Some of you may recall that the last new release I reviewed, Gemini Man, was in development hell for years. Well, seems October is the month of delayed movies as we have one that was already filmed before being released. Following the release of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon was offered a new historical drama. Entitled The Current War, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was scheduled for a December release. However, it was owned by The Weinstein Company at the time and was subsequently shelved following the Harvey Weinstein allegations. The company’s assets were then purchased by Lantern Entertainment, and the film eventually got its release two years later. During that time, Gomez-Rejon was disappointed in the version shown at TIFF, so he reshot and re-edited the film. Now the “Director’s Cut”, 2019 sees the release of The Current War.
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Rating
The film revolves around the “war of the currents” between Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon). Having harnessed the power of electricity, the two are vying to be the ones to power the entire country. Edison favors the costlier and less effective Direct Current (DC), while Westinghouse favors the inexpensive and powerful Alternating Current (AC). In the middle of the conflict is recently immigrated Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult), who soon becomes an ally for Westinghouse. Things take a turn for the worse for Edison when his wife Mary (Tuppence Middleton) dies of a brain tumor. With so much at stake, Edison launches a smear campaign against Westinghouse, claiming that AC is too dangerous to use. Westinghouse stands firm despite the smear campaign, which eventually leads to the creation of the electric chair. It all culminates in the two battling over who will light the Chicago World’s Fair.
I can remember seeing trailers for the film back when it was supposed to come out in 2017. After that, I heard next to nothing about the film until I saw that it was being released in 2019. Since I haven’t seen the version shown at TIFF, I can’t say whether the version released is better or worse. That said, it’s very clear watching this that there were some production problems given how somewhat disjointed the film is. To get into the positives, the cast does a fairly good job, particularly Cumberbatch, Shannon, and Hoult despite limited screentime. Other highlights include Tom Holland as Edison’s assistant, Samuel Insull, and Katherine Waterston as Westinghouse’s wife, Marguerite. Also, the story itself is fascinating, if only because it makes you think about how we take electricity for granted. Plus, Gomez-Rejon’s direction is solid, really capturing the look of the late 19th century.
Despite its positives, there are also several negatives, though some can be forgiven considering the troubled production. With a runtime of one hour and 45 minutes, the film feels rushed, scenes going by too fast. For instance, Edison’s wife dies roughly 20 minutes in, giving us almost no time to get to know her. There are also several montages, which makes it feel like there’s footage missing, and there’s hardly any breathing room. For being rivals, Cumberbatch and Shannon don’t share any scenes until the very end, part of the many reshoots. Thankfully, the newly added scenes aren’t as obvious as Dark Phoenix, being saved for the end of the film. With this being billed as the “Director’s Cut”, I can understand and respect that this was what the director intended. Overall, The Current War, despite several pacing issues, is worth a watch for the cast, story, and direction.
