plot : during a 10-week span in london in the fall of 1888 , jack the ripper , a man whose identity was never uncovered , committed five ritualistic , grisly murders of prostitutes .
this film is based on the graphic novel which assembled a theory behind the century - old mystery .
critique : awesome !
i love dark movies , i love stylish movies , i love good mysteries and i love johnny depp .
. .
so yes , i really dug this movie !
the hughes brothers are back with a vengeance , out to show the world that they are directors to be taken seriously , and this movie , my friends .
.
. is very serious !
in fact , it 's also very gruesome and bloody and morbid and creepy and black as hell .
it ai n't for the kids , i 'll tell you that much .
and if any of those recent hack directors of two - bit scream - esque slasher flicks want some advice on effective " kill scenes " , do not look any further , because each one committed to this film
is a cinematic stunner , especially when compared to their generic slice - and - dice contrivances .
in fact , most of this film 's structure is very creative , the actors , all solid , the atmosphere and " feel " of the picture , remarkably real
( got ta love those " unfortunates " ) , and the descent into darkness , well honed by the filmmakers .
you can almost taste the seediness off the screen and quickly come to appreciate the politics of the time .
but it 's also an impressive mystery film , based on the true - life tale of jack the ripper , a man whose identity was never discovered .
the theory in this film is based on the graphic novel " from hell " written by alan moore and presents a compelling story , which despite being a little oliver stone - ish , did manage to tie up all of its loose ends quite nicely , and present us with an entertaining bowl of mayhem , sexual depravity , drug usage , insanity , murders and love ?
yes , the brothers even managed to slip a little " love " story in here , and despite not truly being developed , i guess it could 've been much worse and taken up more time than was provided already .
that 's right
, there 's no real need to put any " romance " in a film about a mass murderer !
but that aside , you got ta give up the props to actor extraordinaire johnny depp , who once again possesses the strength in character and flawless acting abilities , to center this movie all the way through .
sure , he 's just playing a less goofier version of his ichabod crane character from sleepy hollow , but he does it so well and even added a michael caine accent to his mixed bag of tricks in this one .
i was also surprised at how little heather graham annoyed me in this film ( i was sure that her presence would ruin this movie , but she was fine ) and how little the dreams / fantasies of depp 's character had to do with the film 's development ( from what i had seen in the trailer , i thought the filmmakers were going to make this the crux of the story , but thankfully , it was n't ) .
on the downside , the film does n't really explain the whole freemasons cult organization real well and lacks character development .
but then again , a story about the most mysterious serial killer of all - time is probably not the ideal spot for character refinement .
i mean , the less i knew about each person , the more suspicious i became of each one 's motives , reasons , etc . . .
in fact , i was actually quite surprised by who was presented as the killer in the end , and that was in part , due to the distance to which i 'd been held from the film 's characters .
. .
or am i giving the filmmakers too much credit for something that might not have been their intention ?
perhaps .
overall , this is an extremely creepy production , with glorious cinematography
( reminiscent of coppola 's dracula and burton 's sleepy hollow ) , a grim score and solid acting .
but it 's not for everyone .
some may be utterly repulsed by the gory particulars of these tragic events , and even though the murders are n't shown as graphically as you might think , there 's enough here to send the squeamish right out the doors .
but i for one love movies that blend their eclectic visual style with an interesting mystery and palpable , gothic atmosphere , and this flick is just that and plenty more !
and god knows that i will certainly not be surrendering the burnt image of jack the ripper 's haunting cape silhouette and gleaming silver knife from my mind anytime soon . . .
brrrrr !
where 's joblo coming from ?
the crow ( 9/10 ) - dark city ( 9/10 ) - dracula ( 7/10 ) - jfk ( 9/10 ) - the nightmare before christmas ( 10/10 ) - the ninth gate ( 8/10 ) - the others ( 9/10 ) - quills ( 8/10 )
- shadow of the vampire ( 6/10 ) - sleepy hollow ( 8/10 )
remarkably real very creative well honed by the filmmakers possesses the strength in character and flawless acting abilities tie up all of its loose ends quite nicely , and present us with an entertaining bowl an impressive mystery film back with a vengeance give up the props to actor extraordinaire solid acting awesome ! glorious cinematography i really dug this movie !