Movie Review: From Hell

From Hell

The tale of Jack the Ripper's rampages in turn-of-the-century London has been told before, but never so graphically or authentically as in From Hell. Johnny Depp is a sensitive detective who, with careful study of crime scenes and a nasty opium habit, often solves crimes with acrobatic twists of thought more by-the-book police officers can't manage. Heather Graham, never more like a living china doll than she is here, plays a prostitute who engages both Depp's detective heart and the Ripper's much darker passions.

The Ripper crimes, of course, remain unsolved. There are those who believe an insane member of the Royal Family was behind the carnage, and that the murders stopped when he was at last sent to an asylum. Others, citing the surgical precision with which the Ripper worked, claim it was one doctor or another. From Hell takes a twist I'd not heard before, but does so plausibly, and the implications of the plot are wide-ranging and real food for the imagination.

The costuming, props, and sets are flawlessly authentic. The murder scenes were created for the movie based on actual photographs taken by authorities working on the Ripper case. Though filmed in eastern Europe, the recreation of Victorian-era London is fascinating in its detail of wealth, power, and abject squalor. Depp, never less than brooding, is perfectly cast as the man who cannot control his darker desires but yet gives honest and talented effort to his crime-solving work. Graham's flawless pale skin and huge blue eyes are all the more striking in the woman become a prostitute out of desperation, but never letting her hope be entirely deflated. History buffs and movie magic afficianados will find plenty of grist for their respective hobbies. And mystery fans of all kinds will enjoy this classic take on one of the greatest unsolved crimes of all time.

Family Suitability: From Hell is rated R for extreme gore and violence, sexual content, and graphic drug use. This is not a movie for children or young teens. Older teens (16 and up) and adults, provided they are not sensitive to bloody murder scenes, may enjoy and appreciate this film.