The Current War
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
- drama
- history
The story
Electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse compete to create a sustainable system and market it to the American people.
What it’s like
Warm amber gaslight against cold, electric blue, with the rivalry staged in crowded rooms of lamps, wires and men in high collars. Gomez-Rejon moves the camera constantly: sweeping dolly shots through the Menlo Park workshop and Chicago exposition halls, quick whip pans between boardrooms, and the occasional still frame that lets a single bulb or a dim parlour settle. The score is driving and percussive, with synth-tinged strings that give the period a nervous, modern pulse. The vibe is brisk, handsome and competitive, a fast-talking ambition drama with a slightly theatrical sheen. Its tone stays dry rather than sentimental, and the arcs follow two proud inventors who grow more compromised as the stakes climb, with Edison's defensiveness and Westinghouse's stubborn decency sitting side by side. Intensity is low: some tense confrontations and a few electrocution demonstrations involving animals, but no gore and no sexual content. It suits a weekend afternoon or a lively evening with friends, and it is for viewers who enjoy business history, period costume and clever, talky sparring between strong performers.
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