From Hell ***
Directed by: The Hughes Brothers
Written by: Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell (comic series); Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias (screenplay)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane
Rated R (It’s about Jack the Ripper. And there’s some brief nudity and drug use.)

Welcome to London 1888, ladies and gentlemen. What a grand city she is! Everything you could possibly want can be found within her borders. We have the latest and most effective psychological therapy ever discovered – the prefrontal lobotomy! A tap-tap here, and a tap-tap there, and one more tap-tap on this side and voila! The patient is cured! And, look at how civilized we are – take this young man, for instance. John Merrick was trapped in the hell of the freak show. But we will civilize him yet! Don’t be alarmed by how he looks – he’s not an animal, after all. He is a man! We have gaslight in the streets, and London has no prostitution. Oh, there are some... unfortunates... but pay them no mind. What a time to be alive! Unless you’re an unfortunate, of course.

The legend of Jack the Ripper is a horse that just won’t die. More than 100 years after his crimes, we still don’t know who he was, how many he was, what he was or why he was. Oh, sure, we have plenty of suspects and rumors (Lewis “Alice in Wonderland” Carroll, Prince Albert Victor, a conspiracy involving the British Monarchy), but we are no closer to finding out the truth than we were in 1888. Which means that we can still bring it up again and again.

From Hell, at least in comic form, has been cited as being probably the closest to the truth as we will ever get. How many comic books can you name that have bibliographies? As far as the movie goes, well, it is plausible.

Now, I’m sure we all know at least a little bit about Jack the Ripper. “He” was the first documented serial killer. “He” killed prostitutes in London’s East End. “He” didn’t do it very nicely. And, “he” got away with it. That’s pretty much all anyone knows about “him”. From Hell is a mystery because it has to be, but it's not a whodunit. It also attempts to show what Victorian London was like. It wasn’t pretty. The industrial revolution was still new, poverty was rampant, racial tension ran high due to Jewish and Oriental immigrants, the monarchy was not yet a figurehead, and the world was rigidly divided into upper and lower class. Middle class didn’t even exist. All of these facts are important to the story.

And that story is this: A prostitute has been murdered in London’s East End. Brutally, methodically, and a ‘trophy’ was taken. Enter Inspector Abberline (Depp). Abberline is known for his ‘visions’, which are aided by the use of opium or laudanum. These visions have helped him solve cases in the past, and his partner, Sgt. Godley (Coltrane), is confident that they can help in this case. As prostitute after prostitute is killed, more clues and patterns emerge. It’s obvious that the killer(s) know anatomy very well, and have plenty of money. This would indicate a cultured person. But, no civilized person would do such a thing! Preposterous! Police Commissioner Warren (Ian Richardson) suggests that Abberline concentrate on Jewish butchers, or ferriers. Tradesmen, yes, but a gentleman? Certainly not! Hmmmm.. But, wait! We have some peculiar witnesses – not to the murder of the first prostitute, but to a rather strange event. An event that seems to involve the Special Branch (think FBI). Mary Kelly (Graham) knows that something strange is going on. The rest of her friends are of the opinion that the press should be told. Mary thinks that this Inspector Abberline might be their best bet – for the sake of protection. Protection from the Nichols gang – wanna-be pimps who are demanding protection money. The plot gets deeper and deeper, but manages to stay less confusing than JFK.

Visually, the film is effective, if not affective. The comic was done in black and white, but the movie is in color. The opening sequence is good at establishing the squalor and claustrophobia of London’s East End, and remains consistent throughout. It’s not striving for realism, necessarily. It’s not expressionistic, but it is good at evoking the desired mood – bleak. The violence is well done. It’s not subtle, but we are spared seeing what “Jack” actually did.

Plot-wise, the movie works. The tension never really reaches a fever pitch, but, we know most of the facts already. We just want to see who did it “this” time. And, we want to know if it will have as happy an ending as it can.

From Hell isn’t horror, it’s not really a mystery, it’s not suspense, it’s not a costume drama. It’s historical fiction, and it’s well done.

(If you’re interested in knowing more about Jack the Ripper, I suggest going to Casebook.org.)