meaning guy, except that he turns alcoholic men into his geeks, making them eat live chickens to earn money from people who are willing to pay for such acts. Stan is very disturbed at how low a man can sink when addicted to alcohol and opium.
As he becomes familiar with the circus life and learns some "mind-reading" techniques from Pete (David Strathairn), Stan believes he can make a fortune doing mentalistic art in Buffalo with Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara) as his assistant. Before Pete dies from alcohol abuse, he warns Stan not to pretend to connect with the hereafter, as it just leads to tragedy and hurts the person that is deceived. Pete explains from his own experience that the more you do the so-called "spook shows", the more you believe your own acts and therefore become "blind".
Two years later, things are working out for Stan and Molly in Buffalo, until their act is interrupted by psychologist Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), who attempts to expose their code system. Stan in self-defense reads Ritter and brings her dead mother into it, saving their act. After this, Stan is approached by a wealthy judge, who wants to connect with his dead son. Stan sees great money potential in these "spook shows" and decides to pursue them despite the warnings from Pete.
Lilith later invites Stan to her office for a coffee, since Stan never drinks alcohol. Stan persuades Lilith to give him information about her patients, allowing him to make a lot of money from the mentioned spook shows. Molly is not in favor of performing such shows and even tries to get away from Stan. Stan makes riches by connecting people with their dead relatives but is too blind to see that he is sinking deeper and deeper into dark places that will yet be hard to get out of.
Lillith Ritters turns out to be just a femme fatale, wanting revenge for the humiliation Stan caused her when he read her like a book and showed her weaknesses in front of other people. Stan ended up being shot in the ear, broke and he also started to drink. Penniless and addicted to alcohol, he is offered a "temporary" job in a circus. Even though he knows where it leads, he answers with a brave yet very saddening sentence: "Mister, I was born for it".
I love the connection between the beginning and the end, when Stan is looking at the geek, not knowing that he is looking at a mirror.
And now to the movie itself. I have to admit that I haven't seen the 1947 version but I like this one very much. I felt that the movie passed very fast, even with its runtime of 150 minutes. I know it's been mentioned many times, but Del Toro's visuals are just magnificent. Very pleasing to watch. Acting, in general, was good. Willem Dafoe got his share in the first half of the movie, while Cate Blanchett in the second. Bradley Cooper did an amazing job and I have always admired his ability to play a wide range of characters.
Overall I am satisfied with this movie and need to say that the money was well spent when I went to see it in a cinema. I definitely recommend you to give it a watch.
In this neo-noir readaptation of the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, Guillermo del Toro presents the story of Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper). The movie starts with Stan finding work in a circus in the 1930s owned by a fella named Clem Hoatley (Willem Dafoe). Clem appears to be a well-meaning guy, except that he turns alcoholic men into his geeks, making them eat live chickens to earn money from people who are willing to pay for such acts. Stan is very disturbed at how low a man can sink when addicted to alcohol and opium.
As he becomes familiar with the circus life and learns some "mind-reading" techniques from Pete (David Strathairn), Stan believes he can make a fortune doing mentalistic art in Buffalo with Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara) as his assistant. Before Pete dies from alcohol abuse, he warns Stan not to pretend to connect with the hereafter, as it just leads to tragedy and hurts the person that is deceived. Pete explains from his own experience that the more you do the so-called "spook shows", the more you believe your own acts and therefore become "blind".
Two years later, things are working out for Stan and Molly in Buffalo, until their act is interrupted by psychologist Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), who attempts to expose their code system. Stan in self-defense reads Ritter and brings her dead mother into it, saving their act. After this, Stan is approached by a wealthy judge, who wants to connect with his dead son. Stan sees great money potential in these "spook shows" and decides to pursue them despite the warnings from Pete.
Lilith later invites Stan to her office for a coffee, since Stan never drinks alcohol. Stan persuades Lilith to give him information about her patients, allowing him to make a lot of money from the mentioned spook shows. Molly is not in favor of performing such shows and even tries to get away from Stan. Stan makes riches by connecting people with their dead relatives but is too blind to see that he is sinking deeper and deeper into dark places that will yet be hard to get out of.
Lillith Ritters turns out to be just a femme fatale, wanting revenge for the humiliation Stan caused her when he read her like a book and showed her weaknesses in front of other people. Stan ended up being shot in the ear, broke and he also started to drink. Penniless and addicted to alcohol, he is offered a "temporary" job in a circus. Even though he knows where it leads, he answers with a brave yet very saddening sentence: "Mister, I was born for it".
I love the connection between the beginning and the end, when Stan is looking at the geek, not knowing that he is looking at a mirror.
And now to the movie itself. I have to admit that I haven't seen the 1947 version but I like this one very much. I felt that the movie passed very fast, even with its runtime of 150 minutes. I know it's been mentioned many times, but Del Toro's visuals are just magnificent. Very pleasing to watch. Acting, in general, was good. Willem Dafoe got his share in the first half of the movie, while Cate Blanchett in the second. Bradley Cooper did an amazing job and I have always admired his ability to play a wide range of characters.
Overall I am satisfied with this movie and need to say that the money was well spent when I went to see it in a cinema. I definitely recommend you to give it a watch.