The Hughes Brothers' version of the Ripper myth

Rating: 7/10 (19 May 2002)

Albert and Allen Hughes are the men behind the punching debut Menace II Society and the masterpiece Dead Presidents, so I had naturally pretty high expectations on From Hell, a film about the notorious Jack The Ripper. The film is definitely not their masterpiece but it is nice to see that this kind of cinema still exists in Hollywood. It tells the story of violent murders in London of 1888, as unidentified murderer kills prostitutes without any significant reason. A young and sad-faced detective played by Johnny Depp starts to solve the case, and the deeper he gets, the more twists take place..
The film looks great with all its fog, smoke and ominous lightning. The film is very dark all the time which is nice and very atmospheric. The presence of pure evil is there all the time. There are at least three unforgettable images and scenes in this film and I leave them for you to spot. All I will say is that the scenes involve red sky, a bridge and eyes over the city... The photography is very great and technically this film is magnificent. Hughes brothers are very talented and I'm glad that they directed this, as now there is enough personal touch in the film, and the film is not just another stupid entertainment flick.
The murders are occasionally graphic and disturbing but for most of the time they are shown as flashbacks and with fast editing. The film is still pretty gory so some will find it too offensive, but more offensive is the motivations and the pure wickedness of the Jack. He is definitely like the Devil himself and at one point he even mentions that he lives in Hell. So this is one Hell of a movie! The fast editings and flashbacks is in fact pretty effective and stylistic element, so I think that even more demanding film lovers may like From Hell, too.
The love affair between the two protagonists is a little unnecessary but doesn't go too far, fortunately. In the middle part, the film concentrates too much on the affair between these characters and it seems like they forgot the whole Jack! But as a whole, the film manages to deliver the story and not to get tiresome. I am not familiar with the graphic novels this film is based on, so fans of the original material may find (and find) many differences and faults in this film. But after all, From Hell is an okay horror/gothic experience from great directors, and as I mentioned earlier, it is great that these talents still exist among the entertainment oriented big studios.
Not a masterpiece but still satisfying and atmospheric film. 7/10