Quick Info
This is a gothic detective mystery set at West Point in the early 1800s, starring Christian Bale as a weary investigator and Harry Melling as a young Edgar Allan Poe. The murder of a cadet pulls both characters into a dark and atmospheric web of secrets, and the film’s chilly, wintry setting gives everything a haunting, almost surreal vibe. It’s more slow-burn than thriller, with plenty of candlelit corridors and fraught conversations.
What stood out most to me was the chemistry between Bale and Melling — seeing Poe reimagined as a morbid, clever, but earnest young man keeps things intriguing. The movie plays with literary history in a way that feels respectful and just theatrical enough. The supporting cast (Gillian Anderson, Toby Jones, Timothy Spall) add a lot of flavor, but it’s that sense of creeping unease, like you’re reading an old ghost story by firelight, that lingers after the credits.
If you’re looking for an action-packed mystery or big twists every ten minutes, this might feel a bit too methodical. The pacing can drag in places, and not every subplot adds as much as it promises. But if you like atmospheric mysteries with strong period detail and a few shivery surprises, it’s absolutely worth a winter night’s watch—especially if you have a soft spot for Poe or literary detective tales.
