It may be the era of superheroes as far the world of feature film goes, but we’d be remiss to discount the popularity of murder mystery movies nowadays as well; it’s hard to say if Rian Johnson, who perhaps achieved this era’s peak of the subgenre with 2019’s Knives Out, is responsible for all the attempts that have come since then, but since those attempts include the likes of See How They Run, Amsterdam, and Where the Crawdads Sing, it’s something we wouldn’t be thanking him for any time soon.
Lackluster movies or not, it looks like the murder mystery is here to stay, so here’s hoping that the next director up to bat, namely Scott Cooper (Antlers) can bring home a win in the form of The Pale Blue Eye, an upcoming Netflix film that just grabbed our attention with a new teaser trailer.
Based on Louis Bayard’s 2006 novel of the same name, The Pale Blue Eye follows the plight of Augustus Landor, an experienced, jaded detective who’s called upon to look into the heinous murder of a military cadet in early-1800s New York City. The Watson to his Holmes? A shrewd young cadet by the name of Edgar Allan Poe, whose name isn’t yet quite as widely known as it is today.
Christian Bale spearheads the film’s cast as Augustus, whilst Harry Melling (The Queen’s Gambit, Harry Potter series of films) will be taking up the role of the legendary master of the macabre. With many a promising artistic ingredient to spare, the film looks teed up to do the murder mystery genre its proper justice.
The Pale Blue Eye will release to theaters on Jan. 6, 2023, after a limited theatrical release beginning on Dec. 23.
Published: Oct 27, 2022 12:13 pm