The Current War: Lead cast and solid script make it a reasonable watch

The internet, computers and electricity are all subjects that are visually challenging for cinema. So think how exciting keyboards, cables and wires would look. But they all become riveting fare, thanks to the magic touch of Benedict Cumberbatch. His acting chops elevated The Fifth Estate in 2013, and The Imitation Game a year later, and like those two films, his latest feature, The Current War, also premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.

In The Current War, the British actor plays the legendary American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison. The film focuses on the period when he was locked in a business battle with fellow American inventor and entrepreneur George Westinghouse. Today both are household brands, but few know of the rivalry between the two men, a contest that, in fact, shaped the future of the United States in the late 19th century. 

America was on the threshold of electrification, after Edison had already invented a viable electric bulb. He promoted direct current, or DC, dazzling the media and the country by lighting up a block in Manhattan. Westinghouse pushed for alternating current, or AC, by transmitting power over some distance to a small town. As the two promote their respective technologies, the battle gets progressively sharper and nastier, thanks largely to Edison’s conduct.

Edison’s genius is shown tempered by his many flaws — arrogance, impatience and stubbornness, among others. He once brazenly snubs Westinghouse by not honouring a dinner engagement. He is brusque even with his main financier — the banker JP Morgan, whom he presciently promises to make rich beyond his wildest dreams. He is, however, a loving husband and father, even if he doesn’t always have time for his family. 

The film is kinder to Westinghouse, played by Michael Shannon, portraying him as the more generous, upright and dignified of the two. He retains his poise even in the face of Edison slandering him as a potential murderer and his AC technology as dangerous. Ironically, the men’s wives are a contrast — while Mary Edison tries to soften her husband’s sharp edges, Marguerite Westinghouse urges hers to counter Edison more aggressively.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Alva Edison

There is a third character, equally pivotal in history, but not as central here — the brilliant and dapper European immigrant Nicola Tesla, who initially works with Edison, but later, finding his talent and advice unappreciated, joins Westinghouse.

The Edison-Westinghouse battle heats up as they vie to sign contracts to bring power to American cities. Westinghouse actually favours a partnership, but Edison is not interested, instead using his greater prominence and celebrity to badmouth his rival. Westinghouse finally fights back by exposing Edison’s hypocrisy in secretly advising the state of New York on how to build an effective electric chair for executions after repeatedly proclaiming he would never work on any technology that could be used to kill people. 

The transmission war was ultimately won by Westinghouse. Still, Edison is by far the better known of the two today, not only due to the sheer force of his personality and prolific genius but also because Westinghouse destroyed most of his personal papers, choosing to be known solely for his work. 

The Current War scores with its script, characters and cast, but given its subject, it’s not exactly a live wire and often tries to compensate for the lack of physical action with visual gimmicks. However, it has everything that a watchable movie should offer, and also leaves you informed, switching on a light bulb to illuminate a crucial and fascinating episode in American — and indeed human — history. 
 

The Current War is scheduled for release in November