We left the theater yelling, "This was the movie from Hell!"

Rating: 4/10 (28 October 2001)

As a great fan of Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's original graphic novel and an admirer of the Hughes Brothers, I had rather high hopes for "From Hell" when first I heard of its production. As its release date neared, though, and details of the film began to leak out, I became distressed by the broad changes the film's writers had made to Moore's original story, apparently with the consent of the Hugheses. Moore's story is not a mystery; neither, of course, is it a documentary of the case. He admits the novel is a work of fiction and has said that his choice for the identity of the Ripper is most unlikely. The Ripper case, its drama, and its continuing fascination was a hook on which to hang a social commentary -- and this, along with much of the historical research Moore and Campbell put into the book -- is what is missing from the Hughes Brothers' movie. The brothers are working with some very talented people these days, and they've made a very good-looking an good-sounding film, but at its heart, it's empty. Pretty as the cinematography is, talented as most of the actors are, "From Hell" is dull. It hasn't the thrills to qualify as a decent thriller, the chills to make a satisfying horror movie, the emotionally involving characters to draw us into a human drama. "From Hell" is a mess, and you'd do well to spend your money elsewhere.