'From Hell' lacks suspense,
fear
 By
Jeff Cantwell
Staff Writer
In 1888, a London serial killer named Jack the
Ripper killed five prostitutes. In one of his notes to the police struggling
to catch him, he described eating one of the women's kidneys; he signed
the letter "From Hell."
Taking what few facts are known about the famous
killer and expanding on the conjecture of the past 114 years, the directors
of "Menace II Society" have provided a meticulously well-made yet disappointing
period piece about the killer, the prostitutes and the man who solved
the case."
"From Hell," directed by the Hughes brothers, recreates
19th century London with careful detail and grand scope. The streets
bustle with working men and scorned working women. The streets are filled
with fog, and as the killings begin the night sky burns blood red.
The film starts slowly, but as more prostitutes
are killed more details are revealed visually about the killing. By
the end of the film, the audience has been subjected to some gruesome
and well-placed violence.
From a technical standpoint the film has few flaws.
Visually, it is an engrossing film, but it lacks the thrills and suspense
necessary to truly take hold.
The plot basically follows that of the excellent
"Murder by Decree," a Sherlock Holmes flick made in 1978. Holmes is
replaced with Abberline (Johnny Depp) as the lead investigator and Watson
is replaced by Sgt. Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane). Abberline was the
real investigator of the Ripper case. Both films feature an "X-Files"-like
conspiracy, but where "Murder by Decree" follows the conspiracy, "From
Hell" focuses on the killer.
Depp is one of the most versatile actors of his
generation. As the vision-laden, drug-using Abberline, Depp brings a
haunting confidence and passion to the screen. He comes across as taking
his Ichabod Crane character from "Sleepy Hollow" to more serious level.
Mary Kelly (Heather Graham) is a pseudo-prostitute
marked for death by the Ripper and marked for love by Abberline.
Graham manages to pull off an English accent without
much trouble, which is a nice treat.
Every film has a highlight, and Coltrane, who has
graced two Pierce Brosnan James Bond flicks and the coming guaranteed
mega-hit "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," gets the award for
"From Hell."
He shows a sense of almost fearful awe for Depp's
character while still showing his determination and sympathy for the
city's plight.
The film's one problem is that there isn't a fear
element. There is never a question of who is going to be killed and
who isn't. If viewers don't fear for the lives of the characters they
have grown attached to, then suspense cannot be created.
The film's mistaken identity trick completely fails
and the ending's minor twist is only likeable after considerable contemplation.
"From Hell" is a beautifully constructed period
piece and a solid bit of technical filmmaking.
And for those who don't know much about Jack the
Ripper, the movie makes for an interesting, albeit not new, theory on
the killer's motivations. But even the engaging theory can't get past
the fact that not a single thrill is managed in the whole film.
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