Knockin’ me out with those American lights: AC/DC conflict energizes, despite few flaws
I don’t blame you if you’re confused by the phrase “Director’s Cut” above. A director’s cut of a film usually implies that an earlier, theatrically released version preceded it. But, in the case of The Current War, no, you didn’t miss a first release of this picture. It was, however, shown at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival, and picked up for distribution by Harvey Weinstein’s infamous Weinstein Company. When the company folded because of Weinstein’s sexual harassment allegations, many projects were tabled and sold off. When 101 Studios eventually took hold of this title, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon was granted permission by Martin Scorsese, the film’s executive producer, to make some changes before the film’s theatrical release. So what is opening today is a revised version of what Toronto fans saw two years ago. This version is, thankfully, shorter than the Fest original (why are films this season so long!?), and contains some reshoots. With such a complicated history behind the picture’s theatrical release, the question of course becomes: after all that, is the film worth seeing? My answer is: well, sure, although a few minor flaws keep that “sure” from being a resounding, exclamatory “Yes!!”
Gomez-Rejon directed 2015’s terrific Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (which made my Top 10 list that year), but with The Current War, he’s moved from coming-of-age to historical drama. Working from a script by Michael Mitnick (HBO’s Vinyl), Gomez-Rejon has crafted a ready-made thriller that’s bound to play well here in Silicon Valley. The tale of Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch), George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), and Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) and their battle to provide the electrical system for the entire United States is a parable of American ingenuity and cutthroat capitalism. Edison pits his direct current (DC) against Westinghouse’s alternating current (AC), with Tesla assessing both sides and throwing his own ideas into the mix. Even if all you know about electricity’s origins is Ben Franklin and his kite, you’ll quickly become immersed in this nail-biter of a tale of innovation and competition that will enthrall engineering experts and non-science types alike.
To watch Edison and Westinghouse try to out maneuver each other (often using ethically questionable tactics) is to marvel at the audacity of these geniuses, whose visionary ideas and unrelenting thirst for success would define the American business landscape for years to come (hello, Steve Jobs).
The story, then, is inherently interesting; what of the film itself? Shannon and Cumberbatch are both excellent, creating indelible characters out of these larger-than-life figures. Cumberbatch’s Edison loves his wife and kids, but is consumed by his work, and worried about the possibility that his invention could be used for evil (a fascinating side story about the first Death Row electric chair factors heavily in the pair’s rivalry). Shannon’s Westinghouse, haunted by a traumatic Civil War experience, lacks Edison’s creative mind, but is more business savvy. Hoult’s Tesla is a harder read; sometimes we hardly remember he’s in the picture, as he has much less screen time that our main duo. Hoult earns some comic relief showcasing some of Tesla’s eccentricities, but otherwise is mostly forgettable, as the picture becomes a “Who will win!?” match between Westinghouse and Edison. That Gomez-Rejon makes getting to the answer, which of course the audience already knows, so engrossing is a testament to his command of the material, and to his actors’ skill.
Tom Holland has a nice turn as Samuel Insell, Edison’s trusted second-in-command, and Matthew Macfadyen gives financier JP Morgan depth beyond his bulbous red nose. Although the picture’s few female characters consist solely of Edison and Westinghouse’s wives, Katherine Waterston brings some unexpected verve to her small part as Westinghouse’s wife Marguerite. She imbues Marguerite with a Lady Macbeth quality, rising above what could have been a thankless, doting wife role. Tuppence Middleton as Edison’s wife Mary unfortunately doesn’t fare as well, though she does the best she can with a brief, heartstring-tugging role.
The film falters a bit from a few other problems. At the film’s beginning, on-screen titles labeling the main characters, places, and years are distracting, and seem haphazardly used (every major character is labeled, until Edison meets with the President, who remains unnamed and unlabeled, which seems unhelpful, especially if your late 19th century presidential memory isn’t what it should be). Early scenes have a jumpy quality that make settling into the drama difficult, although by about a third of the way in, Gomez-Rejon drops both the on-screen information text and the jump-cuts, allowing us to relax and engage with a more traditional narrative. Gomez-Rejon still can’t resist throwing in an old filmstrip or two to both show Edison’s prodigious inventions and to underscore some plot points, adding an element of quirk the film doesn’t need.
And for a film about light, the picture is shadowy and dark for much of its run. Maybe that was an intentional effect from cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung (It; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) to show what life was like before electricity, but all that dimness made me impatient, and eager for Edison and Westinghouse to get their electric systems up and running so I could have some brightness and contrast for a change.
But none of those minor missteps take away from the fact that this picture is thoroughly entertaining. Anyone with even a passing interest in American history and business will appreciate Gomez-Rejon’s take on this ruthless rivalry, which, at its core, celebrates both American technological achievement, and, for better or worse, our sometimes ruthless American character.
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The Current War: Director’s Cut opens today at Bay Area theaters.
