Rating: 
Summary: Oliver Stone's "JFK" meets Jack the Ripper
Review: "From Hell" is the movie Oliver Stone might have made had he run out of modern age conspiracies. Sort of a cross between "JFK" and "Seven", it melds the factual unsolved case of Jack the Ripper, 5 severely dead prostitutes, a prophetic Sherlock Holmes-type (played by Johnny Depp), FreeMasons and a cover-up of royal proportions into a distrubing thriller.
The story is taken from a comic book(of all things) of the same name by Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, a fact which was not publicized, I assume, to prevent it from being labeled "comic book" instead of the serious story it is. Alan Moore apparently did Jim Marrs-type research into the Ripper case, and unearthed a fascinating, if not widely accepted theory of the identity of Jack the Ripper.Like "Sixth Sense" the plot is the star of the flick. It could have used the likeable characters played by Bruce Willis and Hailey Joel Osment in "Sixth Sense" or the comeraderie of Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in "Seven". Johnny Depp is solid, but his character is almost too resigned to empathize with. The love interest that develops between Depp and Felicity Shagwell from "Austin Powers" doesn't heat up enough to draw us in, either. "From Hell" is a faithful adaption to the book and should please its fans. It lacks some of the cohesiveness and suspense of "Seven" and "Sixth Sense", but with a few extras thrown in on DVD, its a keeper.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than expected
Review: From Hell is one of those movies that I was warned on several occasions not to go see. I freely admit that the title alone gave me second thoughts about the quality of the film. However, after seeing this film, I am happy to report that it is, by no means, a bad film. In fact, I was surprised at how stunningly beautiful it is, even among all the carnage. Some of the shots of the town at sunset, with a reddish glow surrounding it, simply took my breath away. Also, the film itself is very stylish in its presentation, to the harsh metallic sound of the stairs to the Ripper's carriage to the use of shadow to the slick feel of the entire story. The identity of the Ripper, though not surprising, is by no means obvious, so even those adapt at guessing endings will be given a bit of a run. One of the best aspects of the movie is that it is lengthy, but it does not feel long. The audience is drawn into the story of Detective Abberline's quest to end the rampage of Jack the Ripper. The only warning that I would place on this film is that it gets more and more gruesome as it goes on, so it is definately not for the feint of heart or weak of stomach. Other than this, I recommend seeing this film on a dark night, when you are in need of a movie with some atmosphere.
Rating:
Summary: That Thick Red Moment
Review: In Dostoyevsky's *Crime and Punishment*, the identity of the murderer was revealed in contiguity with the murder itself. The "mystery" was not WHO-dunnit but rather the metaphysics of WHY. Likewise with the Alan Moore graphic novel, in which the Ripper's identity was revealed early on, followed by a discursive analysis of what such a figure could *mean* to us, the role of the modern serial killer in our new, darkly reconfigured Zeitgeist. Understandably, the film version of *From Hell* keeps the blindfold on till the end, but as a "conventional" mystery-thriller it is a remarkably stylish affair, decked with savage bits of oddball whimsy and bizarro non sequiturs (the Elephant Man scene was both totally unnecessary and a fulsome delight). Scenes that normally would have been scrapped after unfavorable audience-testing are courageously retained in their stark gutsy splendor. Even the gushy, melodramatic denouement (reminiscent of the closing hallucination of Terry Gilliam's *Brazil*) was put into doubt by a fade-in to Inspector Abberline's forehead, implying that it was just another wistful opium dream. Brilliant. Never mind that the script is jerry-rigged from stock chills and an assortment of laborsaving cliches (the contrived love-story is truly From Hell). Never mind that Heather Graham is the most unconvincing celluloid-whore since Julia Roberts in *Pretty Woman*, magically retaining her beauty-salon sheen while her fellow strumpets seem (quite convincingly) caked in filth. Never mind that the garish sound-stages make London look like a boxed-in diorama in a wax museum (remember *Bram Stoker's Dracula*?). *From Hell* packs real panache. The screenwriters preserve as much of Moore's original vision as possible within commercial constraints. True, characters are often conflated (Inspector Abberline and the