What is Netflix’s The Pale Blue Eye about?

Netflix has had a lot of luck with book-to-streaming adaptations, and they are unlikely to stop anytime soon. Their latest is The Pale Blue Eye. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Louis Bayard, which came out in 2006.

But beyond being based on the book, the movie has a pretty stellar cast. The cast features Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Lucy Boynton, Gillian Anderson, Robert Duvall, Timothy Spall, Charlie Tahan, Toby Jones, and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The book and the movie are unique because they incorporate a very real American writer as one of the characters: The one and only author Edgar Allan Poe. But while he was very real, the events that take place in the movie and the book are entirely fictitious.

The Pale Blue Eye is set to hit Netflix on Friday, Jan 6, 2023. But what is this new movie about? Let’s take a look.

What is The Pale Blue Eye about?

The Pale Blue Eye tells the story of a jaded detective in 1830, who is hired to investigate what first looks like a suicide. It soon turns out to be anything but when it’s discovered that someone went into the dead cadet’s room and took his heart.

Unfortunately, Detective Augustus Landor (played by Christian Bale) has a hard time finding evidence and witnesses when all the cadets close ranks and keep quiet.

To help break open the case and get some of the men to talk to him, he teams up with one of those young cadets. A man by the name of Edgar Allan Poe (played by Harry Melling).

The movie goes on to show how Poe may have gotten some of his story ideas from his time helping with this murder case. It’s pretty clear the writers are eluding to The Tell-Tale Heart with the missing heart at the center of the murder case.

You can check out the trailer for the new movie here:

Will you be watching The Pale Blue Eye when it hits Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!