From Hell (2001)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Directors:

Albert Hughes
Allen Hughes

Writers (WGA):

Alan Moore (graphic novel) and
Eddie Campbell (graphic novel) ...

Release Date:

19 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Evil has a new address...

Plot:

In Victorian Era London, a troubled clairvoyant police detective investigates the murders by Jack The Ripper.

Plot Keywords:

Jack The Ripper | Murder | Prostitute | Inspector | Police

Awards:

8 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Inspector Frederick Abberline
Heather Graham	...	Mary Kelly
Ian Holm	...	Sir William Gull
Robbie Coltrane	...	Sergeant Peter Godley
Ian Richardson	...	Sir Charles Warren
Jason Flemyng	...	Netley, the Coachman
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Dark Annie Chapman
Terence Harvey	...	Benjamin 'Ben' Kidney
Susan Lynch	...	Liz Stride
Paul Rhys	...	Dr. Ferral
Lesley Sharp	...	Kate Eddowes
Estelle Skornik	...	Ada
Nicholas McGaughey	...	Officer Bolt
Annabelle Apsion	...	Polly Nichols
Joanna Page	...	Ann Crook

Also Known As:

Jack (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore, sexuality, language and drug content.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | South Korea:18 | Brazil:16 (re-rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:18A | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-15 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #38515)

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Krizeneckeho namesti, Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Although both Sergeant Godley and Inspector Frederick Abberline were involved in the Ripper murders (Abberline being the lead Inspector), they never worked together, and probably never even met until the arrest of George Chapman, a Ripper suspect.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Like most film versions of the Ripper murders, From Hell depicts the Ripper's victims as being considerably younger and more attractive than in real life. In reality all of the Ripper's victims (except for Mary Kelly) were in their mid forties and of them all Mary Kelly was the only one who is supposed to have been good looking, although the only photographs of the women that exist are those that were taken after their murders.

Quotes:

Sgt. Peter Godley: Right, once more into the breach, gentlemen!
[the police constables remain where they are, confused]
Sgt. Peter Godley: Dismissed.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinemania: Oi pio diavoitoi dolofonoi: Alithines istories!" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Duke Street

Interesting spin on the tale, if not particularly memorable

"From Hell" is an interesting spin on the familiar Jack the Ripper tale, using the iconic cultural image of the cloaked man with the top hat as the source for a spin-off not of history, but of a graphic novel.

The lead performance by Johnny Depp as Inspector Abberline (who really existed in 1888 at the time of the murders and really was an authority on the case) is wonderful. Depp nails the cockney accent perfectly. Unfortunately, Heather Graham -- as the prostitute Mary Kelley -- is not as fortunate. Although her accent seems to improve throughout the film at various intervals, for most of "From Hell's" duration her British voice is quite stiff and the American twang is audible. The Hughes Brothers did not choose Graham for her acting abilities.

That said, the set design on this production is magnificent. 1880s London is brought to life and Whitechapel has never looked more realistic. The film is an odd hybrid of genres because it maintains the look and feel of a slasher film whilst presenting historical elements and painstaking recreations of actual murders. Robbie Coltrane, as one of the police officers involved in the case, has a lot of fun with his character and is fun to watch, and similarly as convincing as the scenery.

This is a very gritty and gory film -- more so than I ever expected. It's quite a strange beast with hallucinogenic visuals, horror elements and history thrown in for good measure, on top of some slightly modernized techniques. All in all this film kept me entertained because it was unique, and very different, and not particularly because it was "great." I didn't expect a whole lot, but I felt that the movie was directed as ably as it could (or should) have been and the performance by Johnny Depp was deserving of a better film. The ending got a bit carried away, but it still presents a pretty cool twist on the whole Jack the Ripper scenario without totally insulting the intelligence or even upsetting one's sense of history. (Like Disney's "Pocahontas.") The respect the filmmakers have for their material shines through and elevates this above what it could have been. Definitely worth seeing, if only for its originality.