From Hell

Rating:
Summary: The Night Of The Ripper
Review: FROM HELL is based on the comic book Graphic Novel by Alan Moore about the killing spree of Jack The Ripper of the 1880s. I have heard people say that the filmmakers took great liberties with the film translation. For the most part that is true, but those involved make it quite clear on the 2nd DVD, that they used the basic story and certain sequences for inspiration, while making it into something new. While I have never read the book (I plan to do so soon), I can accept the explanation given as to why the filmmakers veered from the book...Inspector Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp) is asked to investiagate the murder of a prostitute. As he begins to gather evidence, he meets another prostitute, Mary Kelly (Heather Graham) that meeting soon puts her in danger.

Directed by the Hughes Brothers, the film is atmospheric and may be too graphic at times, for some viewers, and sets a mood. For the first 90 minutes, the film draws you in with fine acting, cool prodution design, and some intense moments. My main problem with the film is the fact that the identity of the killer is easy to figure out. If you are paying attention, the ending may seem, rather anti-climactic. By the time there is the big reveal, you pretty much had it figured ot a long time ago.

As a 2 disc DVD set, there are plenty of solid extras to warrant my 4 star rating. The best features are the 20 deleted scences (disc 1) with optional Director commentary. The main commentary is well done and never goes overboard one way or the other.Disc 2 has a film to graphic novel comparison, a rather cool interactive investigation of the murders, a glossed over HBO special, tour of the murder sites, and the theatrical trailer among other features. Fans of the film, this is a must own. For all others, it's strictly a rental Recommended

Rating:
Summary: stellar
Review: The whole air of the film is dark and moody, intelligent and just totally awesome. I've heard others say it was too slow and not gory enough, but I thought it was just right. I loved all the old English language and bad weather. The backdrops and shots of old London from the sky are gorgeous. The story is unbelievably awesome. The Ripper was most likely a Nobleman and this flick tells the tale well. And with style. Bravo Hughes Brothers!
A common factor I did notice with people who said they didn't like it, is that they all probably watched it on 27" TV's. I think it was watchable in widescreen only, which, on a 27", turns into a 6-inch thick, 2-foot wide movie bar.

Rating:
Summary: A 100 year old case gets a modern re-telling. Well Done.
Review: Having been fascinated by the Jack the Ripper case for many years now, it is refreshing to see a new movie offering a new twist on the legend. The Hughes Brothers make an interesting change of venue (considering their first two movies "Menace II Society" and "Dead Presidents") and pull off a scary and stylish adaption to a brilliant graphic novel.

Johnny Depp plays a clairvoyant detective who's powers of seeing into the near future help track the ripper in the slums of Whitechapel, a district of London where the ripper killed at least 5 women in 1888. Along the way, he meets Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), a prostitute with a good mind, and they develop a romance of sorts. Anyone who has read about Jack The Ripper will know what fate has in store for Mary. A romance between a detective and a prostitute is a strange entity, but stranger things areto come in this movie. Also adding their talent are Robbie Coltrane and Ian Holm, to name a few. The acting is superb, and the Hughes Brothers showcase themselves as great directors.

The novel "From Hell", and this movie, attempt to use logic to show us who the ripper really was. It shows the ripper as an educated man, a man with intellegence and knowledge of science and anatomy. History often painted Jack The Ripper as a lunatic who simply killed prostitutes to satisfy his desire for blood.
You can't really argue accuracy, because all you can offer today is theory. "From Hell" attempts to draw it's own conclusions, and without spoiling the movie, it have some great twists.

This DVD features 23 deleted scenes with an optional different ending. It also contains a documentary on Jack The Ripper, his case, and the posible suspects. All of this is fascinating stuff, and add to the value of this DVD collection. The film is a bit bloody at times, which is hardly suprising considering the story. But if you haven't see "From Hell" yet, you are missing out on a great film.

Rating:
Summary: Hollywood, Take Note: THIS IS HOW TO DO A DIRECTOR'S EDITION
Review: An amazing story supported by an amazing commentary track (featuring the directors, the screenwriter, the cinematographer, and one of the principal actors), FROM HELL is a DVD extravaganza, the likes of which Hollywood should be churning out like butter.

Disc One features the full-length commentary of the film, splendidly cut onto DVD. The story, surrounding the events linking together the five infamous Jack the Ripper murders, plays out over the course of a few days, with Johnny Depp playing a fictitious inspector hell-bent on stopping the madman before another one can be committed. The commentary, especially the elements provided by the directors and the cinematographer, are incredibly insightful for the simple reason that they actually CARED about getting the subject matter presented as close to factual as was humanly possible! As well, the insights into the criminal mind and some backlash at the Hollywood system interfering with the possible success of motion pictures are well done.

Disc Two, however, is a real pleasure. It features an interactive documentary surrounding all of the various theories trying to answer the question of who Jack the Ripper truly was. Also, there is an HBO featurette hosted by the lovely Heather Graham. Still even more fascinating is the tour of the murder sites, done of the movie set, actually hosted by the directors. Yet even more incredible is the featurette on set-production: did you know they actually rebuilt a large section of the Whitechapel District in Prague to make this film possible? Lastly, some smaller featurettes on absinthe and the FROM HELL graphic novel are included.

By far, this is one of the best DVD packages I've seen in my few years of collecting. Fans of the film, as well as mere cinema buffs, will get a charge out of these loaded discs.

Get set for a journey into Hell!

