The Pale Blue Eye

The Pale Blue Eye is not just a murder mystery but an homage to Edgar Allan Poe, the author credited for creating the basis of what became the horror, thriller and detective genres. Director Scott Cooper describes this film as Poe’s (fictional) origin story. Based on the book of the same name by Louis Bayard, it’s a playful way of imagining what could have stirred the legendary writer’s interest in dark themes – the experiences he might have witnessed to inspire the kind of tales he became known for. 

The story unfolds in the year 1830, when the unexplained suicide of a cadet at a military academy alarms the institution. The leaders in command seek the help of local detective Augustus Landor (Christian Bale), who struggles to extract information from the comrades of the deceased. When he meets a particularly talkative and smart young cadet by the name of Edgar Poe (Harry Melling), he decides to recruit him unofficially as his eccentric assistant. The mystery proves to be much more intricate than appears at first, and leads them to unexpected and dangerous places. 

While the story does feel far-fetched, its execution is sound and gripping. At times the course of events seems about to derail onto implausible grounds, but it picks itself up again and manages to be convincing enough. This is also thanks to excellent performances all round, not only by the leading duo, but the entire supporting cast featuring Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones and Timothy Spall, to name a few.

A thrilling whodunnit with an irresistible gothic mood, The Pale Blue Eye has a lot going for it – and not just on the surface. It’s a look at “the infancy of America” (as Cooper himself puts it), juxtaposing the rigidity of the military with the freedom of poetry, and looking at the way different environments come to shape the perspectives of those who  inhabit them, thus altering the course of history.

Mersa Auda

The Pale Blue Eye is released in select cinemas on 23^rd December 2022.

Watch the trailer for The Pale Blue Eye here: