You can bet everyone else is asking themselves the same question after watching The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix. Based on Louis Bayard’s novel of the same name, Christian Bale plays famed detective Augustus Landor, who teams up with Edgar Allan Poe to investigate the brutal murder of a US military academy (Harry Melling) cadet.
For the writer-director Scott Cooper turn everything you thought you saw upside down with a shocking revelation, this chilling drama seems to have reached a clear end. It will probably leave you wanting a second watch, but if you don’t feel like buying another watch, we can still help. So let’s take a look at the surprising conclusion of The Pale Blue Eye and discuss why it’s not as incredible as it might seem at first glance.
There are significant spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, stop reading now. On the surface, Cadet Fry apparently committed suicide before having his heart removed after his death. Landor soon realizes that Fry was hit in the back of the skull, indicating that the same person may have killed and dismembered him.
According to Landor, Fry had a message in his hand when he died, but only part of it remains. They and Poe deciphered the fragment, which indicated that Fry may have been killed by being lured out of the academy.
Landor believes Fry’s death may have been a ceremonial execution after discovering a cow and sheep nearby that had had their heart taken. Landor finds wax on the floor and a circle pattern with a triangle in it. He asks Poe to meet him at the ice house.
It’s probably one “magic circle”, says Landor’s friend Jean Pepe (Robert Duvall), a “specialist in symbols and rituals.” It may have something to do with the famous witch hunter Henri Le Clerc, who left behind information about a trial for “secure immortality.” All copies of his book in which it is described have nevertheless been lost or destroyed.
Before Landor can use Fry’s journal to find out who might have killed him, Cadet Ballinger (Fred Hechinger) is killed and dismembered in the same manner as Fry, with the extra castration on top. Fry’s mother delivers Landor Fry’s diary.
View more articles here:
Poe becomes suspicious. He was seen publicly declaring that he had killed Ballinger, who had attacked him for spending time with Lea Marquis, the sister of fellow cadet Artemus Marquis (Lucy Boynton).
According to Fry’s notebook, Ballinger and Fry were good friends. Their other companion, Cadet Stoddard (Joey Brooks), is now gone. However, the state of his empty room suggests that he has fled.

Daniel Marquis, a doctor at the facility, and his family, including Toby Jones, are revealed to be the main perpetrators by Landor. Landor finds the officer’s jacket that a cadet had allegedly seen the night of Fry’s murder while having dinner at their house. He also sees a Henri Le Clerc painting in Dr. Marquis.
In addition to revealing that they own a copy of Le Clerc’s book and that Le Clerc had “visited” leah, dr. Marquis tells Landor that Le Clerc is his great-grandfather. She started having seizures and was given three months to live, but after performing a ritual involving Fry’s heart, her terminal condition suddenly improved.
That’s too bad for the smitten Poe, because he will soon become Lea’s next victim and give his life to extend her life. Julia (Gillian Anderson), Artemus and the rest of the family take part in the rite. Poe is rescued and Landor saves Julia when a ritual candle is knocked over and ignites the room. But Lea and Artemus aren’t so lucky, as the structure collapses, crushing them both.
Julia is not punished despite her involvement, as that has been decided “she had suffered enough” but Dr. Marquis leaves the academy. Stoppard fled to avoid becoming the next victim, while Lea and Artemus presumably killed Fry and Ballinger for the ritual.
Contents
The Pale Blue Eye ending explained
After recovering from the bloodletting during the ceremony, Poe travels to Landor to tell him what he has learned about Landor’s (Hadley Robinson) daughter Mattie. It is implied throughout the film that she has fled, although this is not true.
The reality is more tragic: three unknown assailants sexually assaulted Mattie on their way home from the Academy Ball two years earlier. Despite Landor’s best efforts, she was unable to recover from the stress of the incident and eventually committed.
The writing was “almost identical” when Poe compared the piece in Fry’s hand to a note Landor had given him earlier. Landor was responsible for luring Fry away from the academy and killing him. When Fry’s body lay in the morgue, Lea and Artemus took advantage of the situation and stole his heart.
Fry’s dog steals during the attack
She managed to steal Fry’s dog tag during the attack, so Landor knew he was one of three who raped his daughter. Landor killed and dismembered the sheep and cow to focus the investigation on ritual explanations after learning that Fry’s heart had been removed from his body.
Landor learned that Ballinger was one of the attackers when he got Fry’s diary. Stoddard fled and Landor was never able to catch up with him as he came up short “the strength or will to track him down.”
“I just hope he’s looking over his shoulder for the rest of his miserable life.” Landor tells Poe. Poe is confused (as you may be) why Landor even asked for his help, knowing that the note could lead to the truth coming out. That, it turns out, was always the plan for Landor: “You were the one I had to surrender myself to all the time. I knew that from the moment I first met you, and here we are.”
Poe decides to burn the evidence rather than frame Landor for the murders and says goodbye to Landor. Landor returns to the rock where Mattie perished in the film’s final scene and dropped her ribbon, declaring his quest for revenge to be over.
Landor’s activities during the probe
Despite this explanation, you may still have questions about Landor’s activities during the investigation. Landor finally discovered the note in Fry’s palm and showed that Fry had not committed suicide. For example, the knowledge that Landor is the killer reveals that he does it to determine if the witness saw him when he questioned the witness who found Fry’s body early.
He probably only saw an opportunity to divert attention from the investigation when he said that Fry was killed. No doubt Landor exhibits behavior that suggests he’s trying to avoid being discovered, such as when he dismembers Ballinger’s body or uses Poe to interpret the note to suspect a woman.
The Pale Blue Eye is worth your time. It’s slow at times, the twist at the end isn’t a big surprise, but the atmosphere, cinematography and performances are top notch. Christian Bale is always a compelling watch, and Harry Melling gives a wonderful, Oscar-worthy turn as Edgar Allen Poe. pic.twitter.com/KPnoMkWHgn
— Brian Rowe 🏳️🌈🍿🎃 (@mbrrianrowe) January 7, 2023
But given the lengths he goes to to cover up Ballinger’s murder, Landor’s admission that he always intended to turn himself into Poe makes no sense. Perhaps he wanted to stay free long enough to get revenge on all three of Mattie’s rapists, knowing that Poe would eventually have the intelligence to piece it all together.
Landor pretty much gives up that hope when Stoppard flees, and it’s possible he voluntarily went to the hangman. This would have lasted longer if Poe’s life had been in immediate danger, as Landor would never have allowed the Marquis family to kill Poe.
Poe’s safety allowed Landor to allow Poe to reveal his wrongdoings, clearing Lea and Artemus of Ballinger’s murder, even though they were both already dead. Whichever verdict you make, The Pale Blue Eye is sure to spark a lot of interesting discussion points after the credits roll.
Closing
Edgar Allan Poe enrolled at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Poe claimed to be 22 years old when he joined the United States Army in 1827, but he was only 18. In March 1830, he enrolled at West Point, but left in January 1831. Poe received a formal notice of discharge in March 1831.
Visit Leedaily.com or check out our recommendations for the best Netflix shows and movies.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.