The Pale Blue Eye
Parents say
Based on 3 reviews
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The Pale Blue Eye
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Pale Blue Eye is a moody murder mystery set in 1830 at the West Point Military Academy. Based on the novel by Louis Bayard, it teams fictional detective Augustus Landor (Christian Bale) with future author Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling). Violence includes a woman being assaulted by three men; rape is mentioned. Expect gory images with blood, dead bodies, death by suicide, fighting, beating, punching, threatening with weapons, a human heart, dead animals, fire, and violent dialogue. A couple is seen lying in bed together in an intimate way, and there's a lewd sex-related poem. Language includes two uses of "f--k," a use of "Christ almighty," and a use of "my God." Characters drink socially throughout, mostly beer and in pubs, as well as some shots of liquor.
What's the Story?
In THE PALE BLUE EYE, it's 1830, and detective Augustus Landor (Christian Bale) has been summoned to West Point Military Academy. A cadet named Leroy Fry has been found hanged by the neck -- and, worse, his heart has been surgically removed from his chest. As Landor starts investigating these crimes, he discovers that the academy is eager to protect its reputation and to cover up any nasty business. Landor is approached by cadet E.A. Poe (Harry Melling), who offers his opinions on the killings. Landor decides to enlist Poe's help, hopefully using his macabre poet's mind to get more of the inside dirt on the academy's goings-on. But what they eventually uncover is far darker than anyone could have guessed.
Is It Any Good?
This period mystery has a few flaws in its logic, but its stellar cast, some good twists, and a crisp, wintry atmosphere add up to a sturdy, bleak film that should pair well with a hot mug of cocoa. Based on a novel by Louis Bayard, The Pale Blue Eye isn't exactly the kind of mystery that viewers will be able to solve; it's not clue-oriented like Death on the Nile or Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. And it has one major element that doesn't exactly make sense (which can't be explained without giving too much away). But, nevertheless, thanks to unfussy direction by filmmaker Scott Cooper, it's satisfying to watch all of the pieces click together, especially in locations like a creepy icehouse and a tavern lit by flickering candles stuck to tables by mounds of wax.
The casting of Melling (Harry Potter's Dudley Dursley) as Poe is inspired, and he's quite a character, a cunning and loquacious Southern gentleman who's the perfect complement to Bale's serious, dispirited detective. Gillian Anderson gets some laughs as the slightly improper wife of the school's doctor (Toby Jones), and Robert Duvall has a couple of potent scenes as a scholar of the occult, surrounded by shelves full of ancient tomes. Timothy Spall and Simon McBurney play stern officers at the academy, Charlotte Gainsbourg is Landor's part-time lover, and Lucy Boynton is the sister of one cadet who catches Poe's eye. The cast strikes sparks off of one another, ensuring that, in The Pale Blue Eye, there's always something interesting to see.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Pale Blue Eye's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Why are people drawn to murder mysteries?
How is drinking depicted in the movie? Is it glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
What is the nature of revenge? Can it be good? Bad? Both? How?
How is the real-life figure Edgar Allan Poe used as part of this fictional story? Did it make you want to learn more about Poe? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 23, 2022
- On DVD or streaming: January 6, 2023
- Cast: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Lucy Boynton
- Director: Scott Cooper
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Thriller
- Topics: Book Characters
- Run time: 128 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: some violent content and bloody images
- Last updated: January 21, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
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Dark, very bloody murder mystery based on best-seller.
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The Prestige
Rival magicians battle in smart, dark period tale.
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From Hell
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Sherlock Holmes
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