My quick rating - 7,5/10. Been looking forward to this one. Guillermo del Toro isn't likely to let anyone down. At the conclusion, I told my fiance "I smell Oscars for this one." Got that one right. There are a lot of reasons I said that at the end of this one. The first thing that stands out is the atmosphere. Visually it is sheer perfection in recreating all the aspects to bring a 1930s circus and the surrounding world to life. The story places a small-time hustler played so well by Bradley Cooper (no Oscar nod though) in a traveling circus where he learns the art of manipulation to incorporate into his grifting repertoire. But along the way, he begins to get too caught up in his own ability and believes in himself far more than he should. Along the way, he partners up with someone who either sees right through him or could use him to achieve her own agenda which again is acted out wonderfully by Cate Blanchett. I'll save you the trouble and just tell you the cast top to bottom all give great performances. So back to the story which is not so complicated but just told to pinpoint accuracy that along with what your eyes are witness to your mind gets to soak in along the way. The stakes of each "con" rise and the game that he and his sideshow girlfriend Rooney Mara get more and more dangerous until everything must come to a climax. And it does with a bang to leave you completely satisfied. I will admit to not having seen the 1947 version but I have to assume that it plays out for the most part in the same fashion but I cannot see that it would look anything as awe-inspiring as del Toro has created for us. Definitely deserving to be on the top 10 list and a must-see for all cinema fans. This is how you direct a picture to look exactly at how your mind is perceiving it.
