Good, but not great...

Rating: Null/10 (9 December 2002)

There are many things wrong with this take on the Ripper legend, but many things that are right too. First I'll start with the things that are wrong...
The most obvious component of the movie that lets it down is Heather Graham. Her performance is below par at best and downright terrible at worst. Her accent is all over the place and she never seems at ease with the material or her role in the film. She's also far too clean and well scrubbed when compared to the other prostitutes in the film. She doesn't look like a streetwalker. I wish they would have got Samantha Morton to play the role instead...
The film's other major problem is another accent; Johhny Depp's. To be honest, I think his performance is pretty good. He certainly conveys the weary, tired emotions that Abberline feels, but the cockney accent is more mockney than anything else. I'm not sure what it's meant to be. However, apart from that, he's excellent in the role...
To the film's strengths though. The sense of atmosphere is superb. The production design, costumes and photography give the film tangible quality. It is truly, despite the horrid events that take place, a beautiful film to look at. It's also to the Hughes brothers' credit that the visual stylings that could have ended up as excessive indulgencies really add to the film. Lapse time photography is used, colours are changed, underwater shots are used, short flashes are spliced in, and all of them work. They give the film a vibrancy and energy.
The rest of the cast also add greatly to the film. Robbie Coltrane and Ian Holm in particular are superb. Both give performances that eclipse the leads and both appear to be working effortlessly...
The script is also pretty good. It's a fictionalised take on the events, so there's no question of squabbling about authenticity. All that matters is that as a story, in my opinion, it works. It twists, it turns, and it provides a few surprises along the way. It certainly could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse too...
All in all, I think From Hell is a pretty decent attempt. It doesn't indulge in the vacuous blood letting of teenage slasher films and provides the viewer with a decent interpretation of the Ripper myth.