Good direction of a lame script

Rating: 6/10 (20 October 2001)

"From Hell" is certainly a stylish exercise in gruesome horror/mystery, but the Hughes Brothers' direction is wasted on a script that turns ridiculous by film's end.
Jack the Ripper is a killer defending the British throne (currently occupied by Queen Victoria) from an illegitimate child born to a Catholic prostitute (the movie makes it seem like being a Catholic is worse than being a prostitute) who could be heir. His goal is to 'eliminate' all those who are aware of the child's existence. The Inspector Abaline character (Johnny Depp) works well, as does the role of the Watson-like Seargent Godley (Robbie Coltrane), and even the nonsense of the Queen Victoria conspiracy has a certain charming mystique to it.
However, Jack The Ripper is not satisfied with just killing, but insists on performing brutal mutilations and the removal of organs. Why does he do this, when he could just throw them off a building or toss them in a lake? I guess because the writers think that gruesome violence will help sell their movie. The explanation is some ridiculous and desperate story of Jack being so insane, that he thinks thoroughly butchering his victims will somehow represent Jewish struggle, or Jewish oppression, or something. I couldn't really tell, and I didn't really care. It didn't seem like the writers did either.
That said, the Hughes brothers definitely created a haunting atmosphere through the first act, and although anyone who has seen enough movies and knows enough actors won't take long to figure out who the killer is, the suspense is still real, and will make you eager to see the story unwrap, when you're not dreading a closeup of the victim.