THE PALE BLUE EYE

The Pale Blue Eye never comes within touching distance of the tales Edgar Allan Poe built his reputation upon, as the mystery gets more muddled by the minute and moments of actual suspense are far and few between.

The Pale Blue Eye tries its utmost to deliver an engrossing atmosphere that plunges you into a 19th century murder mystery but mood alone isn’t enough to sustain a pallid narrative.

The film takes place at the West Point military academy where the ripped-out heart of a cadet doesn’t just catch the attention of the local sleuth played by Christian Bale but also that of another cadet, none other than gothic writer Edgar Allan Poe. The Pale Blue Eye never comes within touching distance of the tales Poe built his reputation upon unfortunately, as the mystery gets more muddled by the minute and moments of actual suspense are far and few between.

A bright spot is the performance of former Harry Potter actor Harry Melling, who makes for a credible young version of Edgar Allan Poe, but the rest of the big-name cast is mostly wasted, including a Christian Bale who hasn’t been this unimpressive in years.

So if you ask me if I ever would be tempted to watch this fillm again, only one answer springs to mind: nevermore.

release: 2022

director: Scott Cooper

starring: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Timothy Spall, Toby Jones, Gillian Anderson