Menace II Society 2: The Whitechapel Murders

Rating: Null/10 (15 August 2004)

This is a bawdy tale of sex, drugs and satanism when syphilis was the AIDS of its day (antibiotics wouldn't be discovered for another 40 years or so).
This is actually a pretty good serial killer procedural come social and historic commentary of London society at the height of Empire. And even the plot does get pulled together in the end.
The Hughes Brothers have produced an ok movie. They always seem to be on the edge of greatness, without actually getting there. Their "Dead Presidents" would have been outstanding, if it wasn't for the last 20 minutes.

Anyway, the problem with casting American actors with British accents is that they are faced with the double task of getting the tone and pitch right, while at the same time having to act. Some are great at this, while some never get it. Johnny Depp was good. Heather Graham on the other hand succeeded 60% of the way, but her restrained accent is contradicted by her overblown facial expressions. That's as precise as I can put it. She had been better off affecting an Irish accent, which is probably easier to do. Robbie Coltrane never lets go of his Scottish brogue, which of course never gets in the way of anything. London was a very international place at the time, and still is.
Having gotten that off my chest, this is a pretty bloody movie, that also gives some insight into the lives of the prostitutes of the Whitechapel area. Also, the long running English obsession with the Freemasons is touched upon.