Compelling, Scary, And Well Told.

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2007)

"From Hell" takes place in 1888 in Victorian-era London. In the Whitechapel district of the city, prostitutes begin to be found murdered in the streets, all of them stabbed to death with their throats slashed, and their sexual (and other) organs removed. Inspector Abberline (Johnny Depp), a proclaimed clairvoyant, is assigned to the case, and begins to develop a relationship with Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), a prostitute who is friends with many of the victims. As the prostitutes begin to drop like flies, clues are also dropped at each crime scene, and Abberline's visions of the killer become increasingly violent, as he attempts to unravel the identity of the murderer.
A truly chilling and well-made film, "From Hell" is a semi-fictional telling of the real-life murders that occurred in London at the turn of the 19th century. The killer referred to himself Jack The Ripper, and while his identity was never revealed, his crimes go down as likely the most infamous serial killing of all time. The script for this movie, adapted from a graphic novel, quite obviously differs from the real historical facts, but it doesn't get too far off track, which is good. Many of the characters actually existed, and some of the events are told like they happened. The pacing here is great as well, and though most modern audiences may find this movie too "slow" or "boring", the pacing is even, balancing the progression of the story and the shocks well. The movie builds a heap of suspense as it progresses, and the final revelation is satisfying. It's quite a visceral little movie as well, and while most of the violence isn't really seen, it's still quite a gory movie, which I wasn't expecting. The depictions of the murders themselves were particularly disturbing, but also done in a shocking and original manner.
Johnny Depp plays our hero, Inspector Abberline, and nails the role perfectly. His authority and intelligence emanates on screen, and he plays the role very believably (although his English accent may be a little off, I won't nitpick though). Heather Graham turns in a great performance as well, even though she's playing the clichéd "hooker with a heart of gold" who finds herself and her friends in a very scary situation. Another thing that should be noted about this movie is it's amazing set design and cinematography - the gritty, lamp-lit cobblestone streets of downtown London are presented perfectly here, and the atmosphere is very Gothic and quite spooky. There is also quite a few great visuals (some of them a bit hallucinogenic, but very interesting), as well as some very clever and well-executed camera tricks. The entire picture really looks stunning. The ending was a bit of a downer, but I really didn't have a problem with that either.
All things considered, "From Hell" is an exceptional horror/thriller that is stylish, very well told, and quite scary. If the Jack The Ripper case is of any interest to you, or if you are just a fan of horror movies (particularly period pieces), I'd advise you to take a look at this movie, because it is an excellent and entertaining (albeit somewhat fictionalized) telling of those infamous crimes. 9/10.