The word ‘masterpiece’ gets thrown around an awful lot these days, perhaps too much, but when it comes from the mouth of Alfonso Cuarón in regards to Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming psychological thriller Nightmare Alley, you’d best listen.
After all, the acclaimed director, writer, producer, editor and cinematographer has four Academy Award wins to his name; two for Best Director, one for Best Editing and another for Best Cinematography, so he’s evidently one of the most multi-talented filmmakers in the business, with his back catalogue having amassed ten Oscars in total from a combined 28 nominations.
Sure, he’s been close friends with the Pacific Rim and The Shape of Water‘s del Toro for a long time, but that doesn’t mean Nightmare Alley isn’t going to deliver on the lofty praise showered on it by Cuarón during a recent appearance at the Rome Film Festival, as per MoviePlayer.
“It’s a masterpiece! Nightmare Alley is a wonderful masterpiece. I think it’s Guillermo Del Toro at his best: He really is marvelous.”
Del Toro’s last film was a serious awards season favorite, and while the Nightmare Alley trailer painted it as more of a pulpy noir film than a prestige drama, that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be incredible. There’s plenty of back-slapping that goes on in Hollywood, especially among buddies, but given his standing in the industry we can probably take Cuarón’s hype at face value.