RELEASED IN 2001 and directed by the Hughes brothers, "From Hell" details the Jack the Ripper slayings in the slummy Whitechapel district of London in autumn, 1888. Johnny Depp plays an opium-addicted detective while Robbie Coltrane appears as his colleague. Heather Graham is on hand as a prostitute that captures the Detective's interest.The film was based on Alan Moore's graphic novel of the same name. Moore condemned the change of his "gruff" version of Frederick Abberline with an "absinthe-swilling dandy," referring to the protagonist played by Depp. In real life, there's no evidence that Abberline "chased the dragon" or that he had "psychic visions." Speaking of real life, Moore's graphic novel was based in large part on the royal conspiracy theory popularized in Stephen Knight's 1976 book "Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution." This is one of several theories on the identity of the slayer. True or (probably) not, it makes for a good story."From Hell" plays like a Hammer film, but with a blockbuster budget in the modern era. A couple of comparable Hammer flicks are "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" (1969) and "Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1970). "From Hell" even shares a minor subplot with the latter (high society 'gentlemen' in the Victorian era secretly partaking of taboo hedonistic pleasures). Like Hammer's Gothic horror catalog, you can expect top hats & black coats, cobblestone streets, alluring women, a ghastly killer (or monster) and lush colors.THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hours, 2 minutes and was shot in Prague, Czech Republic, and England (Boscastle & Goldings).GRADE: B

People need to get things straight from the beginning: From Hell (2001) is not a documentary by any means. It takes a well known series of unfortunate events and gives its own take on it. Of course, to spice things up, it adds some known theories into the mix to add thrill and drama.It has a slow pace, as for many great police thrillers. It's a movie about watching a series of events and a finale; there're little to no action scenes or whatnot. I have to say I kinda dislike Abberline's take on this movie. It has way too many Johnny Depp thrown into it and maybe over the top re-imagination into his persona.Overall, good movie if you're into some slow paced police investigation thriller.

This film is an interesting spin on the story of Jack the Ripper. It will be up to the viewer if they agree somewhat, completely agree or totally disagree with what happened, how it happened, who Jack the Ripper was and his connections.What really happened during the rein of terror from Jack the Ripper remains a mystery to this day. Police and hobbyist are still trying to solve the case to this very day. It's interesting when people come up with a new theory of what happened and who Jack was.Now, watching this movie as "purely Hollywood cinema" and not from a point of historical accuracy the movie is good, to me. There is some very scary scenes - quite horrifying really. The movie has a good story even if it's not quite accurate and has some flaws it's still a good horror film over all.8/10

I was disappointed when I learned this movie did so poorly at the box office. It certainly had nothing to do with the movie. I can't think of anything I'd change about it. Which I can only say about maybe a few dozen movies, and I've seen at least 500 if not more.Depp and Graham both nail the accents at least from an American's perspective, no keanu reeve Dracula gaffs here, and we actually care about the characters which is refreshing in a who-done-it where the tendency is to let your characters serve as simplistic symbols.The production design should have won an Oscar, and the scoring likewise was splendid. I couldn't believe the hughes brothers directed this, Dead presidents was at best a tepid experience, Menace to Society better but still basically just an above average genre pic. This on the other hand is a classic, better than anything spike lee or singleton ever even thought about making. Their use of hip hop montage against the backdrop of a history piece was truly genius. Of all the mystery horror films I've seen from hell is tied with Jaws for number 1 in visual innovation and ranks in the top 5 over all. A definite must see