INTRODUCTION
The Pale Blue Eye 2022 is an American mystery thriller film written and directed by Scott Cooper, based on Louis Bayard’s 2003 novel of the same name.
Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Harry Lawtey, Simon McBurney, Timothy Spall, and Robert Duvall starred in the film.
It relates the story of an investigator hired to look into the death of a West Point cadet. Stymied by the cadets’ rule of silence, he enlists one of their own – a young man the world would come to know as Edgar Allan Poe – to assist in solving the case.
The Pale Blue Eye is a two-hour film available on Netflix globally. English is the primary language used.
SYNOPSIS
At West Point Academy in 1830, the calm of an October evening is shattered by the discovery of a young cadet’s body swinging from a rope just off the parade grounds. An apparent suicide is not unheard of in a harsh regimen like West Point’s, but an even greater horror comes to light the following day. Someone has stolen into the room where the body lay and removed the heart.
THE PALE BLUE EYE OFFICIAL TRAILER
THE PALE BLUE EYE FILM REVIEW
I had high hopes for The Pale Blue Eye when I saw it.
First and foremost, the title is catchy, the performers are fantastic, and I hoped to witness a unique and fascinating mystery thriller, but this was not it.
Don’t get me wrong; the movie is not boring; in fact, the plot is excellent. The only problem I had with it was that I saw it just after watching Glass Onion, which raised my expectations.
The film progresses slowly and takes time developing characters and revealing crucial information. However, because I had no prior knowledge of the victim, I did not feel emotionally involved or motivated by the murder mystery.
There are many characters in The Pale Blue Eye, but we’ll just focus on the ones who made a really strong impression.
Character/Acting: Based on performance, my favorite character in this film is Cadet Poe, played by Harry Melling, an expert in deduction and language. Harry gives a wonderfully unique portrayal of Poe.
At first, I assumed he’d be the villain since, in some of these mystery murders films, the closest friends wind up being the villain, but that wasn’t the case here.
I love his accent. The way he spoke made his character stand out.
I am a fan of poetry, thus I thoroughly loved his performance. He spoke like the ancient writers, and I found it a bit difficult to understand him, but his character was enjoyable, so I didn’t mind.
I also enjoyed Christian Bale’s performance. Augustus Landor, played by Bale, is a tough, astute investigator plagued by the murder of his wife and the abduction of his daughter. I like his performance and how he went about his work. He had a lot of chemistry with Poe, which made the film more engaging because they occasionally gave insights into their personal lives to help us understand their personalities better.
This film also boasts a strong supporting cast, which includes Timothy Small as the camp commander, Simon McBurney as the gruff Captain who isn’t thrilled with Landor’s presence, Toby Jones as the camp doctor, and Robert Duvall as an eccentric specialist whom Bale consults.
Cinematography: The cinematography was excellent. The color pallet, the camera placement, the shot selection, the beautiful scenery, visual and special effects are great too. The attire, props, and equally beautifully filmed backdrop of snow all gave the film much more authenticity.
Themes explored: Crime and punishment are themes explored in The Pale Blue Eye. This is evident as it reveals how Landor’s daughter vanished and what happened to the perpetrators of her disappearance.
The psychological impact of trauma, The Pale Blue Eye, also shows how Landor was affected by his wife’s death and his daughter’s disappearance. Landor does an excellent job of portraying how a person will feel and act when the memory of their lost loved ones pops into their head.
The intersection of science and religion; This theme is exemplified in the relationship between Toby Jones, who played the Doctor, and his daughter, who experienced seizures and attempted to cure herself through religious methods after science proved futile at the time.
CONCLUSION
Despite some flaws, this film is worth watching due to its numerous surprising twists that will amaze you. Don’t let the slow beginning discourage you; it will pick up and become engaging.
This film is recommended for fans of mystery and thriller genres who are 16 and older due to the language and violent content.
You can watch The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix.
Similar genre – Glass Onion: A Knives out mystery
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