Directed by:
Scott CooperScreenplay:
Scott CooperCinematography:
Masanobu TakayanagiComposer:
Howard ShoreCast:
Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Simon McBurney, Toby Jones, Lucy Boynton, Timothy Spall, Gillian Anderson, Harry Lawtey, Fred Hechinger, Robert Duvall (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
A veteran detective and a detail-oriented young cadet team up to solve a series of murders that took place in 1830 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The young cadet later becomes world famous author, Edgar Allan Poe. (Netflix)
Videos (2)
Reviews (9)
Big blue...I know what. Bale is lethargic, Melling plays Poe as if he’s had polio, and it doesn’t help that he looks identical to the master’s iconic likeness. Scott Cooper wrote a florid but hopelessly executed fusion of serious drama and corny horror story involving murders, which under his stiff direction also occasionally seems like a production staged by a university drama club. The would-be melancholic philosophising about the poet’s fate and the half-hearted references to Poe’s work aren’t exactly great either. I was really in the mood for this film, but after a while I found myself cursing and beating my beak against the window of my own nevermore.
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Scott Cooper's collaboration with Christian Bale was once a resounding success (if you haven’t seen Hostiles from 2017, you should definitely check it out). Unfortunately, here, Cooper bit off more than he could chew. The visuals are flawless—E.A. Poe’s unmistakable book atmosphere is perfectly captured on screen, and even the dramatic monologues surprisingly fit well into the overall concept. But the pacing! The first hour drags at times to an almost unbearable degree. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy slower detective stories, but this was taken to an extreme. The film did manage to redeem itself somewhat towards the end—it started to gain real momentum, and the final plot twist truly knocked me off my feet. Bale delivered a masterful performance once again. So, it ends up being a solid 7/10, but honestly, it had the potential for a much higher rating. Such a shame. I give it 7/10.
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It turns out that Scott Cooper does need studio oversight, because his biggest problem is his tired and unimaginative direction and his unwillingness to let any material on the cutting room floor (figuratively speaking). The story isn't bad and the finale in particular is very strong, it's just that the overall investigation lacks traction and lurches from one lead to the next without building suspense or anything original. Fortunately, we have the great Bale, who really carries it on his shoulders. Melling handles Poe very convincingly and ably seconds Bale. Shore’s music makes for half the atmosphere. Such a shame because the potential was enormous, especially given the great conclusion.
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The Pale Blue Eyes had a lot of potential to become an atmospheric period crime classic featuring E.A. Poe as a character. After watching it, however, I have to say that that the potential remains woefully untapped. Above all, the film suffers from a long running time and slow pace – the story could certainly have fit into a hundred minutes and would have been more compelling and tight. Even from an audiovisual point of view, the film didn't work on me as I expected. I do, however, praise the last third and its two twists. The first is oddly predictable, but the second is quite surprising, though it have come 20 or 30 minutes earlier. Poe's character was fine, but by the end it was too much. Better three stars!
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A rather unexciting period piece that is unfortunately too uninteresting for most of its running time to afford to be so slow (and long). I was about to give it two stars, but the final reveal improved the impression a bit. Anyway, it's a shame, had it been written and directed a little more vividly, it could have been a different cinematic experience.
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