Very ingtriguing look at the Jack The Ripper case

Rating: 7/10 (10 May 2006)

Inspector Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp) is not your typical Scotland Yard inspector. He has visions of crimes that he tries to suppress or embrace, depending on his mood, with drugs such as opium, laudanum and absinthe. Luckily, he has Sergeant Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane) to help keep him on task. It is the sergeant who takes Inspector Abberline out to the scene of the first victim in the notorious Whitechapel district of 1888 London. Most of the investigators believe that the slain prostitute is nothing to worry about and not unusual at all given her profession. But Inspector Abberline notices some unusual things about the corpse, like the surgeon-like precision of the wounds and the expensive cluster of grapes near her hand. How could a prostitute afford grapes and what kind of client would have hated her enough to do this? As Inspector Abberline looks into the murder, he comes across Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), a prostitute who knew the victim and is convinced that the local boss is trying to scare them into paying what they owe. But Abberline doesn't think it is that simple. As he spends more time with Mary, he comes to discover that the first prostitute who disappeared left a daughter and that she was no longer working the streets, but had found a special man, an artist, who loved her and was taking care of her. Mary convinces the inspector to find her and Abberline does, but she is in an insane asylum and seems to have the mind of a child. Abberline turns to the noted ex-surgeon Sir William Gull (Ian Holm) to explain the procedure that made her so and to help give him insights on how a surgeon would have used the tools of his trade on the murdered prostitute. The more Inspector Abberline delves into the seemingly unrelated stories, the more he is convinced that they are linked. So when Abberline discovers that the artist lover is in fact the Prince, he suddenly comes to realize that the prostitutes who are being murdered all have one thing in common....
This was a very intriguing look at the Jack the Ripper tale with an interesting premise and solution to the seemingly unsolvable and random crimes. The directors did a wonderful job at creating a very dark and creepy atmosphere on the film that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat even when there is nothing scary going on. I also liked their artful visions of the murders and their restraint in showing or not showing details and leaving it up to the viewers imagination to fill in the blanks. Johnny Depp was superb in his role as Inspector Abberline, as he always is, and you found yourself cheering him on and wishing him every happiness, yet knowing that he wouldn't allow himself to be happy. Heather Graham was quite convincing in her role as a poor British prostitute, but her accent was not quite right. However, it is Ian Holm who really fools the viewers and keeps you in suspense as his character rapidly unravels at the end of the film. However, with all of the film strengths I still had to give it 7 stars because it is just missing that certain something that makes a good film a great film. The plot was a little hard to follow at times and I didn't care for some of the characters, but if you are at all interested in the famous Ripper crimes then this is a movie you shouldn't miss!