Old Jack City (From Hell (DVD))

Member Name: buttonman

Product:	From Hell (DVD)
Date:	16/02/02 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sets

Disadvantages: Ropey acting, No suspense

Who was Jack the ripper the notorious killer of ye olde London Town? Was it the Masons? Was it the Royals? Was it Henry the janitor? Could be!

This period film sets out to uncover the truth about the brutal and ritualistic slaying of five good time girls in Victorian London. Murders are not uncommon in the Whitechapel district but when a bloodied corpse is found it's clearly a job for opium fiend police inspector Fred Abberline played by Johnny Depp and his chubby side kick Godley(Robbie Coltrane). Clearly Police methods in the Victorian age differ somewhat from the present day as Depp's investigation is carried out with reference to his opium fuelled visions. To be fair he gets results and soon a slim list of suspects or at least suspect organisations is drawn up.

Despite the protestations of his boss who wears a large Masonic ring the good inspector believes an educated man is to blame given that the murderer has an advanced grasp of anatomy. He soon befriends the Queen's chief surgeon Sir William Gull played by Billbo Baggins er Ian Holm who lets him in on a few juicy titbits about his royal patients. His clues also point to the masons with their symbols evident at the murder scenes.

Meanwhile the good hookers of London are getting worried. One of their gang who made good with a toff is hauled off to the loony bin whilst they are being systematically murdered and shaken down by nasty men offering protection. Although suspicious of the law stereotypical 'tart with a heart' Molly hooks up with the inspector and soon the net closes on the killer. Who can it be and who will survive?

Ruminations
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A lot was made in the press of the fact that this film set in Period England was being made by Ghetto superstars the Hughes brothers. To be honest I don't know their stuff but this was pretty good. Some of the dialogue "Piss off coppa" didn't ring true but the grimey sets where
great. Never has London looked so seedy with scarred men and toothless crones on every corner. The pace is quite fast but we're never in any doubt as to who is to blame.

.SPOILER ALERT.

The only characters we meet are the Masons, the Royals and the Surgeons and each of these are interchangeable. When Depp gets a dressing down for suggesting a surgeon may be the killer the screen is practically filled with his boss's Masonic ring. He also learns from a book that Masonic rituals involve disembowelling and once we learn of a tart's secret marriage to a prince to whom the masons are loyal it doesn't take a vat of opium to suss out who's the baddie.

The violence is mostly implied with the old favourites shadow and blood on the wall used extensively. Clichés also abound with people being sick at the autopsy and it being a right pea souper every night. The performances are average at best. Depp's Dick Van Dyke accent is wearisome as is his un-Victorian goatee and Heather Graham is rotten as the grubby Irish prostitute dying to get back to her seaside home. Coltraine goes through the motions as the loyal sidekick but has little to do in his own right.

Overall the film looks good but is basically a Jack's London's Greatest hits with all the tired clichés trotted out with the elephant man and Queen Victoria making appearances for no good reason. I largely enjoyed the film but a lack of suspense and true terror means it can only be average which is a shame given the talent on show and the sets.

Summary: