Pointless gut dreary tale about Jack The Ripper. Again we are made grateful that we weren't poor in London in the 1880's. Not one of Depp's best. One Fly Out Of Five

Rating: Null/10 (25 February 2002)

Jack the Ripper murdered 5 prostitutes in ten weeks in 1888 London and like Dracula has entered the realm of legend. Dracula was invented only a few years later in England by an English civil servant called Bram Stoker. England of the late 19th Century would seem to have been a fervent source of nasty tales.
The Whitechapel area of East London at that time was a horribly destitute area with an estimated 1200 prostitutes, gleaned from the hoards of desperately poor women forced to live there by their desperate circumstances.
That the murder of only 5 of them would have engendered such interest nearly 100 years later is remarkable, probably one of the first instances of a media frenzy over a serial killer.
It helped of course that the ripper took delight in dissecting his victims, sometimes carefully placing their organs beside the bodies. Those sorts of lurid details tend to grab reader's attention! The Ripper was never found which also adds to the mystery.
From Hell is based on a comic book written by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. Campbell apparently lives in Paddington Sydney. Moore wrote the famous Watchmen series. Directors Albert and Allen Hughes have previously directed Menace II Society.
From Hell is what is called in the trade richly atmospheric. It's full of gore, rain, prostitutes rutting with their clients up against fences and puzzled policemen. Nearly everyone is either destitute, mad, bad or drugged.
Johnny Depp plays Abberline, an opium soaked detective who has the ability to suss out crimes by dreaming their details. Robbie Coltrane plays the straight Watson like policeman to Depp's Holmes. He who drags Abberline our of opium dens to do his job. Heather Graham plays Mary Kelly one of the prostitutes and she's the best thing going for the film.
But what's the point! From Hell seems to be something of a gothic film without the Goths, aimed perhaps at a more adult audience, but should they or would they be bothered. This is a slasher film without much in the way of slashes. Depp doesn't help. He plays Abberline so flat he looks like he's sleepwalking. And so will you. Get the comic book. It would probably be better.
One Drowsy Fly Out Of Five