From Hell Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Evil has a new address...
Only the legend will survive.
The infamous Jack the Ripper case set in London of 1888. The Ripper has been running amok in the Whitechapel district murdering and dissecting prostitutes. Scotland Yard Inspector Fred Abberline, aided by his partner, Peter Godley, are on the case to figure out who this serial killer is and why he is killing these women in such a brutal manner. Abberline is an opium addict and when "chasing the dragon" he is able to have visions of the future, a certain psychic ability that allows him to solve cases. As Abberline and Godley investigate the crimes, they become acquainted with the prostitutes who were friends and colleagues of the victims. Abberline begins to fall in love with Mary Kelly, one of the prostitutes, or as the nobles called them "unfortunates", being hunted down by Jack the Ripper. Abberline digs deeper and deeper into the conspiracy and attempts to solve the case before Mary Kelly is the next victim.
| Johnny Depp | Inspector Frederick Abberline |
| Heather Graham | Mary Kelly |
| Ian Holm | Sir William Gull |
| Robbie Coltrane | Sergeant Peter Godley |
| Ian Richardson | Sir Charles Warren |
| Jason Flemyng | Netley, the Coachman |
| Katrin Cartlidge | Dark Annie Chapman |
| Terence Harvey | Benjamin 'Ben' Kidney |
| Susan Lynch | Liz Stride |
| Paul Rhys | Dr. Ferral |
| Lesley Sharp | Kate Eddowes |
| Estelle Skornik | Ada |
| Nicholas McGaughey | Officer Bolt |
| Annabelle Apsion | Polly Nichols |
| Joanna Page | Ann Crook |
| Albert Hughes |
6.80 out of 10 (40554 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Failure
posted on 18 Aug 2009To take a comic book as complicated as Alan Moore's "From Hell" and reduce it into this kind of trash is even more offensive than a movie that's just bad.From Hell, the comic book, is very detailed, filled with detailed references and each issue is annotated with facts.Obviously the makers of this movies just didn't feel like reading.-Uncle Milo
Hell no!
posted on 10 Aug 2009Well that sure sucked! This seemed more like an episode of Millennium than anything else. Johnny Depp should be careful in the future, not to pick
these "mystery" films just because they are somewhat European. What did this add to the discourse of the ripper? Nothing but an absurd attempt to combine the different theories to one big conspiracy theory! How about leaving the end as open as the real case? And how about not letting the love story match every kliché in the book. And really, what about Heather Grahams fake red glowing hair? Were they afraid we wouldn't notice her, or is it just trying to cover up her lousy acting?
HELL-ish ending wasn't all that bad.
posted on 19 Jul 2009I'm not a big gore fan, in regards to bloody murder scenes, but I generally liked this. The plot was intriguing (who doesn't like the high profile cases?), and the actors made the movie worth watching, despite any flaws. I have to admit Graham's performance was the low point of the movie but Johnny Depp, Ian Holm, and Robbie Coltrane? Fabulous actors. Over all, the accents weren't too bad- Depp's serviceable, Graham's annoying. And I really enjoyed watching Depp "chasing the dragon" because his psychic abilities were not as horribly cliché as they could have been. The bits about the stonemasons were very interesting as well.My favorite part was the ending. I had expected the typical: Boy saves girl, boy solves crime, boy shags girl and Bob's your uncle! But the ending surprised me, pleasantly. It was sad and uncomfortable- I loved every moment of it.For a night of soft-core-gore, From Hell is a good choice. It's not terribly frightening, but some of the more suspenseful moments may have you clutching your pillow a bit tighter.
Okay. Depp is good.
posted on 15 Jul 2009Johnny Depp is one the few Hollywood stars whose acting talent shines brighter then his celebrity. `From Hell' follows Inspector Abberline - played by Depp - in this twist filled, conspiracy theory loaded quest to identify the infamous serial killer labeled Jack the Ripper. Abberline swallows Depp so completely that you forget Depp actually exists for those two hours. That's the way things should be. That's the reason I go to movies.The supporting cast was great. Robbie Coltrane and Ian Holm are consistently strong actors. The sets and costuming were flawless. The script was surprisingly fluidic for a period thriller slash horror. Heather Graham does well to remind us that she was a competent actress in a past life. All in all a good showing.I went looking for seat-of-my-pants horror, but I found a gore-filled, albeit thoughtful, history lesson. Go see it in that frame of mind and you'll walk away smiling.
