From Hell = Murder By Decree

Rating: 10/10 (23 October 2001)

"From Hell" is an excellent Jack the Ripper film, really well produced with good solid acting. For me the most disturbing fact was that the idea of why the Ripper murders happened is extremely close to the film "Murder By Decree" in which Sherlock Holmes goes after old Jack. It is a plausible idea and one that could easily be the answer to the whole puzzle.
Johnny Depp's Abberline, while using the name of the real detective, is not what the actual Abberline was. In one of the many books devoted to this first serial killer, Abberline is quoted as stating that they did know who the Ripper was but could do nothing because of who he was. This certainly fits the solution in both "Murder By Decree" and "From Hell".

The producers are to be commended for not turning this into a "slasher" film. Yes, there are some disturbing sections, but they are shown quickly and not in graphic detail. The bodies are shown in brief shots that give the idea of the mutilations, but now great detail. The reactions of the coroner, his assistants and the detectives give the idea of how horrible the situation is better than any picture.
The bittersweet ending is perfect for the film, but what happens to Abberline is far from the history of the actual man.