From Hell Without Suspense

Rating: Null/10 (17 February 2002)

This movie reminds me of the impact created by 'The Others'. It's difficult to fault the mood, tone, feel, and acting.(I did not have a problem with the Cockney accents). Yet, in spite of the lack of grounds for criticism, I didn't think it was as good as I was hoping. Like 'Hannibal', another suitably gory story, it lacked suspense. Even where the story is known, suspense should still be created, but I thought that the early murders were clumsily handled. The film looks good, and the music was complimentary, but somehow it lacked that vital ingredient. Mind you, what do I know - I thought the 'Glass House' was a taut thriller, whereas most critics slammed it. To me, it was almost as if Johnny Depp KNEW that it lacked a spark. As always, he was very watchable, but his performance was not as compelling as usual. I don't think his heart was in it. Did he need Christina Ricci playing the part of Mary Kelly? I'm willing to bet that if she had, 'From Hell' would have packed a bigger punch. Heather Graham is just too nice to play a salt-of-the-earth prostitute. Christina Ricci would have had that edge in the part, and Depp would then have excelled. Robbie Coltrane was underused, but helped matters when he was on screen. Overall, I enjoyed it, but if it had to be an '18' certificate, I think that the menace could have been better employed by more graphic violence, to engineer in the audience an uneasy suspense, which it definitely lacked.