Oscar winner Christian Bale (48, "The Fighter") can be seen in the first trailer for the mystery thriller "The Pale Blue Eye" in the role of a detective who has to solve a horrific murder.

The streaming service Netflix put the video for the dark historical thriller, which takes place in 1830 at the US Military Academy West Point, online on Thursday (local time).

The detective is called on when a young cadet is found dead - the corpse is missing a heart. A young soldier named Edgar Allan Poe comes to his aid during the difficult investigation. Poe (1809-1849), who later became famous as a horror writer for his dark ghost and crime stories, actually served briefly at West Point. "Harry Potter" star Harry Melling plays the eccentric, poet-loving soldier.

Director Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart", "Enemies - Hostiles") also brought Gillian Anderson, Timothy Spall and 91-year-old Robert Duvall in front of the camera. It is based on the crime novel "The Pale Blue Eye" by US author Louis Bayard. After the US theatrical release in mid-December, the film is scheduled to be shown on Netflix from January 6th.