The Pale Blue Eye

Not everything graced with the red N on Netflix is all that good, I'd go so far as to say most of it is quite terrible and I often try to stay clear of it until some good word-of-mouth has come my way but the seemingly ok reception to The Pale Blue Eye caught my attention. A wintery murder mystery set in early 19th century America which features Edgar Allan Poe, you say, and stars Christian Bale? Sign me up, I need to see this for myself! 

Based on the acclaimed book of the same name, The Pale Blue Eye is a fictional story about the murder of a cadet at the military site, West Point, in the 1830s during a cold and bleak snowy winter. An alcoholic detective, Augustus Landor, is assigned to the case whereby he takes the assistance of Cadet Edgar Allan Poe, who was actually stationed there during this time, to identify the killer. 

The name Landor might sound familiar to fans of Poe's work and the story is sort of designed to relate with his novel Landor's Cottage, which released in 1849. I can't say I am all that familiar with his work, beyond that great episode in The Simpsons, but I went into this intrigued by the premise but cautious of the Netflix stamp. 

Thankfully, director Scott Cooper has adapted a thoroughly engaging story to the big/small screen and is backed by excellent visuals that encapsulate the setting and a terrific cast. Bale reunites with the director for the third time and is great as the crumpled detective sent on a grisly mission. Toby Jones, Gillian Anderson, Simon McBurney, Timothy Spall and a brief appearance from Robert Duvall all make for an excellent supporting cast of character actors but the real gem here comes from Harry Melling's terrific turn as Poe himself. 

Much like Val Kilmer in Tombstone and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Melling gives a performance that almost steals the show with his lively take on the poet which helps to carry the film during a few lulling points before it comes together again in the closing scenes. That is to say while Cooper is great for the most part, there are some odd scenes here and there that disrupt the pacing with a sense they were slotted in during reshoots to explain key points. It doesn't stop the film altogether but does reveal a few chinks in the armour when it comes to offering a satisfying story.

The Pale Blue Eye is still a very fine film to watch and you can certainly do a lot worse than give this one your time. Any fans of murder mysteries will surely get a kick out of this and I hope we get to see more of Melling. He played his part well in Harry Potter and again in The Queen's Gambit in supporting roles, and a performance like this should hopefully place him high in line for many great roles to follow.