Good, good stuff, with one really big flaw.

Rating: 9/10 (22 October 2001)

(Possible spoilers)
"From Hell" is a visually arresting thriller that follows the killing spree of the oh so infamous Jack The Ripper, which take place in 1888 London, according to the film that is. Johnny Depp plays Inspector Frederick George Abberline, a man who can see the murders before they happen, which is done by taking lots of opium and then slipping into a dreamlike state. The murder victims are prostitutes and soon after inspecting a couple of the bodies Depp begins to realize that the killer may be killing these ladies as a form of punishment, not for money.
The story of the film, although confusing at times, does make quite a bit of sense and the movie's pretty intriguing, until the last five to 10 minutes, which seem very rushed and because of the not very good, when compared to the rest of the picture.
That's just the one problem that hurts the film. The other one is Heather Graham, whose phony and downright ridiculous accent plagues any scene she's in and just proves how miscast she is in the movie. Her acting isn't all the great either. Oh and also Ian Holm plays an old doctor, who is pretty fascinating to listen to, even if he seems a little off. But Holm does play his role well and does add some depth to the cast of the movie.

Depp is by far the best of the bunch, as he always is. I'm not sure why he hasn't gotten noticed as much as actors like Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks or Harrison Ford (to name a few famous ones), he's just as good if not better than all three. But Depp does turn in a great performance as Inspector Abberline, his British accent is very convincing and he delivers his lines with a lot of power. "From Hell" is not the best picture of the year, but it does come close on some fronts, with only the ending and Graham's performance keeping it from being truly fantastic. But the visual style, both in the real world and in Depp's visions is very impressive and for the most part the acting is exceptional, again, except for Graham. Sure the film is pretty gory in certain parts but that's what you should expect from a movie whose villain is Jack The Ripper and the violence doesn't hurt the picture in any way. I'll say ***1/2 out of 4 stars.