From Hell (2001)

Heavy on atmosphere and light on everything else, From Hell is visually impressive while lacking the depth of the acclaimed graphic novel it's based upon. Making their third feature since 1993's Menace II Society, twins Allen and Albert Hughes approach the Jack the Ripper case with physical precision, re-creating the gritty Whitechapel district of 1888 London in meticulous detail. What they've forgotten is the sheer terror that gripped Whitechapel in the wake of the Ripper's slaying of five prostitutes, investigated here by a Scotland Yard sleuth (Johnny Depp) who uses opium, laudanum, and absinthe to fuel his semiprescient visions of the slayings. Heather Graham attempts a slippery Cockney accent as a would-be victim, while Ian Holm steals the show as a has-been surgeon with devilish delusions of grandeur. Violence is obliquely suggested or briefly graphic, but no matter how you cut it, From Hell is only marginally thrilling as it treads familiar territory. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Slow, it goes nowhere.

From Hell starring Johnny Depp is set against the backdrop of the famed killer, Jack the Ripper. Depp is a great actor but even his unique talent can't save this boring, slow-moving train wreck. Who cast Heather Graham?! She is one of the worst female actors ever!! She can't even pull off any kind of accent, her performance is painful to watch. This film tries to be scary and grounbreaking but I lost interest halfway through, snooze... October 21, 2008

Feels Like a Retread

"From Hell", the 2005 Jack the Ripper opus from the Hughes Brothers, almost makes the grade as the definitive movie about Victorian England's elusive killer. It's certainly atmospheric enough, with fog-shrouded alleyways and convincingly evocative street scenes brought vividly to life by cinematographer, Peter Deming.

Most of the performances are first-rate, too, with Johnny Depp a standout as Inspector Frederick Abberline, a real-life detective who, for purposes of the film, is gifted with psychic talents and cursed with a drug problem. Bedraggled and debauched, Depp drags Abberline through the grim proceedings with intelligence and compassion; he's empathetic with the Whitechapel crowd, but wary, as well. He looks on the ill-fated prostitutes as fellow human beings fallen on hard times, but their men are something else, entirely. Vicious, cunning, and altogether amoral, any number of these men rivaled the infamous serial killer in terms of misogyny and violence against women. Robbie Coltrane is also fine as Abberline's nursemaid/assistant. Tough and blunt, Coltrane heaves his hulking bulk after the addled Depp, trailing him from murder scene to opium den with the weary acceptance of a loyal manservant; it is Coltrane who gives the movie its true heart. Ian Holm, as Sir William Gull, physician to the Queen, also gives a finely shaded, elegant performance as a medical man practicing long past his point of retirement. More problematic, I think, is Heather Graham, a uniquely modern, American actress who, here, attempts to assay the role of a 19th Century London prostitute, and none too successfully. I like Graham alright, but she's just not a fit with this film. Her accent isn't convincing, and she just doesn't have the acting chops to carry off the important role of Mary Jane Kelley. The American actress, Susan Clark, fared better as Mary Kelley in the 1979 film, "Murder By Decree", and I think therein lies a big part of the problem that I have with "From Hell". Not Heather Graham's performance, but comparisons with the earlier film.

"Murder By Decree" featured famed fictional sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, and his sidekick, Dr. Watson, frantically chasing around London in an attempt to find, and put a stop to Jack the Ripper's madness. In this film, Christopher Plummer and James Mason excelled in the roles of the dynamic Holmes and Watson, with Genevieve Bujold, David Hemmings, Donald Sutherland, Sir John Gielgud, and Anthony Quayle rounding out the big-name cast. While not perfect, "Murder By Decree" seems to me to be a more cohesive film, and covers much of the same territory that is retread in "From Hell". In fact, except for the detectives, "From Hell" could have been, essentially, a remake.

The same could also be said with regards to the 1988 miniseries, which is perhaps, to date, the definitive Jack the Ripper story. In it, Michael Caine convincingly portrayed an older, wiser Abberline (minus the ESP and drug problem), Armand Assante played a suspect, Jane Seymour and Susan George were among the menaced women, and Ray McAnally was cast as Sir William Gull. The miniseries played out over several nights, giving it time to present a more detailed mystery, and to delve more deeply into the characters of those involved. "From Hell" also seems to borrow liberally from this miniseries, thereby giving it a less-than-fresh feel(although the in-your-face gore is something missing from either of these earlier treatments).

While "From Hell" suffers from comparisons to earlier films, it is still stylish and exciting, with (mostly) good performances, so it should satisfy fans of period thrillers. September 24, 2008

Modern/Victorian

Jack the Ripper was the first known serial killer, a modern murderer in a Victorian world. In From Hell, the Hughes brothers bring to life the Victorian city and the modern monster that haunted it. From Hell, like all Ripper lore, is based in fact but filled out by fantasy. The characters, the Victorian London, the events that unfold are all an odd combination of popular imagination and history. But in this case the combination works, and neither element overwhelms the other. The movie is darkly frightening and believable in the willing-suspension-of-disbelief way.

Johnny Depp plays Inspector Abberline in a deft, understated performance that fits the setting and skillfully avoids the cliche Scotland Yard caricature. Heather Graham (not my favorite actress) is remarkable sympathetic and realistic in a performance that bends over backwards to avoid being "the hooker with the heart of gold" and usually succeeds.

The gore is present but not gratuitous, considering the subject matter. But to anyone with a weak stomach, there was a reason they called him The Ripper. The mystery unravels deliberately, skillfully making use of all the early embedded clues so that you can almost guess who the Ripper is... perhaps. From Hell gives Jack the Ripper's legend its due; it succeeds in melding the modern and Victorian, the true horror and the myth that Jack the Ripper has become seamlessly. September 18, 2008

Great on all counts!

Very good story telling. A new variation of a story applied to the actual events of the unsolved Jack the Ripper murders. Great directing & excellent acting. Depp is not one of my favorite actors but this was a welcome surprise.

The delivery of High Def via Blu-ray was excellent!

Amazon's delivery of this product was excellent! August 30, 2008

Abusing Opium has Never Been More Sexier!!!

This is one of my favorite films from Johnny Depp, I've never seen him act so well "normal" in a film. Heather Graham was absolutely stunning in this film, nothing compares to that gorgeous red hair of hers. I couldn't believe how excellent this movie was, with the twists and turns I should have guessed who the ripper was, and felt pretty embarressed when I couldn't figure it out until the end.

Most of the time my mouth was wide open, because of the intensity I got from the lewdness of it all. What did I expect though it was a movie about a serial killer? All the women in the film, really set the profile for a group of prostitutes or "unfortunates". I'm very glad I didn't live on the east end of Britain in the 1880's. I always believed that men killed or raped woman, in order to feel more powerful. I thought that since we have had so many more killings now that it was possibly because American woman have gained more rights, and this has caused men to lose the superiority mind-set they once had so many years ago. Now from watching this movie, and reading more history on the actual Jack the ripper killer or killers, I have come to the conclusion that maybe there is more motive to the brutally savage-minded killers than just that.

Otherwise great movie, great buy. August 22, 2008

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