Original Narrative Hook Poor Ending No spoilers but it's necessary to give away the narrative hook to explain the complex plot.Someone is LA is copy catting the Jack the Ripper murders exactly 100 years to the date. Everyone in LA is on high alert as this is the night of the fifth and final murder.James Spader is a left handed doctor named Jack. GET IT? But Spader is not the Ripper. He accidentally stumbles on the fifth murder and finds a coworker at his office also named Jack. The two fight and Jack insists he is not the Ripper just before hanging Spader and making it look like the Ripper committed suicide after completing his killing.Similar to 'Psycho's twist of the lead character dying early in the film, we are left to wonder, how can Spader find the real Ripper if he's dead within the first 20 minutes? Enter Spader's black sheep twin brother Rick with a criminal history. Rick is furious with the police whom are trying to pin the murders on his brother. Rick's brotherhood bond lets him know just as we do that Spader was not the killer nor did he commit suicide.Not only do the cops dismiss Rick's claims but when some evidence leads away from their original theory, the cops start looking at him as being his brother's accomplice.As the audience we know the original Spader twin is innocent but could Rick be the real killer? Unfortunately the ending isn't surprising, it's just plain silly. But for the first 1:15 it keeps us hanging on the every single clue. It's worth watching.

This item might be trapped in its 80s decor (fashion, music), but this stylishly compelling and crisp psychological thriller holds it cards close and leads the way with an appealingly subtle and sincere James Spader performance. This guy has charisma! And he strongly pulls off the whole dual part of playing twins. The premise is one of those, the less you know, the better off you are. When you think you have it figured out, you'll find yourself at square one again. It's a simple, but cleverly penned whodunit murder mystery story. Its odd and manipulative multi-layered structure offers unpredictable turns, hidden clues, suspicious red herrings, but in the long run leaves some spotty developments and a real lack of motivation. It might annoy and could've used some tweaking, but the well-paced story (that takes time to give our protagonist some depth) and sense of urgency just grips you that you just go with it. Director / writer Rowdy Herrington's directorial debut shows assurance in his abilities. The thrills are routine, but confidently done with razor-sharp timing and jarring force. They're menacing, brooding, bloody and a little disturbing. He really does hold you at bay with powerful visuals and anxious suspense. The moody photography and lighting composition drills in well with the stirringly blues music score. This blends well in with eerily glum and sullen atmospheric tinge coming from the Los Angles' setting. The performances are well-suited. Spader is the film's main drive, but Cynthia Gibb is capably good and Robert Picardo turns in a sound performance. Its also stars Jim Haynie, Chris Mulkey, Rod Loomis, John Wesley and Rex Ryon in amusingly fine support. A wonderfully quirky and darkly projected thriller that's better than your average output.

Jack the Ripper films are one of my favorite, however, this film was boring and very unrealistic. I simply could not wait until it finally ended and the real Jack the Ripper was finally revealed. However, I knew who Jack the Ripper was from the very beginning of the picture. James Spader(John/Rick Westford) "I Witness"'03, gave a great dual performance and is a great up and coming actor along with Cynthia Gibb(Chris Moscari) "A Crime of Passion"'03 TV,who loved John Westford and became very close with Rick. These actors did a great job with a horrible script about nothing !

I didn't much like this movie. It's odd and unusual enough to keep you off-balance, but the plot has some gaps and unexplained parts.....(SPOILERS FOLLOW)Early on, we see a man committing a most brutal murder, but ultimately it is revealed that the "Ripper" is someone else. The whole behavior of the first man strikes me as inexplicable. Perhaps there is a curious kind of connection, a bond between the two killers, but it is never made clear. This script looks like a part of a greater whole that we don't get to see. (**)