What to make of The Current War? Produced back in 2017 with a rather impressive cast, the movie sat on a shelf for the better part of two years due to the fact its original distributor was the Weinstein Company. And that company has had some…problems.
Thanks to Martin Scorsese, the movie finally came out in the United States in 2019. Is it worth the wait?
Well, yes, despite a 59% Rotten Tomatoes score. It’s far from perfect, but I honestly found the movie interesting enough as it went along.
The movie tells the story of the “fight” between inventor Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and industrialist George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon). Edison, a celebrity inventor of the light bulb, believes in direct current has the path to lighting up the world. Westinghouse sees alternating current as the best way to the future.
And then, every so often, futurist Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) pops up. He get some scenes, but he really isn’t much of a factor in this movie. Quite frankly, Edison’s assistant Samuel Insull (Tom Holland) has more to do than Tesla.
So, why did I like this movie? I don’t really know the history of the “current war,” but I did recognize which of the two rivals would eventually prevail. To the movie’s credit, neither Edison nor Westinghouse is portrayed in a particularly negative light. Neither are motivated by greed. Edison just got there first and can’t stand to be either wrong or to come in second. Westinghouse just wants to put up what he believes is the best system. Both men have their principals that they both bend at times to gain temporary advantages. It makes for a fascinating conflict in that both men come across as sympathetic figures. Edison may grouse and grumble, but he’s something a of a prodigy who loves his kids. Westinghouse, though haunted by some memories of his time in the Civil War, is just a steady presence that seems like more of a philanthropist than a businessman.
That said, there are problems with the movie. Beyond Tesla’s relatively minor role that seems to tease him as a major character that results in minimal screentime, there’s the symbolic moments. Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon doesn’t handle these moments very well. They aren’t subtle in the slightest as if the director felt the need to underline all these moments in big, bold sharpie.
Still, I rather enjoyed this one. It’s a flawed movie with some messy moments, but I never minded it in the slightest.
Grade: B-
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