The Pale Blue Eye Review

By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)

This review is spoiler-free.

Written and directed by Scott Cooper and adapted from Louis Bayard’s novel of the same name, The Pale Blue Eye is a gripping period piece whodunnit featuring an exceptional cast!

I went into this movie pretty blind, having no prior knowledge of the book on which the movie is based. All I knew was that one of the characters was going to be a young Edgar Allan Poe – so that immediately had me intrigued! This is the third collaboration between director Scott Cooper and Christian Bale, and I think this trust and appreciation for each other come across very effectively on screen. I thought the overall story was really engaging, with plenty of twists and turns leading to the satisfying, if a little rushed, conclusion. This movie blends the line between murder mystery and the supernatural in a pleasing manner and I believe that the end result works really well. The story slows down a little towards the middle, however, I think the overall runtime is justified, coming in just under two hours, in regard to telling its story and developing the characters.

As for the cast, while Christian Bale (Augustus Landor) takes the lead and is really impressive, as you’d expect, the show stealer is Harry Melling (Edgar Allan Poe). Melling’s performance is mesmerising and his command of every scene, in such a subtle and awkward way, is truly unique. Bale and Melling have outstanding chemistry that really is one of the film’s strongest assets. The supporting cast, mostly British character actors, is just as impressive. Simon McBurney (Captain Hitchcock), Timothy Spall (Superintendent Thayer), Toby Jones (Dr Marquis) and Gillian Anderson as (Mrs Marquis) all add their wealth of experience and performance quality to proceedings which really makes this a truly impressive ensemble cast production.

From a production standpoint, the blue-washed lighting paints the screen in cold, which matches the tone of the movie as well as the narrative. The sets and costume design were really good and Howard Shore’s score is the icing on the cake, perfectly finding that dark and menacing undertone.

If you like murder mysteries or drama period pieces, then The Pale Blue Eye will tick a lot of boxes, but I think the quality of the cast and story will have a much broader appeal to a wider audience.

Dark, unsettling, and emotionally explosive, The Pale Blue Eye is a gripping period piece whodunnit overflowing with outstanding performances including Harry Melling, whose portrayal of Edgar Allan Poe is a must-see!