Double vision!
posted on 15 Jul 2009Interesting perspective on the Jack The Ripper tale, this is one theory as to who the killer was and the reasoning behind the killings of this group of prostitutes, of which Heather Graham plays her role brilliantly.Depp is the investigating officer with the appalling excuse for an East End accent who is assisted by the always fun and class Robbie Coltrane. Iain Richardson is Depp's boss, and plays the role of an arrogant Victorian in the way that only he and Nigel Hawthorne can with greatness.Definitely entertaining and well made, I had an interesting experience in that I actually saw Depp himself while on the way to the cinema in Los Angeles!
Okay
posted on 25 Jun 2009Gothic trappings and dreamy visuals try desperately to cover the stench of exploitation in this violent, speculative retelling of the Jack the Ripper incidents. Johnny Depp, who plays the clairvoyant detective on the trail of the murderer, is a wonderfully intuitive actor but has always lacked a certain screen presence/charisma, an attribute that works in his favor in films like Dead Man or Nick of Time but detracts from performances in, say, Blow from last year, films where we need to believe he has the magnetism and deep motivations the script is telling us he has. His ethereality, for lack of a better word, is a mixed bag here, as the murders and intrigue behind the killer's identity far overshadow and out-interest whatever internal conflicts the Depp character carries. On the plus side, the love story, between him and a potentially doomed prostitute(Heather Graham) makes sense and adds needed poignancy to balance out the carnage the directors(Hughes Brothers) are so eager to wallow in. The murders are inventively, brutally shot, and as the camera lingers unsympathetically on the grisly aftermaths the connection is eloquently, methodically made between the polite economic violence of the London elite and the cold brutality of being on the bottom rung. Nifty piece of work there. The fact that the Hughes are good at what they do(exploitation) doesn't get them a pass but it does lead them into some interesting territory almost in spite of themselves. 8/10
Memo to Hughes Brothers' analyst: Discuss woman problem
posted on 11 Jun 2009The Hughes brothers' adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novelabout Jack the Ripper is crudely compelling but hard to respect.Even seemingly-misogynistic directors like Dario Argento andBrian DePalma build into their thrillers an awareness of thetaboo-breaking power held by images of vulnerable women beingphysically harmed. Their set pieces are not just displays ofvirtuosity, but have seismic emotional power. For Albert and AllanHughes, the slicing-up of prostitutes is just an opportunity foranother effect, a stick-on decal, an expensive sound cue. Thesound of surgical instruments on raw bone waltzes with strobe-cutflashes of bloody flesh, staring dead eyeballs, flies rubbing theirhands before dipping into a human feast. The total effect is thesame as that of the brothers' last movie, AMERICAN PIMP--there isno directorial point of view save that of, "Wow, cool!" The pictureoften suggests the souped-up dopiness of Francis Coppola'sDRACULA--though the dialogue often plunges to the level of abottom-drawer TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE. Heather Graham,as the Main Hooker, and Johnny Depp, as a coolio,
absinthe-sipping Sherlock Holmes, are made to look like two ofthe most beautiful people in the world, which no doubt they are. IanHolm, as Queen Victoria's "ordinary physician," gives aperformance of dazzling accomplishment, especially when youconsider he's given lines that would disgrace a Hammer horrormovie. And say a quiet prayer for the marvellous Robbie Coltraneas the hero's Fat Best Friend: the words he's forced to say areworse--a hundred times worse.
