An impressive mystery for a weirdly overcomplicated murder
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Written by: Scott Cooper
Starring: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Simon McBurney
Rated R for some violent content and bloody images
Release Date: January 6, 2023
Runtime: 2:08
This review may contain spoilers
Never Bet the Devil Your Neck
In the chill twilight of an 1830 morning, a West Point cadet on patrol will discover a shocking horror – one of his own hanged by the neck in a sickening posture. What seemed like an unfortunate suicide will soon lead to ritualistic mutilations of animals and human victims. The Military Academy can only turn to the World’s Greatest Detective – Batman… I mean Augustus Landor, to solve the case.
The Tell-Tale Hearts of West Point
Augustus Landor (Christian Bale, the Dark Knight trilogy) is asked to investigate the hanging Cadet Leroy Fry (Steven Maier, HBO’s The Plot Against America) – whose heart was carved out after death. As Landor follows the clues, more bodies (including animals) are found with similar mutilations. To better aid his case, Landor appoints one cadet to be his eyes and ears in the Academy – a very young Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling, the Harry Potter series).
Yes, the Edgar Allan Poe.
He’s just a ‘Poe’ boy
Melling’s portrayal of Poe is what really stood out. He’s fully immersed as the socially outed poet marching along the West Point cadets. He’s awkward but has a connecting charm for the dark and macabre characters around him. His gothic charm works on a young woman who’s sick of the usual courtships.
He’s come a long way from Harry Potter’s Dudley Dursley.
Poe is also obsessed with solving mysteries, hence Landor’s recruitment. Landor uses Poe to infiltrate and learn more about the cadets, including those closest to the recent dead. It’s an interesting approach to Poe, showing a possible inspiration for his later detective stories.
Also, I keep forgetting Poe was an American. I don’t know why, but I kept thinking he was English. Maybe that’s just how I profile poets.
The ‘Poe’ Legacy
This isn’t the first mystery movie to use Poe as a character. A few years back, John Cusack played Poe in The Raven, where Poe was a consultant to murders similar to his stories. Poe has been used in other films, like Raven’s Hollow, where he’s again a West Point cadet.
The Devil in the Bale-fry
I just spent all this time talking about Melling and Poe, and I nearly forgot about Christian Bale. How could I forget about friggin’ Batman?! Bale’s Landor is a retired detective living as a hermit in the mountains before being called to action for the Military Academy. It sorta shows – Landor has a very passive approach to his investigation. I don’t know if it’s because of his age or if this is just how he solves crimes.
Once he has Poe working for him, Landor kicks back and lets Poe do most of the leg work. Landor talks to a couple of suspects and reads books. This also leads Poe into trouble with suspicious cadets and his strict leaders.
You can’t argue when Landor does get results, though. Landor discovers the final solving clue just in time to stop another murder. But his approach during the whole time is slow-paced and does drag a bit.
The Time of the Odd
I do enjoy seeing period films like this, set in 1830. I especially enjoy procedural methods used back then by detectives and morticians, such as Landor’s deduction skills and looking over evidence. Watching this, I realized that I’d never read Poe’s detective stories. I’m curious if the film’s detective moments reflect his stories.
A View of the Ragged Mountains
Bizarrely, the interior scenes are dark and tight, making you feel unwelcome and claustrophobic inside. But every scene outside is expansive and well-lit. It’s almost like being out in the empty cold world is far better than being inside with socialites. Or that’s just the introvert in me.
Either way, the exterior scenes are done beautifully. Especially when following Landor through the mountain forest to his isolated home. The mountains are empty, and the winter season adds to the emptiest of color and life. It’s also completely void of anything modern and just looks fantastic on screen. Period filming at its finest!
The Twisted Loss
It’s not a murder mystery without shocking twists to keep the viewer guessing. This one has layers of twists, giving you deeper truths with each discovery until the last scene.
But the final twist turns the whole story upside down. It’s a good twist; plenty of clues are shown and cleverly integrated into the story to not make them obvious. However, the reveal makes those clues irrelevant and kinda cheap at the end. Before, they were clever. No worry, I won’t give away anything.
The Facts in the Case in A. Landor
The Pale Blue Eye promises a dark, grisly murder mystery, and it delivers. Bale and Melling bring their characters into the mystery, solving the clues from different aspects. While the film is shot in brilliant cinematography, which matches the main characters, the end feels cluttered with stacked twists. The authenticity of its era makes the experience worth watching and a fun ride until the end. Spoilers aside, the reveal does weaken earlier procedures and discoveries.
And hey, congrats if you noticed my Edgar Allan Poe references. You probably had a Goth phase as a teenager or are holding a literature degree, ya nerd.
The Pale Blue Eye is streaming on Netflix.
