From Hell

release year: 2001
genre: suspense/drama
viewing setting: home DVD, 2/25/03

synopsis: Jack the Ripper terrorizes 1888 London, and it's up to a drug-addicted police inspector to solve the mystery.

impressions: Let's see. Suspecnse, check. Gore, check. Dark eerie sets, check. Good actors, check. Nineteenth-century aristocrat BS, check. Problem is, that last item absolutely repels me and makes me antsy when present in a movie (or anywhere else.) It was a society of idiotic tradition, lies, and hypocrisy and I hate it in all ways. So, this was a good atmospheric horror/suspense movie that I did not enjoy despite its merits. It did offer a possible explanation for Jack the Ripper (and his sudden disappearance.)

acting: Johnny Depp has yet another good role as a weird protagonist. Heather Graham is also good as the prostitute whose friends are being killed. The guy who played Depp's fellow cop did a good job. As for the variety of actors who portrayed aristocratic secret-keepers...I'm sure they did fine, but their characters irked me.

final word: Worth seeing, but I have a feeling you'll either love it or hate it.

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