fraud-psychic Mr. Lees become a single person), events are simplified and/or reorganized into chase-scenes and other stock devices, but so much of the original novel is stubbornly retained, even when the producers must have been breathing down the Hughes brothers' necks for more cuts (pun intended). Most good mysteries have at least two or three likely suspects for us to keep tabs on, but *From Hell* convincingly provides five or six, and those unprejudiced by the novel may be delighted when our Masonic free-agent is unmasked, resplendent in his wily dementia. *From Hell*'s most stark quality lies in the rift between the gaslit grunge of Whitechapel and the opulent intrigues of the Royalist upper class. The rift begins to close when it is revealed that the Prince is dying of syphilis, but shudders closer upon Inspector Abberline's deduction that Saucy Jack must be an aristocrat and gentlemen, an academy-trained sawbones and anatomist, bred in the highest circles, elected to the Masonic underworld (whose pretentions are wonderfully deflated at the end of the film by the Ripper himself), but condemned by history, madness, and ritualistic fury to storm the ghetto, to close the class-gap in a thick red moment of egalitarian butchery. The beast is everywhere, my friend. Like a knife that smiles at night.
Rating:
Summary: On the edge of my seat the entire time!
Review: Firstly, I admit I am a bit biased for I adore Johnny Depp and I am partcularly partial to Victorian England settings. Having said this, I was prepared for eye candy and nothing more. What I got was much, much more. The film has amazing twists and turns and is pure suspense throughout. From the very beginning you are wondering who is this Jack the Ripper and just when you think you may have a guess, the plot thickens! I don't want to give away the story-line but there is an incredible high-society connection in this that will blow you away and perhaps, could very well be possible. The performances are brilliant, entire cast. The cinematography is breathtaking and for Victorian England, in the Whitechapel District, that is a major accomplishment. It's just gory enough, there has to be a bit of blood associated with Jack the Ripper and they could have gone way over the top with blood and gore but they didn't they kept a wonderful balance, enough to make you cringe, but not enough to send you running for the nearest exit. It is very obvious that the writer did thier homework for the connections based on actual historical facts are unreal! I am told this was based on a comic book and the wirters and producers have done an amazing job, not to mention the director. I don't think this is Academy Award Material, but it is certainly a film that is a cut above most of the ones in circulation.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: What can I say, I enjoyed this movie. It wasn't as good as I expected, but was entertaining.
Being the comic book geek that I am, I went into the movie expecting a sprawling epic, and suspensful tale of Jack the Rippers murders. Instead we get a rather convulted story that sort of sticks to the plot of Alan Moores original graphic novel but not really. Having read the behomth From Hell a few times now, I can point to parts where more character development could have been alittle better. Particularly with the character of William Gull. In the book he is much more of a disturbed psycho than in the movie. He books shows that he used to cut up animals as a kid, and had a bad experience sexually with his wife. His obsession with the freemason rhetoric is also very disturbing in his book as well as the fact that he believes he is creating a work of art. All of these things would have helped in character development and made it much more disturbing. Johnny Depp plays a decent Aberline, and looks the part, other than the fact Aberline in the book is alittle more plump. Heather Graham seems oddly out of place in this movie. Now why is it all the other prostitutes are ugly and she is the only good looking one of the bunch. She does a good job as Mary Kelly though.
Another thing I noticed was the romance seems to very aparent in the movie, but in the book it is more or less implied. In the book they don't even know each others names and when she disapears Aberline doesn't really know what to think.
In my opinion the best scene in the movie was when Gull is taking out Kellys heart. He hallucinates that he is doing an anatomy lesson is very chilling and psychological. Overall I realize the book and the movie are diffrent, but I still like From Hell quite a bit. It was one of the better adaptations I have seen in a while.
Rating:
Summary: It's great to have the Hughes Brothers back.
