Review of From Hell (2001) by Geoffrey T — 24 Feb 2010

'From Hell' is a 2001 film about the Jack the Ripper murders, based on the graphic novel of the same name (From Hell) by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. It was directed by the Hughes brothers, the first film that they directed outside of the hood film genre. The Film storyline/Plot is about 1888 in London, and the unfortunate poor lead horrifying lives in the city's deadliest slum, Whitechapel. Harassed by gangs and forced to walk the streets for a living, Mary Kelly and her small group of companions trudge on through this daily misery, their only consolation being that things can't get any worse. Yet things somehow do when their friend Ann is kidnapped and they are drawn into a conspiracy with links higher up than they could possibly imagine. The kidnapping is soon followed by the gruesome murder of another woman, Polly, and it becomes apparent that they are being hunted down, one by one. Sinister even by Whitechapel standards, the murder grabs the attention of Inspector Fred Abberline, a brilliant yet troubled man whose police work is often aided by his psychic abilities. Abberline becomes deeply involved with the case, which takes on personal meaning to him when he and Mary begin to fall in love. But as he gets closer to the truth Whitechapel becomes more and more dangerous for Abberline, Mary, and the other girls. Whoever is responsible for the grisly acts are not going to give up his secret without a fight....will they be able to survive the avenging force that has been sent after them from hell?. The Film Tagline is "Only the legend will survive" which is talking about the legend of 1888 in London of Murder Jack the ripper that killed many poor people and lady that though them self to man for money and never found him or never arrest him, but do say it was a male and call him Jack the ripper as they didn't know his name and they also think the killer was part of the royal family and coved it all up.

The Movie was scary as hell, dark toned, two hours of gory murders, non-sequitur scenes, and an undeveloped romance, a gripping and stylish thriller, it's a very good atmospheric crime, thriller & horror film, the Movie is set in London 1888 while having brilliant angry, sadness of it time & the star of murder by Jack the ripper, while I love the Red & Green colour setting of this film, I love the theme & style of the movie while being very creepy & very, very dark tone of old English time is really genius in this film, the Hughes brothers made a very clever & witty thriller about the true event murders, the film has lots of shocks & jumpy moments & for a bloody good old fashion bloody spluttering in this great movie, the movie is mostly a fast pacing storyline/plot while it was really good on the plot & storyline, I really can't watch the murders in the movie as it was to disgusting and couldn't bear to watch as it based on true event & its soo sick that a human would do that (it was the biggest unbelievable murders at an time in English, well there more today starting a disgusting form of this starts of horror-able murders), I love how the film goes on future view's of who the murder is the darkness to find out the mystery, the after death are really horrific for the time in 1888 and were the most notaries murders in history of England and never found him or court him. The film has amazing visually impressive, The movie is based on theory of the Jack the ripper killing on a story/plot with a different twist & different killing, The Movie was a great sort of its genre; Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller & Biography, the film was a great 2001/2002 film, but was not the best but was pretty average movie and is a decent Biography/gritty Horror Movie.

The Film was made on a budget of $35 million, while grossing at the box office of $74.5 million (Worldwide) & in US a disappointing $31.6 million (which was soo close to pass its Budget, which was about $3.4 million more to go for), the film is not well know till 2006 by fans of the actors and actress of the film and was not good on DVD sales & rentals in 2002, but in 2006 they had a massive increase on sales & rentals and been called a cult classic (but not as much). The Film was mostly mixed by critics, while audience, Filmgoers & Fans alike (of the directors, actor or the based on true event with London and Jack the Ripper or the novel) were mostly positive towards the film for is its dark, murders, gripping & its form on true events showing. The Movie has been distributed by 20th Century Fox (which you wouldn't think of them distributed a true event Horror/Thriller Movie).

The Movie cast line-up is talents and their best scary/gripping performance in a movie and they are; Johnny Depp as Inspector Frederick Abberline (with a brilliant British accents, great future seeing & a pot smoker cool performances), Heather Graham as Mary Kelly (as a brilliant & talented actress in this film), Ian Holm as Sir William Gull, Ian Richardson as Sir Charles Warren, Jason Flemyng as Netley and the rest of the unknown cast. The directors Albert Hughes & Allen Hughes (Both brother) have really made a unique, twisted, gory, bloody, true event film on a horrific man named Jack the Ripper (which I really respect them for keeping the truth of the true events and making it gripping).

Overall the movie has the same elements on The Evil Dead & Drag Me to Hell theme & outtake on the film, the title of the film is very decent for what it is and is a long film, but is an tenseful and an alright job done of a movie, as I love the performance of Johnny Depp & Heather Graham in this mild classic 2001/2002 film. The movie is different a watch for people who love the knowledge of Jack the ripper & who our really hardcore Horror Fans, while its a mostly adult watch, but can be for old people & teenage (but different not for children-it will give them nightmares as it did with me, but not soo much know). The film itself is a mild classic, while being really gross and bloody, it has its bad points and can be slightly boring.