Christian Bale’s latest murder mystery film pronounced dead on arrival by critics

2022 certainly hasn’t been Christian Bale’s year as far as movies are concerned. While his performance as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder was certainly enjoyable, unfortunately the overall package was a bit of a letdown. Amsterdam was also quite the flop despite the star power of its huge ensemble cast. 

The one shot at redeeming Bale’s year, Netflix’s The Pale Blue Eye, isn’t off to a good start – the film appears to be falling relatively flat based on early reviews. Critics have taken to Twitter sharing their thoughts, and while they are generally appreciating the gloomy and moody atmosphere, the film fails to captivate until the credits roll. 

As of writing, the film is currently sitting at a supremely average 58 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on a little over 20 reviews. It’s still early days, and audiences and critics who are late to the party may end up driving the score up, but these early reviews are certainly sounding less than promising. 

The film is a 19th century period whodunnit starring Christan Bale and Harry Melling as Detective Augustus Landor and Edgar Allan Poe, respectively, who form an unlikely duo to solve a grisly murder mystery, involving the victim’s heart being skillfully removed from their body. 

The Pale Blue Eye will have a short stint in theaters from Dec. 23, 2022, before landing on Netflix on Jan. 6, 2023.