Review: From Hell (The Hughes Brothers, 2001) Wondertwins Albert and Allen Hughes re-emerge
(finally!) after five years to bring us their third
Hollywood cinematic effort, From Hell. (In the
interim, they filmed and released independently a
feature-length documentary called American Pimp,
recently reviewed here.) Based on Alan (Watchmen)
Moore's graphic novel, the tale focuses on Fred
Abberline (Johnny Depp), a Scotland Yard inspector
who, unfortunately for him, lands the case of Jack the Ripper. (Note: the main IMDB page for the movie
contains a MAJOR spoiler, so avoid it if you're
planning on seenig the movie.) Abberline is a
precognitive, and aids his visions with liberal use of
opium and its derivative laudanum, often landing in
subterranean opium dens, usually to be hauled out by
staunch sidekick Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane of
_Cracker_ fame). As they delve deeper into the
investigation, they find that maybe bureaucracy isn't
all that's holding them up; Abberline finds himself
watched by Scotland Yard's Special Branch, headed by
the sinister Ben Kidney (veteran character actor
Terence Harvey). The movie is put together beautifully; not a scene is
ill-shot or out of place, and the violence inherent in
a retelling of the Ripper story is kept to an
as-tasteful-as-possible minimum. The sweeping
cinematography is on a par with Alex Proyas' similarly
claustrophobic Dark City (1998), and the film's
atmosphere is quite successful at drawing the veiwer
in. Where From Hell fails its two Hughes-helmed
predecessors is in the characterization. No character
here gets the same pervasive treatment as did O-Dogg
in _Menace II Society_, for example; many minor
characters seem cardboard cutouts, and even Abberline
and obligatory love interest (and historical Ripper
victim) Mary Kelly (Heather Graham, finally coming up
with a role with as much potential as the one she had
in _Drugstore Cowboy_) don't really get the depth of character they deserve. The characters are all too
readily predictable, and the snarkier part of my mind
wants to lay that fault at the doorstep of Alan Moore;
after all, the Hughes Brothers have a long-established
track record of bringing characters to life. Which brings us to the other predictable element of
the move: the plot. Even those unfamiliar with various
Ripper hypotheses should be able to figure out who the
Ripper is by halfway through the film, and the twist
ending should be obvious even before the scene starts;
despite this, Albert and Allen do have one last twist
of the knife left for the penultimate scene. While the
film doesn't resolve as satisfactorily as did Menace
or Dead Presidents, Hollywood hasn't completely taken
over the wunderkinder yet. It's certainly not the tour de force Menace II Society
was, but From Hell is a surprisingly literate thriller
in a year that's given us the usual Hollywood helping
of mindless dreck; another pearl in the string that
already holds Memento and The Others. Too bad it has
to be cast among such swine as See Spot Run, Jurassic
Park III, The Princess Diaries, etc. etc. ad nauseam.
*** 1/2
Rating: 
Summary: Overblown and witless
Review: Music video cliches meet paranoid -- and preposterous -- conspiracy theories in this tedious and poorly acted melodrama. The Hughes Brothers will no doubt enjoy career advancement from the Hollywood elite for transforming the story of history's most notorious serial killer into a morality play about - gasp! - anti-Semitism, but anyone whose read real books (as opposed to comic books, which is where this story originated) will be baffled by this absurd film.
