Rating: 
Summary: Bloody Hell
Review: I was very interested in seeing this movie. I love this kind of history and it just looked very intriguing. Of course, you can't really watch this film as a complete history lesson. I'll explain later. The movie tells the story about Jack The Ripper, a name given to a serial killer who brutally slaughtered five prostitutes(could be more)nearly 114 years ago in London. Nobody knew who this man was. They still don't. In comes Johnny Depp, who plays a Scotland Yard inspector named Abberline. This is a man with his own problems. He is addicted to opium, and this addiction seems to help him solve murders by having visions of the crimes. He befriends prostitute Mary Kelly(who, in real life, was a victim)played by Heather Graham, who is part of the circle of prostitutes being killed. Isn't it funny how all of her fellow prostitutes are on the unattractive side but she is pretty?. Robbie Coltrane("Harry Potter", "Nuns On The Run")is on hand as Depp's sgt. The cast also includes Ian Holm, who you may remember from such films as "Alien" and "The Fifth Element". He plays a doctor who no longer practices because of an ailment. The Hughes Brothers(Allen and Albert), direct this film with a sure hand. It is exquisitley shot and looks great. There are a number of scenes that are filled with haunting visuals. The town and costumes are great. Beautiful. The acting is pretty solid. Heather Graham is a decent actress, but she hasn't been given any good stuff since "Boogie Nights". She is passable here, but there isn't a whole lot to her. Ian Holm steals the show with his ill doctor character. Robbie Coltrane is always watchable. Johnny Depp is pretty good. There is no doubt that he is one of the best actors of his generation, but his performance here is kinda routine. Not that it's bad. Some people say he's just like Ichabod Crane in "Sleepy Hollow" again. No way. These two movies and characters are as different as night and day. His accent is pretty good too. The ending of this film tells you who the ripper is. But don't think that you were actually given a positive answer to this mystery. You aren't. The fact is that nobody really knows who Jack The Ripper was. This crime has gone unsolved for over a 100 years. There have been theories and thoughts since then, but no real proof. He could've been caught, but he could also of gotten away. No one knows who he really was or what happened to him and probably never will. The filmmakers here pretty much took one theory and used it. But there can be no satisfactory ending here. I suggest you read some books on this subject or check out some web sites on who some of the alleged suspects were. It is a fascinating mystery made into a decent, but still somewhat unsatisfying, film. It is very violent and may not be of your liking. I enjoyed it well enough. It could of been better.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good movie but....
Review: Very good movie but the best Jack the Ripper movie ever is Time After Time.
Rating:
Summary: An Intriguing Look at the Jack the Ripper Tale
Review: Inspector Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp) is not your typical Scotland Yard inspector. He has visions of crimes that he tries to suppress or embrace, depending on his mood, with drugs such as opium, laudanum and absinthe. Luckily, he has Sergeant Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane) to help keep him on task. It is the sergeant who takes Inspector Abberline out to the scene of the first victim in the notorious Whitechapel district of 1888 London. Most of the investigators believe that the slain prostitute is nothing to worry about and not unusual at all given her profession. But Inspector Abberline notices some unusual things about the corpse, like the surgeon-like precision of the wounds and the expensive cluster of grapes near her hand. How could a prostitute afford grapes and what kind of client would have hated her enough to do this?As Inspector Abberline looks into the murder, he comes across Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), a prostitute who knew the victim and is convinced that the local boss is trying to scare them into paying what they owe. But Abberline doesn't think it is that simple. As he spends more time with Mary, he comes to discover that the first prostitute who disappeared left a daughter and that she was no longer working the streets, but had found a special man, an artist, who loved her and was taking care of her. Mary convinces the inspector to find her and Abberline does, but she is in an insane asylum and seems to have the mind of a child. Abberline turns to the noted ex-surgeon Sir William Gull (Ian Holm) to explain the procedure that made her so and to help give him insights on how a surgeon would have used the tools of his trade on the murdered prostitute. The more Inspector Abberline delves into the seemingly unrelated stories, the more he is convinced that they are linked. So when Abberline discovers that the artist lover is in fact the Prince, he suddenly comes to realize that the prostitutes who are being murdered all have one thing in common.... This was a very intriguing look at the Jack the Ripper tale with an interesting premise and solution to the seemingly unsolvable and random crimes. The directors did a wonderful job at creating a very dark and creepy atmosphere on the film that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat even when there is nothing scary going on. I also liked their artful visions of the murders and their restraint in showing or not showing details and leaving it up to the viewers imagination to fill in the blanks. Johnny Depp was superb in his role as Inspector Abberline, as he always is, and you found yourself cheering him on and wishing him every happiness, yet knowing that he wouldn't allow himself to be happy. Heather Graham was quite convincing in her role as a poor British prostitute, but her accent was not quite right. However, it is Ian Holm who really fools the viewers and keeps you in suspense as his character rapidly unravels at the end of the film. However, with all of the film strengths I still had to give it 4 stars because it is just missing that certain something that makes a good film a great film. The plot was a little hard to follow at times and I didn't care for some of the characters, but if you are at all interested in the famous Ripper crimes then this is a movie you shouldn't miss!
Rating:
Summary: Very good film, not so great DVD...
Review: Fascinating take on the Ripper legend. The real star is the breathtaking direction/cinematography. My favorite actor, Johnny Depp, is often lost behind the characterization and heavy Eastend accent. The usually appealing Heather Graham looks so unreal in her castoff "Ariel" red wig and spouting a Eliza Doolittle'isms that she can't be credible. Supporting cast, however, is first rate and the tension never lets up. The DVD special features, particularly the commentary track, are a disappointment and do nothing to enhance the "From Hell" experience. Still, this is worth owning for Depp fans and crime buffs.
