From Hell (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Jack the Ripper runs amok in the grim, gruesome, psychological thriller, 'From Hell' (directed by the Hughes Brothers). The setting: London, 1888. In the Whitechapel district of London, Scotland Yard Inspector Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp) is on the case to figure out why this 'Jack the Ripper' has brutally killed 5 particular prostitutes. Addicted to opium, he envisions the future; giving him a certain psychic ability to foresee the killer's next move. While gathering vital info from local prostitutes, Abberline falls in love with one of them, Mary Kelly (Heather Graham). But by digging deeper into the case, he envisions Mary as one of the next potential victims. With conspiracy theories flying around his head (along with opium), can he focus on solving the case AND saving Mary?
The plot surrounding the 5 'unfortunates' who get disemboweled is well documented (and extremely well shot in this film). What hasn't been thoroughly documented until now is the coinciding conspiracy involving the highest powers of England; and how both the Jack the Ripper murders & 'this' conspiracy are apparently linked. You see, the Prince of England is infected with Syphillis. Where'd he get it from? Perhaps the Whitechapel district. Also adding to this conspiracy, doctors (of the time) were quick to take-in women for lobotomies. Why is it that one particular Whitechapel prostitute would be kidnapped for a lobotomy? Take a wild guess.
The always eccentric Johnny Depp is great as the tortured, clairvoyant police detective who's in over his head. Ian Holm & Robbie Coltrane are stellar in smaller roles. Heather Graham is fine, nothing special. It's not the acting you look for in a graphic novel adaptation such as this. You watch this to 'feel' something; something terrible. 'From Hell' is as gripping, stylish, & alluring as you get. The Victorian setting (Old London's gaslight section) itself is something that gets under your skin, seeps into your bones, & doesn't let go. Not only is this film daring from a visual sense (surrealistic cinematography, haunting production design, period costumes, dirt, grime, blood, & gore), but it's thoroughly engaging as a whodunit. Though this isn't a 100% factual exploration of who Jack the Ripper was ... the film does a great job 'supposing' someone in particular. Much of the screenplay is of a fictional murder/mystery brand, but the foundation of it all is fact.
You won't get any deep characterizations here (everything is surface ... the love story, Jack the Ripper's butchery, the detailed investigation, the unfolding of the mystery), & the film doesn't have much of a soul. The wonderful mood that's created is what carries the film (not its only-average screenplay). But for a late Fall release, where the atmosphere is dense, when the leaves have fallen from the trees, when the fog moves in, when the cold wind howls, & when something lurks in the shadows beside you ... this is JUST the film you want to see. When and if you see this on DVD, make sure to watch the documentaries on the real 5 women who were violently killed down the dank alleyways of the Whitechapel district. These special features are almost more riveting than the film, itself!
The plot surrounding the 5 'unfortunates' who get disemboweled is well documented (and extremely well shot in this film). What hasn't been thoroughly documented until now is the coinciding conspiracy involving the highest powers of England; and how both the Jack the Ripper murders & 'this' conspiracy are apparently linked. You see, the Prince of England is infected with Syphillis. Where'd he get it from? Perhaps the Whitechapel district. Also adding to this conspiracy, doctors (of the time) were quick to take-in women for lobotomies. Why is it that one particular Whitechapel prostitute would be kidnapped for a lobotomy? Take a wild guess.
The always eccentric Johnny Depp is great as the tortured, clairvoyant police detective who's in over his head. Ian Holm & Robbie Coltrane are stellar in smaller roles. Heather Graham is fine, nothing special. It's not the acting you look for in a graphic novel adaptation such as this. You watch this to 'feel' something; something terrible. 'From Hell' is as gripping, stylish, & alluring as you get. The Victorian setting (Old London's gaslight section) itself is something that gets under your skin, seeps into your bones, & doesn't let go. Not only is this film daring from a visual sense (surrealistic cinematography, haunting production design, period costumes, dirt, grime, blood, & gore), but it's thoroughly engaging as a whodunit. Though this isn't a 100% factual exploration of who Jack the Ripper was ... the film does a great job 'supposing' someone in particular. Much of the screenplay is of a fictional murder/mystery brand, but the foundation of it all is fact.
You won't get any deep characterizations here (everything is surface ... the love story, Jack the Ripper's butchery, the detailed investigation, the unfolding of the mystery), & the film doesn't have much of a soul. The wonderful mood that's created is what carries the film (not its only-average screenplay). But for a late Fall release, where the atmosphere is dense, when the leaves have fallen from the trees, when the fog moves in, when the cold wind howls, & when something lurks in the shadows beside you ... this is JUST the film you want to see. When and if you see this on DVD, make sure to watch the documentaries on the real 5 women who were violently killed down the dank alleyways of the Whitechapel district. These special features are almost more riveting than the film, itself!