Rating:
Summary: A slasher movie worth enjoying
Review: Let me clear this up from the start: this is not a slasher film in same sense as what normally fills that genre (Scream, etc..). This film fits more of the whodunnnit murder mystery genre, but it's about the most famous slasher in world history so it's inevitably going to be associated with slasher films. I really love when stories based on true events come up with very creative answers to the questions history doesn't have for us. The plot in this film evolves from "Who is Jack the Ripper?" into something much bigger. The writers definately take some artistic liberty with the plot; turning a simple murder mystery into something more epic involving the monarchy government and secret societies. Since Jack the Ripper was never caught, these fictionalizations create a very interesting motivation for the main character. The acting in this movie was impressive. Johnny Depp really stands out as a British Police Inspector who's addicted to Opium. The scenes aren't for the squeamish but they aren't overly gorey either; the film only shows enough to get it's point across. It's been quite some time since I saw film of this genre, much less of this calibre. If you are looking for something a bit different than the normal Hollywood junk-movie, give this film a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Good theory, poor characterizations
Review: Being someone who dwells almost exclusively in the realm of period films and classic literature, I was excited when I found that there was actually going to be a new film set in one of the periods of English history I most enjoy: the Victorian Era. I knew that the plot was to revolve around the gruesome tale of Jack the Ripper, but judging from the bits and pieces I saw I took the plunge and went anyway. Let me just say: I was disappointed. The characters were as flat as their "graphic novel" counterparts. I could detect no sense of personality in any of them, least of all the main character, Inspector Abberline. Also being an avid mystery fan, I was further disappointed to find that Abberline's detection techniques lay solely in his reliance on drug-induced "visions" which provided key clues to the case, none of which were presented clearly enough to show how they were connected to the killer.
The sole thing this movie had going for it was its one good element: the theory on why the Ripper killed.
My advice: if you want to see this film, see it before the ticket prices go up for the evening show times. Otherwise, don't bother.
Rating: 
Summary: What You Need To Know BEFORE SEEING FROM HELL
Review: Scenery: This movie captures the essence of the post-industrial red-light district of London in the late 19th century. Back then, many were poor and living in slums that looked just like the grim picture the "From Hell" gives us. Nothing is made to look pretty in the scenery except for the well-kept garden and museum you see late in the film, so you get about two hours of dark, depressing slum scenery that is normally lacking in thrillers but has to be present in this picture. Like the scenery in the story, the people in it are well formed to match their environment. There are ruthless pimps, aristocrats who are the students of Social Darwinism (they look down on the pimps, hookers, even the COPS) and bigoted Anti-Semitic police and government officials. You even see some historic figures: Queen Victoria, Disreali (I think), and the "elephant man", a REAL freak in real life. Murders: We are quickly introduced to the murders of a group of prostitutes that forms the fact and the myth of Jack the Ripper. There are no give-away clues in ANY of the murders that the ignorant American would understand, but the movie "teaches" you towards the end in two minutes flat, which is good for Abraham Everyman. IMPORTANT! If you read nothing else in this review, know that the murders in this film aren't HALF as gruesome as some of the near-perverse trash that Hollywood has given us in the past. It's made to be frightening, which it is, but doesn't bore you with blood. You see the people's reactions to each murder, you see through a "grainy" camera during murders, and you see the appropriate amount of blood and intestine and severed thorax and fear-twisted faces to scare you. What you see is mild in comparison to the perversely violent things the real Jack the Ripper did in his butchery of women. The murders themselves are much more sudden than those in slasher flicks (Halloween, Scream Trilogy) and are so quick and efficient butcheries that the killer seems like a God of Death. This trait is essential in a villain. The Hero Johnny Depp plays a Scotland Yard investigator whose "intuition" (ESP, but doesn't become redundant and overly fantastic) allows him to solve cases. Because this IS post-industrial red-light district slumlord-and-slum serf London, he has flaws: he became a drug addict after the death of his wife. He is smoking cocaine when we meet him, so I didn't ruin anything and you won't be surprised. He is also paranoid, which allows him to concoct theories that are still being debated today and weren't historically considered then. You'll know what these are by watching a J the R documentary or seeing the movie.
Heather Graham is a prostitute who's trying to make ends meet so she doesn't get her throat cut by a thug. Odd things happen around her that affect the plot, so don't run to the bathroom during prostitute-related scenes. This is a horror movie anyway, not a stag film. The Legend The Hughes' brothers incorporate as many conspiracy theories as they can into the plot. They also make their solution believable. The ending makes sense historically and is just plain great. The movie is based-off century-old evidence, and things were violent back then, so this film (as stated above) is GRITTY.
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