From Hell: A look at Jack the Ripper

The Jack the Ripper crimes continue to baffle professional and amateur sleuths to this day, but is it proper fodder for a feature film? After watching From Hell one would have to say, yes.

Jack the Ripper is on the loose in White Chappell and it is up to Inspector Abberline, using detective work and his visions, to find and stop him. But as he digs deeper into the case, Abberline uncovers clues that lead him to a person that no one would have suspected of the ghastly crimes.

The actual mystery of who Jack the Ripper was and how he got away with the crimes he committed made the film interesting and challenging to the audience at the same time. Along the way in Abberline’s investigation they were introduced to a number of characters that could have been the famous killer so when the Ripper’s real identity was revealed, it was a shock for it was probably the last person the audience might have expected. The directors of the film, the Hughes Brothers, deserve credit for the stylish way in which the murders were presented. While they were not excessively gory, they were intense, visceral and took a person’s breath away. Johnny Depp was able to create another unique character in his Inspector Abberline. A far cry from his turn as Capt. Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Abberline was an emotionally haunted man besieged by visions of horror and constantly “chasing the dragon” to deal with life.

For all its visual gusto and terrific performances however the film tended to drag a bit and lost momentum as Abberline tracked down lead after lead. It was important to make the audience work along with Abberline to piece together the clues as to the Ripper's identity but it might have been the case where less (i.e. less suspects) is more (tighter story structure and more chance for The Hughes Brothers to build tension). The ending, while happy in some respects, might not have been what the audience would have expected and therefore could disappoint some.

Grade: B