The gothic thriller, set in 1830, was adapted from the 2006 novel of the same name. By Katie Palmer, Senior TV Reporter for Screen Time PUBLISHED: 14:00, Sat, Jun 13, 2026. The film stars some huge names like Gillian Anderson. This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more.
Fans of period dramas and detective shows are being urged to watch a mystery thriller starring Hollywood legend Christian Bale as a veteran investigator. The film, which was released in 2022 and is available to stream on Netflix, stars Bale as Augustus Landor, as he investigates a series of murders at the West Point Military Academy with the help of Edgar Allan Poe (played by Harry Melling), a young military cadet.
The star-studded cast also includes the likes of Gillian Anderson, Toby Jones, Timothy Spall and Robert Duvall in his last movie before his death in 2026.
The Pale Blue Eye is the film in question and it sees retired detective Landor, an alcoholic, investigate the hanging of Cadet Leroy Fry (Steven Maier). Landor, a widower, is battling his own personal demons, including the strained relationship with his daughter Mattie (Hadley Robinson).
Fans took to IMDb reviews to share their thoughts on the film, with one saying: 'Absolutely perfect play by Christian Bale. I watched it having the same gloomy and cold weather out the window. It made me feel the climate of the plot. The movie is more than worth watching. It will become a classic and maybe a new opening for movies based on the atmosphere set out in Poe's novels. And I do hope for it with my whole heart.'
Another fan added: 'I've never seen anything nor experienced storytelling like that!' While a third viewer shared: 'There are no words to how I felt watching this movie. Christian Bale is phenomenal, as always. I would rank this as one of the best movies I have ever seen and if you are into the Macabre genre, it would be impossible to not enjoy this, from start to finish.'
A final viewer shared: 'Absolutely stunning. This film may just be the most beautiful movie I've seen in a very long time. Not only is the casting impeccable, but the writing is superb. So many stellar actors, not just the major stars! Every role was properly cast.'
The period drama film has been hailed 'absolutely stunning'.
The original source material came from American writer Louis Bayard and is described as a murder mystery set at West Point in 1830, where the young Edgar Allan Poe was a cadet. Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer and poet who was best known for his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He became one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in American literature and is considered to be one of the pioneers of the detective fiction genre. Actor Melling, who plays the author in the film, received particular praise for his portrayal.
The Pale Blue Eye is streaming on Netflix.
