The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Simon McBurney

A world-weary detective is hired to investigate the murder of a West Point cadet. Stymied by the cadets’ code of silence, he enlists one of their own to help unravel the case – a young man the world would come to know as Edgar Allan Poe.

Cadet Leroy Fry was found hanging from a tree in an apparent suicide. However, when his body is “violated” and his heart removed, detective Landor (Christian Bale) is summoned to investigate. He soon discovers Fry was murdered.

Landor makes the acquaintance of Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling), who found Leroy’s body. Landor then asks Poe to assist him with the case. As more murders occur, the film becomes a whodunit murder mystery.

Although stylish, I found the film a bit too slow moving with way too much talk. I suppose it interested me even less due to the speech from a time gone by. I don’t know what it is about Christian Bale, but he always seems to act lazily. I know I’ve said this before. I don’t mean to offend the actor, but he always acts in a very slow manner with mumbled speech. Maybe I’m misjudging him and he is just a naturally laid back person, who knows?

But besides Bale’s acting, the film moved at a very slow pace and I ultimately became bored. To make matters worse, the twist reveal ruined everything. I know some might view it as an interesting reveal, but this renders the events in the movie pointless, and doesn’t make much sense to me.

Would I watch it again? No.