The year is already starting with a great debut for fans of mysteries and that type of fiction that mixes with reality. The film arrives on Netflix on January 6th The Pale Blue Eyea period thriller starring Christian Bale that brings all the dark atmosphere of Victorian literature, in addition to rescuing some well-known historical characters from that period.
The film is an adaptation of the book by Louis Bayard, released in the early 2000s and which became a success precisely because it combined all these elements to create a gothic thriller that was up to some classics. Both in the original work and in the version that comes to streaming, we have none other than Edgar Allan Poe himself transforming himself into a character and helping in a mysterious investigation with a foot in the supernatural.
And it is in this joke that The Pale Blue Eye draws attention. By bringing real characters and events mixed with a crime and fictional situations, reality and fiction mix in a way that you no longer know how to differentiate one from the other to the point of being led by the story from beginning to end — and that’s where the main Netflix’s bet for this beginning of 2023.
playing with reality
As mentioned, the plot of The Pale Blue Eye revolves around a fictional crime within a real context. Thus, everything starts from a series of murders committed inside the United States Military Academy in 1830. And it’s not enough just the homicides themselves: parts of the victims’ bodies are also removed, giving a macabre air to the whole situation.
Not knowing how to solve this mystery and fearing that the disclosure of the case would tarnish the corporation’s image, the military appeal to a private investigator to unravel who is responsible for the crimes. That’s when Augustus Landor, lived here by Christian Bale, enters the scene.
This detective is far from being a Sherlock Holmes, being much more a reclusive figure with a troubled past who left the life of an investigator behind. Still, intrigued by the bizarre incident at the Military Academy, he agrees to find out what’s going on. To do so, he recruits a young cadet as melancholy and strange as he is. In this case, the one who would be known as Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling).
And it is from this somewhat strange partnership that The Pale Blue Eye holds up. So much so that the great charm of the plot is not necessarily in the mystery itself, but in how the whole macabre atmosphere built and the unfolding of events itself will influence Poe in the works he will publish years later. The big joke is that it was his experience with Landor that made him the great author everyone knows.
For this, what the Netflix movie prepared was a recreation of this Gothic setting that is present in Edgar Allan Poe’s books and that mark his work. Just watch the trailers to notice that the nocturnal and misty landscapes and even the almost Victorian elements are clear and refer to the literature that the author actually developed.
weight cast
In addition to the weight that the book lends to the adaptation, The Pale Blue Eye has another great factor that calls our attention. The cast is really impressive, going far beyond Christian Bale in the lead role.
While the eternal Batman is quite a name, he’s not the film’s only star. Harry Melling shows that he is no longer just Harry Potter’s cousin and impresses with his characterization as Edgar Allan Poe. In addition, other great Hollywood figures are also present, such as Gillian Anderson (X file) and Robert Duvall (The Godfather).
So, The Pale Blue Eye it has what it takes to be Netflix’s first big debut this year. With an intriguing story based on a best-selling book and an envy-inducing cast, it’s everything you’d expect from a good thriller.
The Pale Blue Eye premieres January 6 on Netflix.
