I haven’t seen it yet but your assessment intrigues me. I do think there’s nothing odd about Christian Bale’s suitability for period pieces: he’s got something of a raw unfinished look about him atop a template of princess-cut cheekbones. Sort of like Gary Oldman. I’m kind of glad we never saw him play Travis McGee, as had been bandied about for years; McGee strikes me as a Jeffrey Hunter or Monte Markham, a Handsome Conventional ‘60s TV Actor.
That's funny, I just watched it last night, and like you I didn't see the end coming. I thought it was very good. I like stories with "passive" detectives, investigators that don't do much (ahem!) and let the story come to them. Bale is also best when he seems to do very little. Visually, it was gorgeous, a great symphony of winter.
I loved it. It looked great, and as you said, the character actors were brilliant. It moved through the story at a really strong, controlled pace, too. Bale's best film since The Fighter, maybe.
Melling and Bale were great. I expected something different (i.e., Bale playing Poe), but it was really good. Nice twist. Great cinematography.
Loved it! Melling is quickly becoming a favorite.
I haven’t seen it yet but your assessment intrigues me. I do think there’s nothing odd about Christian Bale’s suitability for period pieces: he’s got something of a raw unfinished look about him atop a template of princess-cut cheekbones. Sort of like Gary Oldman. I’m kind of glad we never saw him play Travis McGee, as had been bandied about for years; McGee strikes me as a Jeffrey Hunter or Monte Markham, a Handsome Conventional ‘60s TV Actor.
That's funny, I just watched it last night, and like you I didn't see the end coming. I thought it was very good. I like stories with "passive" detectives, investigators that don't do much (ahem!) and let the story come to them. Bale is also best when he seems to do very little. Visually, it was gorgeous, a great symphony of winter.
I loved it. It looked great, and as you said, the character actors were brilliant. It moved through the story at a really strong, controlled pace, too. Bale's best film since The Fighter, maybe.