A wasted effort ...

Rating: 5/10 (24 October 2001)

Having had an interest in the Jack the Ripper case since childhood and also being a huge fan of historical thrillers, I approached the Hughes brothers' "From Hell" with a great deal of anticipation and perhaps, in retrospect, unfairly high expectations. Helmed by talented directors, starring a spectacular cast of actors, and fueled by an obviously unrestrained budget, this lavish production was, to my mind, a can't-miss proposition, its contribution to the edification of horror cinema, a foregone conclusion. How, then, did such tremendous potential so perfectly derail itself, to crash miserably into mediocrity and unfulfilled promise? The answer to that burning question can be answered in one word: Script. "From Hell" is the beautiful flesh of gorgeous--often breathtaking--visuals, hung on the decayed skeleton of a rickety story that seems to have been thought out with all the care and craftiness of a grocery list. Indeed, "From Hell" is much like an enumeration of items that appear to have been checked off one by one, included for the sake of pretentious display, that never form any sort of cohesiveness. This story is simply an overwrought, underdeveloped series of set-pieces that trades suspense for graphic violence, characterization for idiosyncrasy, and narrative for sensationalism. I was thoroughly disappointed--as well as shocked--by the way the Hughes brothers neglected to provide this film with complete, logical, and interconnected scenes that would propel the story and give the viewer a sense that the events taking place on screen were a cumulative progression of action. Ignored were the basic principles of storytelling such as building tension, arc, climax, resolution, and, especially, denouement. Yes, these elements were present in a deconstructed form, but never were they explored or executed with any proficiency or insight. Johnny Depp, I will concede, gave a suitably terse performance as the drug-addled Inspector Frederick Abberline, the main character through whose eyes the audience vicariously experiences the very real horror of the unfolding events. Depp's accent was undeniably credible and his character's growing realizations believably portrayed. Ian Holm's performance was, in my opinion, absolutely crucial to the success of the story, yet I do not feel that he accurately captured the essence of his character--often resorting to melodrama when restraint would have served the proceedings much more effectively. Robbie Coltrane's character was a generic sidekick that could have been played by any number of contemporary actors, his contribution to the story completely forgettable. However, I found the supporting portrayals of the doomed prostitutes to be well-done in comparison. Which brings me to Heather Graham. With an obviously ersatz British accent and a palette of blank emotions on her colorless face, her performance fell completely flat, reducing an essential character within the story to a two-dimensional caricature. Though the acting was, on the whole, a mixed bag, let us now rejoice in what is perhaps some of the most extraordinary production design and cinematography of any film of 2001. "From Hell" is an absolutely gorgeous film ... from the exacting authenticity of the smallest period details, to the blood red sky hovering over the silhouetted peaks of an almost Medieval London (though filmed in Prague), to the echoing click-clack of horse-drawn carriages over the cobblestone thoroughfares, to the faithfully-reproduced historical costumes, nary an image was overlooked in building this dark, foreboding universe from the ground up. I was consistently impressed, amazed, and delighted by the powerful imagery presented on screen, and found the entire film to be visually faultless. Unfortunately, those lavish images fail to breathe life into the meandering story they strive to support. Of note, is the film's graphic violence. Though I believe it would have been exquisite had the story developed the suspense, urgency, and tension inherent in the subject matter, I will allow that the brutality of the killings in this movie is appropriately diabolic and filmed in an exceedingly stylized fashion. It was necessary that the murders be disturbing, and, without a doubt, the Hughes brothers accomplished this task. That said, I now must assert that the story's lack of historical accuracy in regards to the actual events of 1888 is among its major undoings. Had the movie's creators adhered to the cold, harsh facts of the case and kept the revisionist fiction to a minimum, the overall story would have benefited tremendously, and may have, as a result, partially overcome some of its other deficiencies. As it is, the ending of this movie is not only a profound disappointment, but also ignores important historical details. "From Hell" is not a worthless film by any stretch of the imagination, but given its cachet and pedigree, it never realizes its tremendous potential. For me, there is nothing more distressing than watching what could have been ground-breaking cinema relegated to just another wasted effort.