muratmihcioglu

I had no idea on the novel till I watched this. Hence, my take should be at the very least pristine.

Visually, everything was CORRECT. This is not necessarily a compliment but I consider the colors, framing and lighting to be perfectly in tune with how WE, people of the 21st century, would enjoy to imagine early 19th century America. The discord between the level of civilization and the scattered pieces of savagery engulfing it was what made the outlook fit the bill. Yep, Edgar Allan Poe must have dwelled in such circles.

With regards to acting... Christian Bale was the go-to guy, apparently... Would I have cast a "go-to guy" for the part? Not so sure... Yes, he's a great actor whatnot, but maybe a different kind of aura could have given the movie a more surprising vibe... Mark Ruffalo, anyone?

Harry Melling was PERFECT as a young E. A. Poe. I strongly believe it was his presence that elevated the movie a few notches. Kinda in tune with how you imagine the guy, BUT comes with freestyling surprises, expanding the frame provided to us by history.

Is it just me, or were expected to grow the feeling he (his portrayal of Poe) COULD have been among the "bad bunch" in question? And have gotten away with it in the end? I kinda appreciate that ambiguity even if it is a fruit of my own twisted interpretation.

Emotionally... A bit stale, I must say... Couldn't there have been more convincing bonds between the characters?

Structurally and logically... Well, I got some problems on these more concrete fronts:

1) WHY would Landor open the hand of the first corpse, in the first place? Given he wouldn't want the culprit to be exposed, was it just his own curiosity on who had committed the post-mortem violation? In retrospect, this and some other details of his investigation do not make sense... At least not without bringing up explanations from outside the material we are presented with.

2) Would a young girl step outside to a party of sorts, all by herself, within the confines of the landscape we witness? Long carriage rides, rural life, an all-male environment at the academy... This just doesn't ring true... THAT part of the story seemed to have been scripted in reference to some 20th-21st century urban American setting. What father of THAT era would be okay with the conditions that established what transpired?

3) In hindsight... WHY exactly was the final murder about to be committed? Yes, we are provided with the motivations, beliefs, secrets whatnot relating to the background of the LESSER CRIMES which remain, till the end, recoiled with the MAJOR ones... But... I dunno... Something just doesn't click there... WHY would an actual killer rush to frame others, while he's got one more on the list to murder?

Well, I tried to avoid any spoilers while typing some of those questions. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I suppose they'll make sense once you re-visit the comment.

Anyhow... I'm a satisfied customer, overall... I did enjoy it... The classical Columbo episode, "By Dawn's Early Light" popped up in my head many times as I watched it. May the author of the source material have found part of his inspiration from that?

Something in me says he has.

Kudos first and foremost to Harry Melling. This is a must-see for everyone who love to enjoy their yearly dose of POE with a touch of modern storytelling.

Damn it... The level of artistry with this one is just incredible. Plain, simple, no-nonsense suspense till the end. Proof that a strong story will not allow the audience to ask questions about details.

Steve McQueen and his wife are a charming duo. Watching this kinda made me believe the woman behind the man was more important in making the man a legend than whatever else was going on around their lives in Hollywood back then.

Jeez... This one is a case study on how to create the ultimate wicked, demented, sick gore story without showing a mere drop of blood whatsoever.

Highly recommended to those who appreciate the essence of suspense.

"Less is more" - but not when it comes to the number of fingers you got!