Written by Jay Stryker

The Pale Blue Eye stars Christian Bale and Harry Melling as detective Augustus Landor and a young Edgar Allen Poe, respectively, as they hunt the party responsible for killing and mutilating a young cadet at the U.S. Army’s West Point academy. 2022 proved to be a good year for witty murder mysteries, yielding Rian Johnson’s superb Knives Out follow-up Glass Onion and now this. Director Scott Cooper has directed Bale before, most recently in 2017’s excellent Hostiles. These two have a knack for 1800’s America because Bale is completely believable as the grizzled gumshoe as he navigates the dank snowy environs of Cooper’s upstate New York. The look and feel are so authentic, and the mise-en-scene is so pervasive, that you’ll be wrapping a blanket around you by the time the credits roll. Bale brings a lived-in weariness to the role that makes the character real. You believe he’s really seen some shit, even as the current caper involves some pretty grisly proceedings. But the real star here is Harry Melling’s Edgar Allen Poe, recruited by Landor to help solve the mystery between bouts of ennui and pondering the macabre.

The film contains several allusions to Poe's work, none so forward as the title itself, which is a reference to “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Melling absolutely steals the show, he’s magnetic as the young poet hilariously out of place at the military academy. (Poe really did matriculate at West Point for a brief period and was discharged by court-martial; the pen indeed being mightier than the sword here.) Some of this is the actor’s singular face, endowed with those hollow eyes and –let’s be kind- an unfortunate aesthetic that really does conjure up the “Raven” scribe in all his gloomy glory. But Melling is just brilliant as he disappears into Poe: his manner so gentle, his speech so flowery, roaming around West Point like an apparition, only pausing to share his quick wit and gift of gab with Landor as they investigate the murder. Underlying all of this is a surprising humor that peeks out now and then. Whether this reflects the real Poe, or whether this was a wise decision to include some levity somewhere in this bleak snowscape, it’s a welcome flourish. And notably, unlike some other films (2009’s John Lennon coming-of-age flick Nowhere Boy comes to mind among others), Melling would be just as interesting and compelling if he wasn’t playing a real famous person we all already knew. The fact that he’s dropped in as Edgar Allen Poe is fitting but not needed to prop up the character- he does good work regardless.

Filling out the cast in supporting roles are Timothy Spall and Toby Jones as the Superintendent and school physician. They’re no strangers to 1800s period pieces, and they bring their usual mix of strange and unsettling to the film. As we arrive at the back end of the third act, the film hits the viewer with a twist that’s both staggering and effective. And it’s the best kind of twist- the kind that rewards multiple viewings. One can see things in a whole new light after the ending unfolds, and a re-watch would only enrich these revelations. It’s a very enjoyable and engrossing murder mystery, led by two strong performances and anchored in a set design so accurate and omnipresent that you’ll feel transported to 1800s West Point right alongside the characters. I wouldn’t mind a series of films starring Bale as Augustus Landor, travelling 19th century America and hooking up with notable figures of the day to solve crimes. Hey, buddy-cop-gone-gothic could be the next big genre.

*The Pale Blue Eye* combines mystery and gothic elements to create a strong effect.

As it sets the pieces in place and brings us into the action, the start of the film is a little sluggish. It doesn’t fall way over the line, this is still slow-burn as opposed to just slow. When it comes to the script, it’s cleverly constructed to deliver an enjoyable labyrinth of murder and intrigue. But as with a lot of entries in this genre, there are one or two plot points that are perhaps too coincidental. Without giving anything away, it’s maybe too much of a stretch that the killing in question occurs at just the right place and time to set all the other events in motion that lead us through the story. Without that bit of luck, this would be less a murder mystery and more just a murder. I’d rather have a great movie that grows from the seed of convenience than no movie at all, but once all is revealed you’ll need to swallow some heavy coincidence to keep it down. As good as Melling is as Poe, it’s a little puzzling that he’s playing the poet and not an original character. The film would play much the same; the fact Melling is playing him is an amusing but ultimately superfluous side note. It doesn’t hurt the movie, but one also wonders what it really does for it. And as for that twist – there’s something about it that feels a little tacked on. The twist itself is almost a mini fourth act bringing up the very rear of the movie. It could almost be a post-credits scene. While cleverly achieving a jaw drop and enriching the film, it seems almost like an obligatory “ta-dah!” from the writer. No, not the most scathing criticism to view a surprising and successful twist as excessive, but perhaps it was.

Christian Bale and Harry Melling make a compelling detective team as they lead us down a grimly frigid murder trail in this period whodunnit. The set design greatly compliments the cast, casting a ghoulish shadow over the events gloomy enough for the likes of Edgar Allen Poe and company. A devilish twist awaits, even while some may find the first act a little deliberate in finding its feet. If 1800s killings can be this compelling with Christian Bale on the hunt, we wouldn’t mind a return installment.

Jay Stryker is a film critic living and working in New York City. He once made the mistake of paying to see the film After Earth. Among his favorite movies are The Count of Monte Cristo, Saturday Night Fever, Goodfellas, and Sideways. You can find him on Instagram @JayStryker90.