In "The Pale Blue Eye" (2022), Detective Landor, played by Christian Bale, is summoned to the West Point academy to investigate the apparent suicide by hanging of a cadet, whose body was then subsequently mutilated. Unable to gather much information from the military academy, Landor enlists the help of a solitary cadet, Edgar Allan Poe, to aid in his investigations. The film, set against the icy snow-isolated backdrop of 1830, captures the world-weary demeanour of Landor and is supported by Harry Melling's eccentric portrayal of Poe. An amusing performance by Melling as a young Poe (and a long way from his 'Harry Potter' days) The supporting cast is great, with Toby Jones as the military camp doctor, Robert Duvall as an eccentric expert, and Gillian Anderson (X-Files Scully )as a local resident, all delivering perfect performances as they all come under Landor's gaze. However, the pacing is a little slow, and the film may outstay its welcome for some viewers, especially when compared to Netflix's other Murder mystery (Glass Onion) doing the rounds recently. But it is a mystery worth sticking with until the end, as things are not as pedestrian as it may seem. The film is reminiscent of classic literature detective novels and the style of this film is similar to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, which is fitting since Poe is a character in the film. And makes for a good winter night's viewing.