Interesting take on the Jack the Ripper story. Was fairly gripping for most of the time, but drifted towards the end and spluttered out.Innovative plot ends up being too far-fetched.Decent acting by Johnny Depp, Robbie Coltrane, Heather Graham and Ian Holm. Depp's fake English accent was not very believable though.

The story of Jack the Ripper has long been of interest in the horror cinema. Right back in the creaky old days of the silents he made his appearances in the likes of 1926's WAXWORKS and Hitchcock's THE LODGER. An infamous black and white British version of the tale, made in 1959 by a cheap rival to Hammer, has fallen into obscurity but is still best remembered for the final reel, in which the killer is caught beneath a lift and the screen turns to glorious blood red colour for an instant to capture his gory demise. In the 1970s, European horror veteran Jess Franco gave us his typically sleazy variant with 1976's nasty JACK THE RIPPER, with Klaus Kinski in the leading role, whilst Spanish stalwart Paul Naschy made his own variant. In 1988, to mark the centenary of the Ripper murders, a supposedly definitive television miniseries was made in America starring Michael Caine as the investigating policeman. It's a good but flawed telling of the story marred only by the TV-movie level it never rises above. And now, to mark the new millennium, two brothers best known for their gangster rap movies have given the world FROM HELL, which is for a change based on a graphic novel (which I haven't read) of the Ripper story rather than the real-life murder investigation itself.As a horror film, it works. Everything about this film screams style and class. For a change the gory murders and surgical operations that Jack carries out on his deeply unfortunate victims are shown in graphic detail, rather than only being spoken of like in previous versions of the tale, and no expense is spared in giving us graphic, stomach-churning scenes of the cloaked Ripper calmly sawing out the internal organs of his female victims, kneeling above their prone bodies. Entrails are torn out and wrapped around necks and throats are slashed emitting geysers of crimson gore. Police surgeons repeatedly vomit at the sight of the mutilated corpses and quick flash cuts show us all we need to know about the severity of the crimes, so on a visceral level at least FROM HELL offers pure horror, sometimes nausea-inducing and all the more effective for it. Scenes of the victims being stalked at night by the cruel killer are highly suspenseful, heightened by the dark, baroque music that accompanies them and a high class of acting from all concerned.Attention to detail also contributes to this movie's success and I would go so far as to say that this is the most authentic-looking Jack the Ripper film that I've yet to see. Although some of the choice language is a little too modern to be that convincing the rest of the dialogue, the sets, the scenery and the costumes are spot-on. You have to love the brief appearance of the Elephant Man into the thick of the action and the secret society of Freemasons who operate below ground. Characters sport lived-in clothes rather than the off-the-shelf garb of the Caine miniseries and the London setting is brilliantly portrayed as a rancid den of sleaze and open depravity, packed with opium dens, pubs full of drunken angry men, and streets littered with filth and beggars.The cinematography is spot-on and helps to transport you back to 1888, putting you into the realism of the action as we watch drug-induced nightmares of the Ripper slicing up his victims and taking them to pieces. After the initial half hour which bluntly introduces Jack's figure into the depressing London streets the film takes the form of a detective tale as policeman Johnny Depp searches for clues to find the identity of the killer. Once again the film takes the well-worn conspiracy route of there being a royal connection to the killer, so whilst it lacks the element of surprise (aside from those who are complete Ripper novices) the final unmasking of the villain is still a fine piece of shock cinema and the last reel very exciting, incorporating a violent cab ride and the most gruesome murder saved for last into the proceedings.The cast is bolstered by a host of familiar British faces like Ian Richardson who bring a touch of class to the production although ironically the two leads are American (though you wouldn't guess it, as they do sport impeccable accents as is the norm these days). Johnny Depp once again proves he can do no wrong and it's fair to say that he's become a mini-horror star in recent years with all the genre productions he keeps making. Depp's opium-addicted young policeman makes a nice change from the decent, elder investigators (like Michael Caine in the 1988 miniseries) and he plays a charming, interesting central figure and one which the audience can thankfully emphasise with. Robbie Coltrane plays it tough as Depp's sergeant and basically acts as the comic relief of the production (and boy, does this horrific outing need it). Heather Graham (BOOGIE NIGHTS) is also delightful as Mary Kelly, a would-be victim of the Ripper, and as well as looking spot-on in the role, all flowing red locks and heaving bosoms just like in one of the old Hammer films, plays her part with some skill.I don't have an unpleasant word to say about anyone else, but special kudos goes to Ian Holm who plays a kindly retired surgeon in one of his last major roles. Subtle use of black contact lenses turn the killer into a deeply scary-looking man and the actor playing Jack really does deserve an Oscar for his role here - the final murder in which he believes he is teaching a class is magnificently-evoked stuff and very clever indeed. FROM HELL is a quality production and one of the better versions of the tale and it will certainly take some doing to better this in the future; for now be content in watching what is a well-paced, scary, sometimes disturbing modern horror yarn.

old theme. and wise manner to use it. fascinating science of detail. and one of the great roles of Johnny Depp. after many novels and studies and movies, the case Jack the Rippen could not give surprises. but From Hell propose a different side. and does that in a delicate- convincing manner. because the victims are more than shadows. because the detective is more than a clever guy front to the evil. because the love becomes one of important pieces of a puzzle about justice and about deep secrets. because the cinematography is great and the Victorian atmosphere is recreated in realistic manner. a seductive film about a fascinating subject.

The Hugh's Brothers From Hell may play havoc with the facts of the actual Jack the Ripper case, and sometimes veers into syrupy sentiment, but for the most part it's a sumptuous, wonderfully spooky shocker with an austere, gloom and doom vibe and some genuinely horrifying murder scenes. I consider it a companion piece to Sleepy Hollow, as they both positively drip with atmosphere, and share the same star in Johnny Depp, as a troubled Inspector attempting to solve equally chilling homicides. Granted Sleepy Hollow is the fun one, while From Hell has almost no sense of humour and a sense of grave danger from right out of the gate. Johnny Depp plays Frederick Abberline, an opium addicted Scotland Yard inspector who's roped into an obsessive search for Jack The Ripper, aided by his sergeant Peter Godley (always nice to see Hagrid- I mean Robbie Coltrane). He gets embroiled in aristocratic corruption, and attempts to protect beautiful prostitute Mary Kelly (Heather Graham with red hair!) who fears she may be next on old Jack's list. He begins to suspect that his opium induced nightmares may provide a conduit to the killers actions, and give him something to go on. Is he losing it? Or are the drugs actually giving him metaphysical clues? Depp plays him with a forlorn, world weary malaise that's a nice front for the razor sharp intellect that made Abberline famous (he also took down the Wolfman earlier in life). Bilbo Bagg- I mean Ian Holm shows up as a renowned doctor who assists him, and Jason Flemyng as a no good coach driver, with Sophia Myles, Katrin Kartlidge and David Schofield as a grinning, evil east end pimp rounding out the roster. Now, because in real life it's an unsolved case, the Brother's Hugh's feel like they have to complete full circle, and give us a nice tidy resolution. I feel like the film should have left it open ended and never given us a who in the whodunit. It would have made the film so much more effective and eerie, but alas the studio heads must be babysat through a generic narrative to appease their financial anxiety. No matter, it's still a rich, gorgeous, bloody genre piece with an evocative, smoky London palette for this ghostly predator to stalk and slay, and for hard nosed law dogs to pursue him through the fog. Definitely a piece to check out.