The film begins after Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) has tested thousands of designs before nailing the right elements to capture electric light in a commercially marketable glass orb. The 1880 opening has a trainload of New York money men arriving in Menlo Park, New Jersey and walking through mud to witness Edison flick the switch on a dazzling* demonstration of his product. He lights up the field in perfect concentric circles*.

While Edison gets the financial backing of J.P. Morgan (Matthew Macfadyen) to light up five Manhattan blocks, Pittsburgh-based businessman George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) sees the limitations in Edison’s direct-current* technology. Switching from gas and borrowing from some of Edison’s discoveries, Westinghouse begins working successfully with alternating current*, allowing him to get ahead in the game by putting electric lighting in a string of American cities. A modest man who avoids personal publicity, Westinghouse invites Edison to dine at his home but is rudely refused by the famed inventor.

Edison is a strict solo player who takes his employees’ dedication* for granted and refuses to share credit. He loves his children and his wife Mary (Tuppence Middleton) but is too busy at work to provide the attention they want. Westinghouse, by contrast, is devoted to his supportive wife Marguerite (Katherine Waterston), whose drive and ambition might even exceed* his own. He treats his workers with gratitude* and respect, and values his collaboration and friendship with electrical engineer Franklin Pope (Stanley Townsend).

There’s also a third key figure, Serbian immigrant Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult), who first goes to work for Edison but quits when it becomes clear that his contributions are undervalued. Tesla takes his ideas for an alternating current motor to Westinghouse.

Both Edison and Westinghouse suffer great personal losses that impact their progress in different ways. Both of them bid on the contract to light the Chicago World’s Fair. And both men are drawn into the efforts of New York State to harness* electricity for a more “humane” method of capital punishment. (SD-Agencies)