GROSSED-OUT ANATOMY

Rating: 4/10 (21 July 2002)

Pretty standard costumer with a mystery motif, and tons o' gore to keep the adolescents enthralled. Directed by the Hughes Brothers, FROM HELL has much going for it, however the writing tended to be poor and the plot really held no surprises.
Johnny Depp rose above the material more than once, and he usually does. Robbie Coltrane was wasted as not much more than a flunky for Depp. Anyone who has seen Coltrane in the British series CRACKER knows this man can act. Heather Graham did a great job, and was wholly believable. Those "oh so terrible" British actors, naturally play the baddies. Ian Holm, a mesmerizing actor, takes center stage here and clearly relishes the role.

The script really sinks the ship. The unsustained and at times, complete lack of suspense brings FROM HELL down to the level of a "game show," in terms of tension. Gratuitous violence never takes the place of suspense, but that doesn't stop screenwriters and directors from trying. Nice try...no cookie. Yes, the crimes of Jack the Ripper were indeed grotesque, however more was spent on faithfully rendering these scenes out, than the effort to peel away the layers of the story and where it was going.

The conclusion bordered on the silly and camp (HM Queen Victoria makes a couple of cameos...good grief!), making the preceding time spent not really worth the while. My conclusion is that FROM HELL is a good costumer, but the overall effect is razzle-dazzle to disguise a stilted and clumsy script.

NOT RECOMMENDED.