Shadows on the Wall | The Pale Blue Eye

The Pale Blue Eye

dir-scr Scott Cooper
prd Scott Cooper, Christian Bale, Tyler Thompson, John Lesher
with Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Lucy Boynton, Toby Jones, Harry Lawtey, Gillian Anderson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Robert Duvall, Timothy Spall, Simon McBurney, Fred Hechinger, Hadley Robinson
release US/UK 23.Dec.22
22/US Netflix 2h08

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A moody, atmospheric mystery, this lavishly produced period film boasts a very strong cast. And by using a young Edgar Allan Poe as a central character, the script builds a terrific sense of macabre poetry. It's all rather dense and meandering, but the stylish flights of fancy are intriguing, as is the heightened drama between the characters. And writer-director Scott Cooper creates striking visuals that hold the attention.

In 1830 New England, jaded detective Augustus (Bale) is lured from a life of isolation to discretely investigate a strange death at West Point Academy. He begins working in secret with cadet Edgar (Melling), whose inquisitive mind offers insight into the case. A series of sinister clues lead them to consult occult professor Jean Pepe (Duvall). Then Edgar worms his way into the cool crowd and falls for Lea (Boynton), sister of golden-boy cadet Artemus (Lawtey) and daughter of the academy's doctor (Jones). Indeed, the entire family seems entangled in whatever's going on here.

Much of the story's tension comes from the way Augustus clashes with the academy's top officers (Spall and McBurney), who are determined to protect the reputation of the US military and want this case solved quickly and quietly. But of course, everything is far too thorny to be resolved so easily, with mysterious illnesses, demonic obsessions and a growing count of bodies that are missing key organs. Although while Cooper adeptly builds the gothic horror sensibilities, the plot is far too diffuse to be satisfying, distracted by sideroads that never quite coalesce.

Thankfully, the oddball central duo of Augustus and Edgar is riveting to watch. As a man whose life seems to have shut down around him, a committed but never over-the-top Bale has a nicely offhanded gruffness. Meanwhile, Melling makes Edgar almost startlingly magnetic, investing surprising quirkiness to depict an oddly over-keen young man who enjoys worming his way into unusual situations and discovering unexpected details. Side characters bristle with insinuation and heightened melodrama, with a particularly enjoyable scene-chomping role for Anderson as the doctor's overwrought wife.

The film's barbed narrative snakes through all kinds of random-seeming sequences, exploring a range of dynamics between officers, cadets and families, always interwoven with societal pressures and class issues. There are also, of course, complex references to Poe's distinctive later work as an author. But along the way, the demands of the plot take over, leading to a series of twists and turns that ultimately begin to feel both contrived and rather belaboured.

themes, language, violence 22.Dec.22

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