With the number of knives flashing in the establishing scenes of From Hell, one would think that anyone in 1888 London could have been Jack the Ripper. But the knife-wielding pimps and thugs soon conveniently disappear, and it becomes obvious that the movie's purpose is not to explore the possibilities but to focus on one theory in the Ripper case.
From Hell spans 10 weeks in which five prostitutes were ritually murdered in the Whitechapel area of London. The killer came to be known as Jack the Ripper, the first tabloid star. The fact that he was never identified or caught added to his cult celebrity status. Some questions arise: Isn't Jack the Ripper's anonymity part of the mystique that has kept the murders a subject of fascination for over 100 years? Do people interested in Jack the Ripper want to see a conspiracy theory unfold or do they just want to see a slasher flick? Well, they get both.
The film is based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, which explains the Ripper case in terms of a royal conspiracy. In England, where the Ripper case is still one of the nation's foremost unsolved mysteries, the theory is popular. However, the movie is not just about the killer or the conspiracy; it is also a story about the victims.
Directed by the Hughes brothers (Menace II Society, Dead Presidents), the movie may seem to be a departure for the directors, whose previous works have been inner-city dramas. The brothers, however, saw Whitechapel as comparable to the modern inner-city. "This is a ghetto story," says Albert Hughes. "It concerns poverty, violence and corruption, which are themes we deal with in our movies because they fascinate us. These particular characters happen to be white, but all poor people have the same problems."
Homeless and harassed by pimps, the prostitutes indeed have problems common to the lower classes, but they also unknowingly share a secret that endangers their lives. Inspector John Abberline (Johnny Depp), meanwhile, is haunted by the death of his wife and child - although this death is not essential to the story at all, except to give Abberline a reason for an opium addiction. Conveniently, when Abberline is high on opium and absinthe, he experiences visions that help him in investigations.
Depp is, as always, excellent, if somewhat detached, in the role of the inspector. Heather Graham, playing Mary Kelly, a prostitute and potential victim of Jack the Ripper, is - as always - insipid. Her narrow range of facial expressions is somewhat inadequate, but luckily her role does not require a great range. Robbie Coltrane (The World Is Not Enough, Goldeneye) plays Peter Godley, Abberline's friend and assistant, and Ian Holm plays Sir William Gull, the royal family's doctor who assists Abberline in the investigation.
One negative note about From Hell is that the suspense fails to build effectively over a long portion of the movie, particularly since an audience familiar with the Ripper story would know that it is only a matter of time before the next prostitute is killed. Also, if a viewer came for a psychological study of a serial killer, he or she would leave disappointed. A short look into the deranged mind of the killer proves to be a failure - it feels arbitrary and unnecessary. If the movie wanted to serve as a psychological study of Jack the Ripper, it needed to go beyond a short fantasy scene or forego the attempt altogether.
However, as a whole, the movie does well in creating the setting for the murders and following through with the conspiracy. The stylized Whitechapel, created by Academy Award-winning designer Martin Childs (Shakespeare in Love) is in itself a character in the film. Abberline's visions make for arresting montages, and the cinematography contributes successfully to the mood of the film. Despite flaws, From Hell is an entertaining murder mystery.