We need another Jack the Ripper Movie like I need a hole in the head!
posted on 11 Jun 2009Here we go again. Another Jack the Ripper book offering "the final solution" comes out, another costume drama is released utilising its contents.Johnny Depp and Robbie Coltrane play real life cops Frederick Abberline and George Godley. Some odd accents here: Abberline has a very lower class accent for an 19th century inspector, Sussex man Godley speaks with a Scottish accent, and Long Liz Stride has hyper-sensitive hearing - being able to hear the sound of Bow Bells in her native Sweden.There is not a shred of evidence to suggest that Abberline took laudanum, although many people at the time did.We have a few sub plots involving a love affair between Abberline and Mary Kelly. We have the royal physician, the Duke of Clarence, the Freemasons.And what was it all about? Well, the Duke of Clarence married a Catholic girl in a Catholic church, and the girls who are being bumped off were in the church. The royal establishment are quite willing to use murder to cover the whole thing up. Sounds like a great idea, BUT, in those days Catholics had to be married twice: once in the Catholic Church, and again in an Anglican church. Why? Because the Catholic priests were not registered to marry legally; so, in the eyes of the law, a Catholic marriage had no legal standing. So we are talking about a film with a busted plot.That aside, the film is well shot, well atmospheric, and has appropriate music.Another problem is that the conditions the girls of Whitechapel are living in are too sanitised. In reality, these folk lived in utter squalor.How many more films are we going to get about Jack the Ripper?
CRAZY!!!
posted on 09 Jun 2009This is one of my favorite movies that Johnny Depp is in. I hope there is way more movies just lie this and every one should watch it. There are sad parts...horror parts...parts that you cant miss...and did i say Johnny Depp is sooo cute in here....well E-mail me with any thing...
This film isn't good
posted on 05 Jun 2009FROM HELL is an elaboration on film based on the graphic novel elaboration by Alan Moore on a very silly book by Stephen Knight entitled Jack the Ripper, the Final Solution, in which the author fantasizes a ridiculously elaborate explanation for the Ripper killings of 1888 based on no evidence whatsoever.This is not a story, it's a point by point "explanation" of Knight's foolish theory which is historically impossible, logically nonsensical, and possesses no dramatic value at all apart from ONE shot at the very end of the film which is absolutely heartbreaking. That's it, though. That's all you get. After seeing this shot, which is the only free, improvised moment in a completely expositional film, you get the idea that the film has just (finally) begun, then, surprise!, the end credits roll. Shots of the soapy unbelievable backstory (concerning those who were responsible for making the baby which figures into the solution of the case) aren't even given to us. You watch 2 hours and get nothing of genuine historical value and only one moment that makes any kind of dramatic sense. This is not a drama, it's a pseudo-documentary in which we are TOLD what to think, and that information makes no sense. Grapes are rare in Whitechapel, one victim had a grape stalk in her hand, therefore the killer must be a recognized high society gentleman? Jack the Ripper removed some of his victims' organs therefore he "must" be a medical doctor? (These are not spoilers, they are actual conclusions drawn by our hero early on in the film) Give me a break. We have as much reason to conclude positively from this information that he "must" be a cannibalistic fruit stand owner. It would be very nice to see someone try to make a film about the Ripper murders that was free of Royal Conspiracy horse-hockey and truly did try to portray a realistic picture of the place and time which would help explain why these murders really happened. I suppose since so many have embraced Knight's ridiculous fanciful glop as truth we will never see such a thing. Pity.
Excellent film drawing on both fact and popular fiction about Jack the Ripper
posted on 01 Jun 2009As an avid readers of Jack the Ripper history, to say that both my daughter and I was pleasantly surprised by this film is putting mildly.The film cleverly combines both the facts about Jack the Ripper and the popular fiction that now makes up the staple Jack history.The acting is great, the cast is brilliant, Ian Holme and Jonny Depp are superb. The sets are dark and atmospheric, some of the cinematography is stunning.We watched this with my husband, not a Jack historian who had been put off by the title but he enjoyed the film as much as we did.So the moral of this review - Don't let the title put you off, it is not a horror movie more of a period detective/drama, well worth taking the time to watch.
