Well made, but strangely un-involving (and a lesser copy of "Murder by decree")

Rating: 5/10 (6 December 2002)

I approached this movie with great expectations. But only in one field was I rewarded: the technical credits are impeccible. Victorian London is atmospherically recreated and cinematography is above reproach. However, basically this is a remake of the 1979 film "Murder by decree" with minor alterations (mostly concerning the Mary Kelly/Heather Graham-part). And in a comparison this movie is the lesser one almost in every aspect. Don't get me wrong: I really enjoyed "From Hell" and thought it was quite a good movie.
But somehow it never moved me at all. I admired it to be sure, but never really liked it. First of all, the casting has it flaws. Heather Graham is a good actress, but is totally wrong here, looking like a whore who spends all her sparetime at Vidal Sassoon. The other "girls" looked more the part and I thought Geena Davis-lookalike Susan Lynch did a good job.
Johnny Depp is quite good actually but doesn't compare to Christopher Plummer in "Murder by decree". The only parts I really liked was Robbie Coltrane and Ian Holm. Especially Holm manages to be very convincing and deliver a surprise or two. The story tries to get away with some surprises and twists also, but you spot them a mile away unfortunately. You get some of the advantages from a big budget here, but also a lot of the disadvantages. The scenery looks just like a scenery and I was never once convinced about the dirt and filth in Victorian Whitechapel.

And, finally, this film didn't have Genevieve Bujold who in "Murder by decree", despite very limited screentime, alone managed to bring more pathos and emotion into that picture than every castmember in this one.