A lot of straight-to-Netflix movies are going to be hit or miss, including the detective thriller “The Pale Blue Eye,” even if the streaming service can apparently afford a top-notch cast.

Released at the start of the year with little fanfare, “The Pale Blue Eye” has nonetheless brought together the acting chops of Christian Bale, Gillian Anderson, Toby Jones and even Robert Duvall in a minor role. When was the last time you saw Robert Duvall in a movie? Nevertheless, “The Pale Blue Eye” was probably just a paycheck film for these acting legends because it’s just not much of a movie.

It’s pretty dull.

Bale plays world-weary detective Augustus Landor, who is brought out of retirement to investigate a hanging at the West Point Military Academy in 1830. The gimmick of this film is that Landor is assisted in his investigation by cadet Edgar Allen Poe, the famous poet.

Murder mysteries are a dime a dozen in movies. Currently, films like “Glass Onion” have turned murder mysteries into a quirky joy, a fun roller coaster of an experience. But “The Pale Blue Eye” is more of a dour, drama-filled slog that is just as much about the lead detective’s world-weariness as it is about the murder.

And while Christian Bale does a fine job playing the put-upon Landor, it’s not enough to carry a whole movie. He does well enough taking the audience through the case as more bodies pile up and suspects are introduced, but none of it is particularly entertaining.

“The Pale Blue Eye” is a surface-level movie. It never digs too deeply into its themes, like the effect of military life on young men, or whatever is driving Landor’s world-weariness. And the mystery is pretty rote, right down to the big twist reveal in the final act.

This is one of those films where it wraps everything up at the end, but then you notice there’s still 20 minutes to go, so obviously something else is going to come up and you’ve got to sit through that as well.

The Edgar Allen Poe gimmick doesn’t amount to much either. Actor Harry Melling does a fine job with the role, because he’s become a quality actor since his days in the “Harry Potter” franchise. But young adult Poe does not make for as interesting a character as the movie hopes.

“The Pale Blue Eye” just doesn’t have a lot to offer, other than being free to watch at home if you’re subscribed to Netflix. It’s a dreary and weary murder mystery that doesn’t try hard enough to be worth a watch.

“The Pale Blue Eye” is available to stream at home on Netflix, and is not available in theaters.

For further discussion on the film, tune in to the Sentinel Cinema podcast at www.RomeSentinel.com/podcasts.