Jack
the Ripper, one of the most notorious and yet mysterious figures
every to emerge from history. A cold, and ruthless killer,
who not only murdered several prostitutes, but also mutilated
the bodies in ways that had never been seen before, and have
rarely been seen since. The very name conjures up images of
horror, rain falling on cobblestones, gaslights, and fog filled
nights of fear that befell the Whitechapel district of London
in 1888.
The Ripper
was the first serial killer to gain international notoriety
and to become famous via the papers as his legend and stories
grew with each grisly victim. The people of London were shocked,
and the poor people and especially the prostitutes were outraged
that nothing was being done by what they saw as a disinterested
upper class, as the poor lived in fear of being the Rippers
next victim.
The murder
spree of 5 prostitutes was shocking not so much in that the
ladies were killed, but that each one was killed silently
and in a vicious manner, and each murder was even more grisly
and savage than the one before. Oddly just as quickly as the
Ripper's deadly spree started, it ceased and the Ripper was
never to be heard from again. What remained was one of the
greatest mysteries in history and numerous theories abound
as to who the Ripper was, and what the motivations behind
his crime were.
There
have been numerous movies and books over the years that have
looked into the Ripper, in fact, there have been more books
written on Jack the Ripper than on all the US Presidents combined.
One movie, "Time After Time" even went so far as
to pose that the Ripper escaped justice by fleeing in a time
machine built by H.G. Wells.
Thankfully,
in the new film "From Hell" the Hughes brothers
remained faithful to the historical facts and give viewers
a modern tale of the Ripper that chills, and delivers an effective
story and provides some interesting takes on the Ripper and
his motivations.
The story
tells of 6 working girls, who are down on their luck, they
are being threatened by a local thug and his men to pay him
a Pound a week or be maimed or killed. The working girls fear
how they will get the money to pay him, much less earn enough
from selling themselves for food and shelter.
Before long, one of the girls is found dead. She has had her
throat cut, and has been mutilated in ways that sicken and
shock even the medical examiners that are sent in. There are
no clues and no suspects and the police officials are interested
in keeping this matter quiet and getting the case taken care
of. Into the investigation comes Inspector Fred Abberline
(Johnny Depp), a gifted yet troubled man who has lost his
family but is known for his visions that he has when he is
taking opium and other drugs. Sgt. Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane)
assists Abberline, a quote spouting man who is loyal to Abberline
and determined to help the inspector solve the case.
Shortly after the discovery of the first victim, a second
victim is found and Abberline is drawn closer to the investigation
as he has seen this woman in one of his visions. He also makes
a discovery between the victims that leads him to a theory
that shocks his superiors and threatens to upset the social
balance of England.
The investigation
leads Abberline to Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), a pretty working
girl who was friends with the murdered lady and whose friends
seem to be the targets of the killer. Mary has information
related to one of her friends being involved with a man who
turns out to be related to be part of the Royal family, but
in order to protect herself, her friends, and the child her
friend fathered with this man, she keeps quiet. Eventually
Abberline earns her trust and he struggles to find the killer
while battling all manner of foes including those in his own
office, and his growing feelings for Mary.
Things take a turn for the unexpected when a prominent physician
to the Royal Family, Sir William Gull( Ian Holm), not only
provides Abberline with information that indicates the killer
is an educated and professional man, and likely a Dr, as well
as some shocking information about the Royal family that if
leaked, would not only put his life in danger, but would unravel
the Royal family.
What follows
is a gripping and enticing tale of love, murder, and mystery,
as Abberline seeks to stop the killings, protect Mary and
her friends, and fight through the obstacles that are presented
to him by prominent members of society and his own department.
The film
was directed by Albert and John Hughes who burst onto the
scene with "Menace II Society" and the recent "American
Pimp" while at first "From Hell" seems a departure
from their works that are often set in the ghetto, the filmmakers
noted that the Whitechapel area was very much a ghetto for
the time and the people their faced many of the same issues
for survival that people in similar locations face today.
The direction
and pacing is crisp and the scenery and costumes are first
rate. The film was shot in the Czech Republic and since many
of the Victorian buildings are no longer in place in England,
sets had to be built in the fields near Prague. The results
are fantastic and the visuals of the movie add to the somber
and menacing tone. The cast is first rate and Depp and Graham
are fantastic in their roles as they play the parts with conviction
yet never try to overplay the roles or let their characters
become larger than the story as a whole. Coltrane is fantastic
as he brings toughness, wisdom and compassion to his role
of Godley, and is a trusted and loyal companion to Abberline.
While the film is violent, it is not as gratuitous as many
films of the day and much of the brutality is explained by
the characters rather then presented to the audience in gory
detail. That being said, there is still plenty of gore to
the film, but the film does a great job in showing the brutality
but restraining the gore as what is imagined is far worse
than what is often shown.
The film
is a very effective drama and a gripping look into one of
the darkest chapters in human history. The title of the film
comes from a note written by the Ripper where he wrote that
his location is from Hell. Easily one of the better films
of the year and a very entertaining and well-made film, "From
Hell" is a must see.
4.5 stars
out of 5
Gareth
Von Kallenbach
|