From Hell: Jack the Ripper Redux

Rated R

In From Hell, Scotland Yard Inspector Frederick Abberline (Johnny Depp) “chases the dragon.” He lies in a London opium den and smokes himself into oblivion, the only escape from the pain of dreams destroyed. Peace, however, eludes him. Violent, graphic visions of horrific future crimes assail his drug-induced stupors. The movie reveals these visions through a montage of rapid, staccato film clips — a murderous act in each moment. Ironically, these phantasms help Abberline solve his cases.

Abberline’s assignment in From Hell: Jack the Ripper. The Ripper’s reign of terror lasted from August to November 1888. His victims numbered only five Whitechapel prostitutes, whom he strangled, sliced and gutted. He took organs — “souvenirs” — from the corpses. He cut with precision and skill, suggesting a considerable knowledge of anatomy. To this day, the Ripper’s identity remains a mystery, theories abound and fascination persists.

Directors Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes (the Hughes brothers) based From Hell on a graphic novel (an adult comic book) with the same title. The novel and the movie adopt one Ripper scholar’s “royal conspiracy” hypothesis, implicating Queen Victoria and high government officials in the murders. No firm basis for this theory exists.

“Dickensian” best describes the world of From Hell. The Hughes brothers depict the London slums as dark and dank, inhabited by the broken-down and hopeless. A group of five prostitutes, who happen to be friends, fall prey to the Ripper.

Abberline’s investigations lead him from these squalid quarters to the nobility’s brightly-lit and exquisitely decorated salons. Abberline consults with Sir William Gull (Ian Holm), a noted surgeon and physician to the monarchy, about the Ripper’s skill with the knife. Is the killer a surgeon or just a lowly butcher? Unfortunately, this reviewer guessed the Ripper’s identity early on and found the visual clues before, during and after the murders revealing too much too soon. Her companions, however, did not identify the perpetrator until the proper time.

One other quibble. Heather Graham plays prostitute Mary Kelly, who, like Abberline, really existed. In From Hell, Kelly assists Abberline with his inquiry. The two fall in love with each other. Yet, this de rigueur romantic attraction never disrupted the movie’s realism. Rather, Heather Graham’s cleanliness — bright, bouncy, perfectly curled red hair, squeaky-clean face, shining teeth and “just-a-little-dirty” blue dress — creates a credibility gap impossible to ignore. Graham resembled Julia Roberts’ streetwalker in Pretty Woman. Filmmakers should learn to let go of the “leading lady” image with such characters.

From Hell conveys a message of power misused, but not unpunished. Yet, as with many dramas, the reality remains far more enticing than the fiction. We walk out of the picture with an explanation and a just ending. However, the fascination with the real story persists. Why?

Easy — Jack the Ripper wielded the power of death and got away with it.

Lynn I. Miller

When not practicing public interest law in Washington, D.C., Lynn I. Miller reviews books and movies for Crescent Blues. She lives with her husband and two cats, “Q” and Gracie, and enjoys a symbiotic relationship with her donor heart.