October 19, 2001

By Veronica Mixon

From Hell is an astonishing, hypnotic tale about the enigmatic 19th Century serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Based on the popular graphic novel written by Allen Moore and Eddie Campbell, From Hell marks the return of Allen and Albert Hughes to fictional movie making. They deliver a complex, suspenseful, gory movie. The eerie setting of the foggy, dingy London streets where a well-dressed killer hunted prostitutes has also been heavily influenced by the Hammer movies in the 1960s.

Johnny Depp (Blow)plays Inspector Fred Abberline, an opium addict, who has visions of the mutilated victims while lying on a palate in his favorite drug den. Robbie Coltrane is Peter Godley, his no-nonsense assistant who is fascinated with the strange but correct conclusions of his boss. "This is a different kind of killer," Abberline surmises and indeed, he was right because Jack the Ripper was the first modern serial killer to be documented and written about in the newspapers around the world. The Ripper not only slashed the women but the mutilation spoke of a deep unflinching hatred of women that stunned even the most jaded observer.

While his superior, Sir Charles Warren (Ian Richardson) insists that an Englishman could not have committed the murders - "It must be an Indian, an Oriental or a Jew" -- Abberline begins to follow evidence that leads to Buckingham Palace and even the secret order of the Masons. He's aided by the Royal physician, Sir William Gull (Ian Holm) and along the way develops an attraction to one of the Whitechapel prostitutes, Mary Kelly played by a fresh-faced Heather Graham (Boogie Nights). While Graham gives an adequate performance, she's scrubbed so clean that her pretty porcelain complexion seems almost out of place.

Nevertheless, the Hughes' rendering of the story is stuffed with historical references to the Elephant Man, the British Secret Service, Queen Victoria and the Crown Prince Edward and the changing society at large. They've recreated London in 1888 and the vast contrasts of poverty, wealth, violence and piety. When the Ripper's driver, played wonderfully by (Jason Flemyng), expresses his horror and fear of the violence he's witnessed, you know that no other single killer had created such unimagined mayhem in peace time London. His tortured face punctuates the extreme violence of the murders - the shiny dagger, the blood and the graphic scenes afterwards. The Hughes' portrait of the era mirrors the contemporary violence of their earlier films.

After a stellar debut back in 1994 with the release of their gritty first film, Menace II Society, the Detroit-born twins were considered a hot ticket in Hollywood. The hype and excitement didn't stop when their follow-up film, Dead Presidents was released. These two urban dramas about poor Black life enhanced myths that troubled Black intellectuals and captivated white America. But, then the Hughes stumbled with the feature-length documentary American Pimp, which wowed the Sundance crowd but was largely ignored for theatrical release. Frankly, the film about men involved in "the oldest profession" continued to spotlight negative stereotypes that the Black community has been trying to rid itself for a long time. So it's nice to see that they've returned to fictional movies.

From Hell is an incredible genre film. Even if you've seen several Jack the Ripper movies, this film will still satisfy your appetite for urban myth and horror. The Hughes' have crafted a stylish movie and the first-rate cast and give stellar performances. However, From Hell is not for the squeamish!