The Ripper is hunted, in this moderately enjoyable production
posted on 26 May 2009FROM HELL **1/2An investigative opium smoker sets out to solve the case of Jack the Ripper during the late 19th century following a spate of killings of a number of prostitutes. The investigator has one special gift though especially when getting his daily fix of the drug in that he sees premonitions and snapshots of the killings to come, kind of giving him small insights into who the killer may be and where the killings will happen. The movie plunges into some unexpected areas, especially the unravelling of the Freemason's and its part in the jigsaw which the inspector must solve. Friends may not be what they seem in this case. A number of prostitutes, who have been friends for years it seems, try and console each other and pledge to stay together in these dark times. When they slowly get picked off though by someone who the inspector believes to be distinguished (the killer entices the women with grapes, a delicacy) panic and fear sets in.
It's an intriguing film in many ways which is also too unconvincing. We get to know the killer a long way before the end, and a lot of the plot isn't relevant. The overall plot can be pieced together with ease though, and there are no real surprises if indeed that is what the film sets out to do. Although the backdrops were quite real for the time, everything seemed to be too organised for this period. The prostitutes were sometimes too clean and neatly primed, and there didn't seem any indication of the great poverty line that was all too evident in London at that time. Depp was okay, Coltrane was very good and Heather Graham was quite believable. But it didn't strike a lasting chord personally.
From Absinthe-Are-Us
posted on 26 May 2009"From Hell" proves that no matter how much money you throw at a crappy script and amateur direction, you don't get a good movie.See, it isn't just enough to pick one of the most sensationally gory police blotter stories of the past century, throw buckets of money at costumers & set folks, and pick two or three good actors. You have to motivate them to act with good writing. Or *something*.The story is such old hat that it needed a really good angle. Implicating the royal family isn't new. The Whitechapel wannabes wandering the very well-scrubbed sets are all well-scrubbed and their clothing is meticulously clean. AS IF! Late 19th century London was DIRTY, PEOPLE! How is it all of these whores, too poor to have a place to live, are running around in NEW clothes that look like they just got out of the dry cleaners? (Read that last line like Sam Kinnison would have, screaming "just got out...")There are a few shots of squeamish gore. After all, that's what we paid to see, right? ICHOR! ICHOR! But the reactions of the police actors and public onlookers? I'd expect better reactions from actors in a high school play. They look more like they stepped in dogcrap. (Hmmm.)Inspector Depp spends much of his screen-time doing free advertising for absinthe. What, he's sorry he didn't do "Total Eclipse"?Robbie Coltrane's character (amiable Coltrane has the only lively part in the movie) can't decide if the inspector is his buddy ("Goodnight sweet prince", he says at the end of the movie ... ECCCH! Shakespeare!) or his boss (when Depp snaps an order at him, he gets all ... *obedient*).I know, I know, this whole movie is supposed to be tongue-in-cheek.Right?
Great depiction...
posted on 24 May 2009The Hughes brothers did an excellent job of capturing the smallest of details in a story that still leaves people bewildered as to "who did it?" Depp, as always, does a wonderful job playing a true and real character. Heather Graham is surely more attractive than the real life Mary Kelly she portrays in the film. I would recommend this film to any and all who have an interest in jack the ripper, johnny deep, or just plain want to see a good horror/thriller flick.
Johnny Depp is always good...
posted on 22 May 2009Once again Johnny Depp provides us an solid performance. It's hard to not to like the films he has made. This film is a dark one, much like another Depp movie Sleepy Hollow. In my opinion movie was a bit too hard to follow even though the plot itself isn't very complicated. Robbie Coltrane also succeeds to be in good shape in this one. But in general the stage is set for Depp and other performances tend go just in a side. The visual presentation of this movie is also interesting and exciting, although being quite dark, as said. But if you have seen a lot of movies like I, this one really doesn't offer anything new. The ones who liked Sleepy Hollow or The Ninth Gate will probably like this also. I liked both, but because I had seen them before watching this I was quite ready what to expect. But if you want spent an hour and a half with visually great Johnny Depp movie then this one to choose from many good ones. This movie is straight from hell... :)
The Grapes of DEATH!