Rating: 
Summary: Very nice tranlation of the Ripper lore
Review: I was surprised to hear the Hughes Bros. were doing this film, their previous outings being urban crime stories about life in the ghetto (Dead Presidents and Menace II Society), but this movie was a masterstroke. Although the MPAA forced the directors to go easy on the gory details of the Ripper's killings, the facts are here, more or less intact, and most of the major theories are represented as well. Johnny Depp is excellent and, surprisingly, Heather Graham is also very strong, this being her first period piece.
The movie has a laconic, dreamy feeling, and is pretty intoxicating. The movie isn't as scary as it could probably be, but there are many ghastly, gruesome moments that had the audience flinching. I recommend it highly, especially on the big screen when all the beautiful cinematography and direction show through.
Rating:
Summary: Umm great.
Review: I haven't actually seen this film but I automatically give it 5 stars because Johnny is in it.
Rating:
Summary: Johnny Depp is an angel From Hell
Review: OK, so this isn't the best movie I've seen in my life. I don't think it'll become a classic, because of its genre, but I think this movie is a lot better than some of the critics would have us believe. Firstly, although I admit I wasn't hugely keen on all the cockney accents, I do think that Johnny Depp was brilliant. Maybe it's just because he's gorgeous, but I do think he was brilliant as the dark, brooding inspector in this film. He was just so cool, you couldn't help but find him a very likable hero. The dastardly villain, Jack The Ripper himself, was very powerful and convincing too - pretty much a flawless performance. Although the plot was a tad long-winded and inexplicable at times, I've seen a lot worse and in the end, it did all make sense. I didn't get bored even when the movie was a little tough going, because of the superb set and generally interesting characters. I personally thought the prostitutes and policemen were extremely authentic - there was very little Hollywood glamour in the film, which was necessary to show the seedy areas of Victorian London. My only real complaint about this movie would be Heather Graham - she really wasn't anything to write home about. Still, she wasn't playing a very demanding or charismatic role, so maybe I'm being a little harsh here. Otherwise, this film was a success in my opinion - well cast, well directed and brilliant scenery. By the way - this film is NOTHING like Sleepy Hollow. From Hell is pure evil, whilst Sleepy Hollow is its very tongue in cheek, poor relation.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy the Alan Moore original
Review: As a fan of both Alan Moore and Jonny Depp, I was looking forward to this movie. Ultimately most other reviewers are right -- great detail, not much feel. It's not the worse movie ever, but rent it, don't buy it. If you want a work of creative genius, buy the graphic novel by Alan Moore. Don't be turned off if you aren't a comic book fan, the writting is teriffic, and the whole thing is very intelligent.
Rating:
Summary: A bloody labor of love
Review: Okay, I'm a big fan of Johnny Depp. I had also heard that Roman Polanski had a hand in the production somehow, though I don't know where I heard it and it's not in the credits. It was only in doing research on Roman Polanski, however, that I even heard about this movie -- and outside of my affinity for Johnny Depp, it would have been the only reason I purchased it. Johnny Depp has done some very interesting occult related work lately, now that I think about it. That said, yes, the movie is based on an intriguing theory about the Jack the Ripper murders. It is very powerful and well thought out. The cinematography is incredible, and appears to be a true labor of love. I couldn't help thinking of Sharon Tate all the way through it. ...geminiwalker
Rating:
Summary: We are under the control of dangerous sects
Review: Jack the Ripper has always been a great mystery. No one will ever know who he was and what his motivations were, except if one day we come across new documents. This film is adapted from a comic strip and the theory is original, even if it is not in any way more objective than any other. The idea is that it is a freemason cleaning mission to protect the Prince of Wales who is syphilitic but has married a young prostitute and has had a child from her. The scandal has to be erased and the unacceptable heiress to the throne has to be pushed aside, destroyed, along with all the witnesses of the illegitimate marriage, what's more in a catholic church. The freemasons are moved into this extreme action by several reasons. First to avenge the crime from the catholic church, hence to clean up the plate of dirty linen they have had with the catholic church for centuries. Second, to clean up the social plate this time and get rid of prostitutes, at least some of them, and maybe frighten prospective customers. Prostitutes are seen as propagating diseases and social decay. Third, to strengthen the Crown of England, the Empire, because they have won a very important position in this political institution that more than tolerates them. They also agree with the vast program of this Empire : to civilize the world. Fourth, and this motivation is very obscure, they go back to old traditions and rituals that are supposed to symbolically save the world because they are inspired by God himself, thus projecting the free masons into a cosmological and religious mission : to be the new Abraham, the new Moses, the new messengers of God on earth to propagate his will and ethics. The inspector that tries to find out the truth is a mixture of many characters, particularly Sherlock Holmes, including the use of opium (though Holmes used cocaine), to have visions of the crimes and the criminal. This gives an esoteric dimension to the story. Of course this does not stop the criminal, though the film does pretend the criminal is punished after fulfilling his mission because he over-interpreted the objective of it. The film is well built, entertaining and even thrilling. And I particularly like the use of grapes in this plot. It reveals the deep poverty of many, the condescending pity and rejection of these dregs of society that prostitutes are, the aristocratic belief that these women can be lured by some valueless vain merchandise, etc. The free masons are shown as being a sect, nothing but a sect that tries to manipulate society through their penetrating into the inner circles of the governing body of it. Power is their main objective and they are ready to do anything to protect this power, their power or the power that tolerates them. They are in other words extremely dangerous. This is the modern dimension of this film and it is a disquieting one, because free masons still exist. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
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