The Pale Blue Eyes is one of the most suspenseful films featured in 2022 by Netflix, in collaboration with filmmaker Scott Cooper who based the story line on Louis Bayard’s 2003 novel. Set during the 1830s, the fictional period mystery plot involves Edgar Allan Poe as a young outsider cadet of the US Military Academy.

Chistian Bale is Landor, a police detective sent to the Military Academy to investigate a series of murders that had taken place in the campus grounds. Although one of the suspects is a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe who lived outside of the campus, Landor subsequently elicited the help of Poe. Together they unravelled the mysteries surrounding the murder and discovered that not all people in the campus are not what they appeared to be.

Although The Pale Blue Eyes does not purport to be a real life depiction of Poe, the celebrated author was actually a cadet at West Point, but not at the time when the murders happened.

Harry Melling plays Edgar Allan Poe, whose acting was lauded by film critics who praised his performance. Harry Melling’s acting skills did not pale alongside that of the incredible Christian Bale. Viewers recognized Harry Melling as the chess player in the 2020 mini series The Queen’s Gambit.

The Pale Blue Eyes – Some Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Reviews

Based on some reviews gathered from Rotten Tomatoes, many who viewed this film described it as too dark and too long, it’s boring. Although some critics praised The Pale Blue Eyes for striving to maintain a balance between excellent drama and macabre mystery. A middle ground was embedded to evoke enticement and a powerful sense of tragedy.
Overall, The Pale Blue Eyes is deemed as worth watching as a home entertainment since it does not entertain and intrigue as much as it wants to.