Review of From Hell (2001) by Tyler M — 31 Mar 2012

Where did you say you were from?

A great family film for all ages!...Okay, so that's a bold faced lie...It's dark and stylish...Only a little slow and unbalanced.

The Story: An inspector that has "visions", follows the work of Jack the Ripper. That's the story, as it progresses it becomes a little more complicated, but not enough to make it much more than anything other than film about a man killing prostitutes and an inspector seeking him. It's dark style is as sharp as a knife, and the characters, while not incredibly amazing might intrigue a few viewers out there. Some of it moves along rapidly while other times it crawls. It starts out as a good who-done-it style murder mystery, but somehow loses that sense of who is it somewhere along the way. It's also told with a great deal of violence so don't watch it if you've got a weak stomach.

The Cast: Heather Graham, Johnny Depp...Heather Graham, is one of the prostitutes, afraid for her life, as she knows the dangers of the streets at night. A number of actresses could have played this part just as well, she's not outstanding, and sometimes isn't even believable. Johnny Depp plays inspector, seeking to help a poor prostitute, and stop the infamous Jack The Ripper. Johnny Depp fans will like eat this film up and claim it as one his great pieces of work. People on the fence about weather or not they like him, will likely fall one way or the other. I don't think this film is going to make a whole lot of new fans for his already ridiculously large fan base. However, he is the best part of the cast, as he manages to pull off a pretty good performance.

One to Five Scale: 3.

Sharp style, graphic violence, some needless drug use, and a little bit of sex here and there. If any of those are what you look for in a movie, than by all means give it a rental, or even a purchase if you find it cheap enough. Just don't expect any monumental experience or a new perspective on Jack the Ripper.

Tyler.