Rating:
Summary: Not really a horror movie
Review: I would give this movie 3-1/2 stars. I appreciate what the directors were trying to do and they are very successful in creating the world of "Jack the Ripper". This movie doesn't provide any real scary moments however. The movie isn't about things that go bump in the night, it's about the investigation of the murders. Johnny Depp does a good job with what he's given, Heather Graham at least looks good. She looks too good in fact. The rest of her friends look like crap compared to her. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Interesting theory on the Ripper murders. I guess it's as good as any. The extras are fun and interesting. Average replay value. It's a good movie, the ending seems a bit tacked on, but nonetheless, it's worth a look.

Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 It's Bloody Good Time
Review: Just a few points that have already been reiterated throughout most of these reviews.

1)Beautiful Cinematography

2)Johnny Depp. It may appear to be the same role he did in Sleepy Hallow BUT the man can act.

3)Great Directors

Now I was surprised at what a complete gore fest this movie was. It's so maniacly fun, more of a slasher pic then a thriller. I took me completely by surprise at how far they went with this pic, at times bordering on NC17 type gore. Great stuff. Definetly check it out. And the mystery of who Jack was will get you through between the killings.

A Bloody Good film.

Rating:
Summary: the ending,the bloody end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: ONCE AGAIN,THE CURSE OF A HORRIBLE ENDING DOOMS THE WHOLE OF THE MOVIE!TRUTH BE TOLD,I NEVER READ THE COMIC BOOK OF WHICH THIS WAS BASED ON.I KNEW COMING INTO THIS THAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THE MOVIE.WHAT I DIDNT,COULDNT SEE COMING WAS THIS CONSPIRACY THEORY OF AN ENDING.ATLEAST THEY DIDNT WAIT 4 MONTHS AND PUT THIS 2DISC SET OUT LIKE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MANY OTHER RE-RELEASES ARE DOING.AT ...,YOU CAN WASTE YOUR MONEY BUYING WORSE,BUT I SUGGEST YOU EJECT AT THE 1HR/50MIN MARK.

Rating:
Summary: A visually stunning (albeit historically inaccurate) film...
Review: This new telling of the gruesome Jack the Ripper murders that struck London in 1888 may not be the most historically accurate telling of the story, but it is the most surreal and creepy telling of it in modern cinema history. A lot of that goes to the talented group behind this film. Johnny Depp stars as Inspector Abberline, a London detective whose Opium and Absinthe fueled dreams give him clues to the identity of the brutal killer of prostitutes in the slums of Whitechapel. But as starts to discover, there are secrets that link these murders together and a conspiracy that goes to the highest levels of power in England. The performances are solid, including Ian Holm as the Queen's chief surgeon (who has a few secrets of his own), Robbie Coltrane as the Inspector's reluctant partner, and Heather Graham as a prostitute who starts a dangerous relationship with Abberline. The film was directed by the Hughes Brothers, Albert and Allen (who directed more 20th century oriented fare such as "Menace II Society" and "Dead Presidents") and based upon the complex and grpahic comic book by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. Thanks to cinematographer Peter Deming (Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway) and the stunning production design, this movie makes 19th century London seem as dark and as creepy as the comic does. While the film doesn't adhear too closely to the book, the graphic detail of the murders and the rather unusual conspiracy angle make this movie a must-see for horror buffs. The DVD (a two-disc set to be replaced by a single disc by the end of the year) is definitely a must-own for fans of the film. The lively commentary track feature the Hughes Brothers, Deming, Coltrane, and screenwriter Rafael Yglesias explaining not only the details of the film, but of the actual murders, theories, and some complaints about the studio system that make this an interesting listen. One the first disc are nearly 20 deleted scenes and an alternate ending that is worth seeing with the optional commentary, if only to hear about an unusual extended shot that is worth questioning. On disc two are some intersting documentaries on the production design, a humorous trip through the set with the Hughes Brothers, a look at the history of Absinthe, a look into the theories of Jack the Ripper's identity (everyone from the Queen's doctor to Lewis Carroll, writer of "Alice in Wonderland" are perceived to be suspects), and a look at the book as opposed to the film. Rounding it off is the very short "making of" special aired on HBO, trailers, and look for a very special Easter Egg in the main menu. All in all, this is definitely a most sinful treat and for those of you "From Hell" fans, this two-disc set is definitely worth the extra buck.

Rating:
Summary: Jack Deserves Better
Review: This is a monumental letdown. Historically a hodgepodge of half truths and theories about the crimes long out of style.Depp's character is absurd and bears no resemblence to the actual Scotland Yard inspector he was portraying. Quite possibly the worst Jack the Ripper film ever made, a pity since it will now be years before anyone else with some money attempts to get it right. The real story is right there for the taking if Hollywood is ever interested---which it probably won't be. Not only is this an awful movie, it's a boring one as well.

Rating:
Summary: Johnny Depp fans take note.
Review: "From Hell" is another rendition of the famous story of "Jack The Ripper". This time it's stylishly directed by two brothers, the Hughes Brothers. This is such a different work of film from their earlier efforts, "Dead Presidents" and "Menace II Society".

The story of Jack the ripper is an interesting one, and it is told very well here. It is suspenseful, creepy, and gory. However, it is also an extremely well crafted work. The acting and directing are outstanding. Johnny Depp and Heather Graham are the only names here, but overall the acting is superb. This is a must see for all Depp fans. I think this is his second best work, his first being "Blow".
If you have never seen any films depicting Jack the Ripper, this would be a great choice for the first. It is a creepy old tale and it's spun really well here.
Johnny Depp, plays the inspector who is trying to find out who is the ripper, and he turns in a magnificent performance here.
He also has a full grasp of the English accent, which I was very impressed with. He is very underrated as an actor, and I think he is one of the best actors in films.
This is a great vehicle for him.
Highly recommended!!!