The Pale Blue Eye is filled with surprising twists and turns, incredible cast chemistry, and some of the best set and costumes designs of the year.
There is nothing quite like a good mystery movie that has you guessing right up until the last few minutes — and that is exactly what The Pale Blue Eye pulls off. Starring the incredible Christian Bale as Detective Augustus Landor, this film will have audiences on the edge of their seats as they try to put the pieces together before he does. The set design and costumes add to the macabre style of it all, which is only heightened by the inclusion of a young cadet played by Harry Melling who is destined to become the famed Edgar Allen Poe.
The dark and dreary mood is set instantaneously in The Pale Blue Eye as it is a foggy morning when the body of a cadet is found hanging from a tree. It doesn’t take long for it to become clear this is under suspicious and malicious circumstances. What follows is two hours of twists and turns through satanic rituals, horrible secrets, and unexpected reveals. Just when you think you have it figured out, it will be proven that you do not.
Great Cast Chemistry
Put aside just how beautiful and captivating this film is, and the best thing about The Pale Blue Eye is the chemistry between Bale and Melling. Christian Bale always delivers an incredible performance, so there really is no surprise here. He gives his all to this role. So much so that many viewers will have goosebumps during the last twenty minutes or so when things all come together and he gives fans a powerhouse of a performance.
Melling holds his own opposite Bale, and the best moments on screen are the ones when they share it. The way that they work together, play off of each other, and even jab at each other throughout the film is what works so well with their relationship. Melling closely resembles Poe in looks, but he brings an eeriness to his character that will send shivers down anyone’s spine. He is quirky, but also very lovable, in The Pale Blue Eye.
The thing is, even with exceptional lead performances, the supporting characters can ruin a film if they are not cast right. Luckily The Pale Blue Eye has great supporting actors as well. Everyone does a great job, but Toby Jones as Dr. Marquis and Gillian Anderson as Julia Marquis steal almost every scene they are in. They are wonderful additions to the cast, and help to tell the story in a subtle, but captivating, way.
Filled With Twists & Turns
The plot itself is going to hook most viewers right from the first scene. Then things only get crazier and more exciting as the pieces of the puzzle come together. This is a form of a who-done-it but it becomes creepy and dark the longer it goes on. Twists and turns will keep the audience guessing and the odds of anyone figuring the whole things out — TRULY figuring it out — is slim to none.
When the ending of a movie is so surprising, and completely unexpected, like this, it encourages re-watches to discover the hints along the way. The Pale Blue Eye is likely to stand the test of time, as many will watch it time and time again, trying to pick up on things they missed before.
Stunning Set Design & Costumes
One of the best things about this film is just how stunning it is. It perfectly captures the darkness of anything that Edgar Allen Poe’s name is attached to. And while Melling does a great job as Poe, this really is Augustus Landor’s story. There is no mistaking that he is the lead. In fact, Melling’s character could easily have had another name and it wouldn’t really change much about the story. Adding him in though takes things to a whole new level.
But it is the set design and the costumes that help to capture the eerie feel. Shot after shot is absolutely gorgeous, but at the same time will set viewers on edge because they won’t know what to expect next.
Overall Thoughts
The Pale Blue Eye is an intriguing mystery right from the start. It is intense and suspenseful as twist and turns hurl themselves at viewers, who will have a hard time putting the pieces together. It is the incredible performances and the wonderful set design that make this movie work as well as it does.
There are some issues with the pacing, but the shorter runtime of just over two hours is appreciated in a year that has been filled with movies that are far too long. Bale and Melling are both phenomenal on screen and have some of the best chemistry we have seen this year.
If you love a movie that keeps you guessing until the very end, The Pale Blue Eye is for you.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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About The Pale Blue Eye
West Point, 1830. In the early hours of a gray winter morning, a cadet is found dead. But after the body arrives at the morgue, tragedy becomes savagery when it’s discovered that the young man’s heart has been skillfully removed. Fearing irreparable damage to the fledgling military academy, its leaders turn to a local detective, Augustus Landor (Christian Bale), to solve the murder. Stymied by the cadets’ code of silence, Landor enlists the help of one of their own to pursue the case, an eccentric cadet with a disdain for the rigors of the military and a penchant for poetry — a young man named Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling).
Based on the novel by Louis Bayard, THE PALE BLUE EYE is directed by Scott Cooper and stars an acclaimed supporting cast, including Robert Duvall, Toby Jones, Timothy Spall, Simon McBurney, Gillian Anderson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Harry Lawtey, and Lucy Boynton.
The Pale Blue Eye comes to select theaters in December
and Netflix January 6th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.