FILM & WATCHED Just out on Netflix so no real details. Liked the look of this one and have a weakness for historical detective stories and this has a fine cast with a variety of familiar faces. But for me it just really plodded……never really engaged the attention and the conclusion was very unconvincing……not helped by a very over ripe performance by Melling as Edgar Allen Poe…Bale does his usual moody and intense turn and it does look good but just found it a real letdown……3/5
A dark gothic murder mystery set in 1830 at the prestigious US West Point Academy. Christian Bale is renowned detective, Landor, a heavily drinking man grieving for his daughter who has gone missing. He is summonsed by the Academy top brass (Timothy Spall and Simon McBurney - both excellent as expected) to investigate the strange death of a cadet found hanged but whose corpse is later violated and the heart removed. Like all films of this genre it's an atmospheric, moody film with dark shadows, swirling mists and an ominous soundtrack. The plot twists and turns as the body count increases and whilst it's all vaguely preposterous including the whole thing turning on a big coincidence, it does keep you hooked in. There's a good, solid cast including Toby Jones as the Academy doctor and Gillian Anderson as his hard nosed wife, and Lucy Boynton as their disturbed daughter. Harry Melling, of Harry Potter fame, plays Edgar Allen Poe who as a cadet helps Landor with the case. Robert Duvall has a cameo as an expert in the occult. It's a little slow in places and ultimately a bit unfulfilling but it's worth checking out.