From Hell

Maybe slightly above-average, but definitely not madness. The Hughes brothers attempt to create some kind of dream world and partly succeed, because London is more than high-quality in terms of form (production design, cinematography, costumes). Unfortunately, it is quite simple in terms of the screenplay, even the character of Jack the Ripper (without knowing who he is) could have had more nuances. Instead, we only see a few seconds of knife action, blood and mutilated bodies, and when the story finally starts to unfold, it does so quite uneventfully. Johnny Depp surprisingly doesn't deliver much, he can act much better. And those quick cuts and hallucinations really don't suit old England. (28/05/2007)

I would like to say that it is an excellent movie, but it simply isn't. I have to take into account that it is a movie based on a comic, moreover a comic that is simply fantastic. Alan Moore is a literary genius and, together with Eddie Campbell, they created something unparalleled in the world of comics. The film that was made based on the source material is quite dark and has interesting characters, but it simply dismisses the depth of the comic book novel. (23/05/2014)

Jack The Ripper grabbed me by the hand, led me into the first dark narrow alleyway, and left me at the mercy of Victorian London. This is how the atmosphere is created. The feeling that I am in some infamous district and that something very unpleasant is about to happen to me at any moment was so unpleasantly vivid that I was actually looking forward to the image clearing up a bit in a moment. The whole story is excellently crafted, but it has one fundamental flaw. Its main character is not detective Abberline, but Mary. And that, of course, brings a lot of tiresome and desperately uninteresting studies "of the life of prostitutes". However, the atmosphere commands me very decisively to rate it higher. 70% (15/06/2008)

The story of the most famous serial killer of the 19th century is a fundamentally compelling subject, and the Hughes brothers have managed to bring this "legend" to life in their own distinctive way, which I personally, as a viewer, really enjoyed and met my expectations in many ways. The settings of the gloomy and dirty London streets added even more suspense to the story and, combined with the eerie music and some gory effects, this is an above average horror film. Alongside this there is a superbly chosen cast: Johnny Depp is perfect as the opiate addict, Heather Graham is very nice to look at (plus the red hair), Robbie Coltrane is just good old Hagrid only without the beard and Ian Holm was more than convincing. Even though I knew in advance who the killer was because I'd seen Jack the Ripper before, I was still pleasantly surprised, mostly because of the ending. (04/07/2011)

The Hughes brothers try to compensate for their narrative ineptitude with fast editing in tense scenes, and to achieve a gruesome effect, they spare no glimpse of dismembered bodies and splashes of blood. Johnny Depp is very bland, he must have been bored during the filming. The highlight of it all is the artificially grafted love story between the inspector and the prostitute played by Heather Graham. What comes out of it, it’s not worth commenting on. I just don't buy it, guys. (04/07/2003)