posted on 04 May 2009This isn't the first movie about the notorious late 19th century serial killer Jack The Ripper and it sure as 'hell' won't be the last. "From Hell" is, however, the most budgeted one of the bunch and also the first (at least, by my knowledge) that actually attempts severely to reveal the possible identity of Jackie-boy and the motivations behind his gruesome killings. The screenplay for this film was adapted from authentic police reports from that period, and the prostitute-murders are truthful reconstructions, based on original illustrations and drawings. This realism results in a very compelling, powerful and often shocking first half hour. The prostitutes (or "unfortunate women" as they are referred to) of the London Whitechapel-quarter are approached by a sophisticated gentleman in a black coach, who offers them drapes and a tempting amount of money. Shortly after, their murdered bodies are found severely mutilated. They also seem to be missing organs that were removed surgically, which raises the suspicion that the killer might very well be a man of high standing. Police inspector (and full-time opium-addict) Abberline devotedly investigates the case and stumbles on eminent organizations that surely don't want to be linked with the murders. Director-duo Albert and Allen Hughes somewhat lose their grip on the complex story after the third murder and the film's climax is sorely disappointing. The most fascinating thing about the entire production unquestionably is the breathtaking Victorian setting! The London of 1888 is terrifically illustrated, with its foggy streets; corrupt police system and enormous differences in social class. Much more than a horror portrait, "From Hell" is a raw ghetto-drama about survival! This isn't surprising, since the directors previously made the minor classics "Menace II Society" and "Dead Presidents" that are all about social conflicts. Johnny Depp is terrific as usual, Heather Graham makes your heart melt and the supportive cast exists of multi-talented British actors such as Ian Holm (Lord of the Rings), Jason Flemying (Snatch) and Robbie Coltrane (Mona Lisa). Recommended!
Johnny Depp as a Cockney!
posted on 04 May 2009The rather scarily-titled 'From Hell' is an entertaining piece of Hollywood hokum about Jack the Ripper. Without giving too much away, it offers a new spin on old material (although seasoned 'Ripperologists' will find little to surprise them). Johnny Depp works surprisingly well as cockney detective Inspector Abberline, and the cast is uniformly strong - although some might think that casting Heather Graham as an Irish/Cockney prostitute is pushing credibility a bit! Still, this is an enjoyable romp and there's no need to let realism get in the way of the fun. Frankly a lot of the characters seem to have stepped straight out of 'Oliver', but it hardly seems to matter. That said, the atmosphere is genuinely chilling at times, and it's interestingly filmed in a style reminiscent of comic books (the script was based on a graphic novel). Not one to take too seriously, but fun fodder for a wet Wednesday evening with the curtains drawn.
Spectacular film, but remember: FICTION.
posted on 28 Apr 2009"From Hell" is an adaptation of the royal conspiracy theory that came into existence in the 1970's. As a work of fiction, it's great; it is full of political intrigue and makes for a great story. Depp and Holm really carry it well, and the directors show us a part of victorian england without sugar coating it- the poverty-stricken east end, the drunk, starving people: the working class. It's here that the Ripper committed his gruesome murders.The only catch is that this is strictly a work of fiction. There is absolutely nothing to back up the royal conspiracy except bits of heresay. Sure, it could have been covered up well, but it's by far one of the least likely possibilities. It's tempting to romanticize the story in the hope that these killings had a motive; when in fact they very well might have been random. As a film, A+. But a film only; not a documentary.
The Worst Collection of Theories About The Case
posted on 26 Aug 2009This movie takes every sensational theory about the Whitechapel murders and crams them into one plot. The royal theory, the masonic conspiracy theory, and the two killer theory are all shown here, and none of them are very convincing. A very entertaining and frightening movie could have been made on the facts alone. Hollywood of course is allowed to put their own "dramatic" spin on real life events, but what "From Hell" brings is the biggest fairy tale possible. The movie plot alone without involving "Jack the Ripper" would have been a better idea. The directors also seemed to want to throw in the real facts about the case quickly, so that they could make room for the fictional aspects of the events. As the movie stands it is a sub par effort and one of the most famous murder cases of all time needs a better plot to tell its story.