A ripping yarn? Or a schizophrenic tale?

Rating: 7/10 (3 April 2010)

What do you get if you mix Edward Elgar, Take That and Ministry of Sound at Ibiza? You get "From Hell". This film is a mix of historical fact ( Elgar), urban legend ( Take That) and surreal drama ( MOS Ibiza) coming together to form a strange yet enjoyable dance.
The film is set in Victorian London when the poorer classes of London's Whitechapel area lived in fear of the most infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper. Directed by the Hughes Brothers, much is made of Inspector Abeline's opium, Absynth and strychnine addiction, something associated more with Sherlock Holmes than Abeline although historically accurate as the drugs of choice for the Victorian gent in London .
Johnny Depp, an actor who seems to pick roles which allow him to showcase his versatility is convincing as Abeline, the unfortunate detective who became a sacrificial scapegoat offered up to the frustrated and furious Londoners by a powerful Masonic order. His London accent varies through the film and is reminiscent of his Jack Sparrow. Choosing to understate the role and not to go over the top with the drug scenes or action, but play it in the calm controlled way expected of a Victorian gent. It's tempting to compare Depp's Inspector Abeline with Robert Downey Jr's Holmes but one should remember Holmes was fictional allowing RDJ to go over the top, where as Abeline is real and Depp plays it more so.
The tale of Jack the Ripper is well known, this version however explores a particular belief that Jack had royal connections and was protected by the Masonic order. The film is filled with factual aspects such as the pressure put upon Abeline to find a Jew butcher as the murderer, the chalk writing being washed off the wall and the intentional misspelling of Juwes. Equally it's full of assumptions, however I couldn't help feeling it's the closest any film has come to the truth. No one has ever sufficiently answered how Jack the Ripper was able to get in and out of east London unseen and un stopped, and the murders, swift and brutal over a short period seemed to end as quickly as they had begun without reason or answer.
The plot is simple to follow and unfolds with ease as the film progresses, there are no surprises or ridiculous unbelievable twists but there are some problems with the film. You're repeatedly bombarded with surreal drug influenced moments, expected to believe in a miss fitting romance subplot, asked not to question set and costume design which is accurately Victorian but seems too clean and bright for the age. Perhaps the directors felt Abeline's drug induced visions were important and purposely avoided the classic Victorian smog and squalor we think of to give a bright and fresh feel . Additionally, less is made of Jack the Ripper's acts themselves. Given that the film is titled "From Hell" which is how the genuine Ripper letters were addressed, surprisingly the letters and body parts he sent to the newspapers and Scotland Yard is hardly touched upon as the film seems to concern itself more with Abeline and the Masons rather than Jack and his actions. We shouldn't forget how disturbed the mind of Jack the Ripper was and perhaps the fact that somehow these events were indeed covered up, even to this day, the directors were perhaps right to focus on those who sought to perpetrate the cover up than remake a story told so many times before. That said all these things do leave you feeling that the film is not sure of it's own identity and is somewhat confused, schizophrenic even. Enjoyable none the less.
7/10