★★★★
The dramatic story of the cutthroat race between electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whose electrical system would power the modern world.
Classification: 12A
Like the currents that flow through its narrative, The Current War is a continuous thrill bolstered by impressive performances and even more impressive filmmaking as director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and his team jolt every element of the film to its full potential to create an enriching and satisfying cinematic experience. Offering dual portraits of men who ushered in a new age of America and the world, Gomez-Rejon keeps the drama intimate and the spectacle grounded as the cinematography of Chung Chung-hoon and the editing of David Trachtenberg and Justin Krohn keep a fascinating and engaging pace. The execution isn't perfect with some of the timeline being muddled by overlapping storylines and rushed subplots but the overall film does a fantastic job of giving insight into Thomas Edison, a historical figure audiences will know. While at the same time giving the same care to a historical figure we do not, George Westinghouse.
The Current War is a biographical drama that doesn't just rest its laurels on the quality of its performances, so much of the technical elements make it a captivating narrative but Cumberbatch and Shannon shine brighter than the all of it combined. Cumberbatch and Shannon as Edison and Westinghouse elevate the material to new heights as they compliment each other not only as rivals but as representations for the changing America. Edison, the innovator against Westinghouse, the traditionalist, while initially, it may seem their conflict merely arises from desires for personal gain but it goes deeper, to notions of egotism, legacy and the purpose of life. Edison creates from a sense of discovery, to be the smartest man in the room who answers the question no one thought to ask where Westinghouse is more practical, to provide the best opportunity and to improve upon the world. The race is filled with their own personal triumphs and tragedies and both actors keep the audience invested in both characters' victories and defeats. Especially Michael Shannon whose performance as Westinghouse makes the relatively unknown figure to the audience perhaps the most fascinating.
The weak element of the cast and narrative is Nicholas Hoult as Nikola Tesla, while the depiction isn't terrible and does present some interesting traits of Tesla such as his own desire for perfection but also his naiveté to American business practices. The Current War creates such an engaging central conflict between Edison and Westinghouse that visiting the Tesla subplot breaks the flow of the story, Gomez-Rejon wants to use Tesla as a catalyst for the electricity race but is never able to find the right balance for the character. It is only until the third act when Hoult is allowed back into the main narrative that his character serves the story again but for the most part, it feels like a much larger story that was trimmed heavily in editing. The rest of the cast is impeccable with terrific small performances from Katherine Waterston and Tuppence Middleton as Mrs Westinghouse and Mrs Edison respectively, their brief scenes with their on-screen husbands providing great moments of humanity for both of the industry titans.
Visually The Current War is gorgeous as Chung Chung-hoon uses darkness, landscapes, clever camera work and the exquisite production design in every frame to elevate the film. Chung-hoon keeps every shot in motion, capturing the nuances of the characters but also displaying the sheer power electricity represented at the end of the 19th century. Any aficionado of the genre or the time period will be impressed by the level of detail from every aspect, even the computer-generated backgrounds don't break the immersion. Gomez-Rejon does a fantastic job of showing how the country is in the midst of a climatic change and juxtaposing the positive and negative effects of the new electric age. An important subplot details the creation of the electric chair and how the rivalry forces Edison and Westinghouse to question their morality as the use the device to damage their competitor's reputations. So much of the intrigue of The Current War comes from how Gomez-Rejon layers this story, peeling away at the core of both Edison and Westinghouse's characters and leaving fascinating portraits of both men and how their experiences have shaped them in changing America.
It's a historical biopic that puts its talents into far more than its performances, the visual storytelling makes the acting all the more enthralling. There are minor faults in its execution but the core is solid and delivers beautiful sequences of beauty and tragedy with the dramatic payoffs doing justice to the performances of Cumberbatch and Shannon. For the uninformed, The Current War creates a fascinating tale of this period and history and leaves an audience with more of an interest in the historical figures depicted especially Westinghouse, whose lack of desire for celebrity status over moral righteousness makes him a captivating foil against Edison and Tesla. Gomez-Rejon and Chung-hoon cinematic stylings keep the banalest details exciting, from patent arguments over lightbulbs or the morbid investigations of the electric chair. Our reliance on electricity has made us take for granted every piece of data and decision made in order to make it possible, The Current War takes into account every risk; financial, personal, and scientific and how it collided against factors of politics and greed. The film tells a story far grander than whose lightbulbs powered our streets but how the modern world was born and who the men were that brought us into it.
Director: #AlfonsoGomezRejon
Cast: #BenedictCumberbatch, #MichaelShannon, #KatherineWaterston, #TomHolland, #TuppenceMiddleton, #MatthewMacfadyen, #NicholasHoult
Release Date: July 26th 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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