The Pale Blue Eye
Every heart tells a tale.
Synopsis
West Point, New York, 1830. When a cadet at the burgeoning military academy is found hanged with his heart cut out, the top brass summons former New York City constable Augustus Landor to investigate. While attempting to solve this grisly mystery, the reluctant detective engages the help of one of the cadets: a strange but brilliant young fellow by the name of Edgar Allan Poe.
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Horror, Mystery
Status: Released
Director: Scott Cooper
Main Cast
Christian Bale
Augustus Landor
Harry Melling
Edgar Allan Poe
Lucy Boynton
Lea Marquis
Toby Jones
Dr. Daniel Marquis
Simon McBurney
Captain Hitchcock
Timothy Spall
Superintendent Thayer
Robert Duvall
Jean-Pepe
Harry Lawtey
Artemus Marquis
Gillian Anderson
Julia Marquis
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Patsy
Trailer
User Reviews
Nathan
The Pale Blue Eye had great performances, fantastic cinematography, and a decent story but fails in terms of pacing and a bloated runtime that did not feel warranted. Christian Bale is fantastic in this role. He is incredibly intense, being able to capture the seriousness of his detective work balanced with the emotions of his unfortunate tragedies in life. A performance of this caliber is expected of Bale, but what was a surprise is the standout performance of Harry Melling. Melling was whimsical and tad odd with his portrayal of the famous Edgar Allen Poe. He legitimately stole every scene he was, including the ones with Bale. The film was quite long and drawn out. The beginning act did fine as the audience is still learning the world and the crimes committed. But after that wears off it begins to drag going into a climatic third act. A lot of this bloat could have been cut down to create a better viewing experience. That being said, I did enjoy the story of this film. It was engaging and had some twists that I think worked pretty well, although the ending did leave me with a few questions. Score: 61% Verdict: Decent
