07/08/06....
Just to say am back!!, I am also having a baby in several weeks so expect lots of ba...
07/08/06....
Just to say am back!!, I am also having a baby in several weeks so expect lots of baby reviews!! Anna xx
Member since:27.07.2001
Reviews:79
Members who trust:223
Well, as some of you know I have a certain thing for the actor Johnny Depp, ahem ok he's a babe!
So it was not a difficult choice to pick yet another film starring the man himself. From Hell sounded great and never got round to seeing it at the cinema so it was this weekends viewing..
The story is set in 1888 London, Whitechapel to be exact, and the set is certainly very convincing. Lots of dark dingy alleyways, low swirling mist and a bunch of dodgy looking characters that make your skin crawl give this production an authentic feel.
You cannot help thinking just how dreadful it really must have been to be around at this time and literally how people ever managed to survive at all!.
Based on the acclaimed 1999 graphic novel by Alan Moore, it is the tale of the horrendous killings of Jack The Ripper. I of course know of the ripper but can't say I have actually seen anything that actually details his killings up until now.
The Ripper prays on unfortunates..well prostitutes to us or also known at the time as bangtails,lovely name for it!.
CHARACTERS ************
Lets meet the main characters in the film: Mary Kelly (Heather Graham) is a bangtail, accompanied by her bunch of unfortunate friends. Now you meet this lot early on in the film and straight away your left
thinking..you what??
Well, Mary's friends are all very authentic,filthy,black toothed, hair that you could fry chips in and clothes that you wouldn't be given free!, but what about our heroine?
Mary being supposedly as poor as her pals manages pearly white nashers that you need sunglasses to look at, lovely deep red hair that is clean and looks more like the result of a well commercial!..
Her clothes, well she does always seem to wear the same outfit but this still looks smart and clean as does her face and hands, not a mark in sight!!,
Sadly she looks more like supermodel than a prostitute but I guess this is to attract the male viewers somehow.
Inspector Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp), now oddly Depp is also not right somehow for this part, yes he's pleasing on the eye but the accent, please!, it's hard enough for an English person to copy a cockney accent but an American..you get the picture!.
Also strange was that the last film I watched him in was Sleepy Hollow and again he was a police type solving murders and to be honest it could have been the same part!, he looked the same and even as with Sleepy Hollow he seemed to never put himself into the part, he lacked something but I can't quite put my finger on it but I really don't think he's best suited for these sombre thrillers!
As I said Abberline in this film has the task of solving the grisly murders, this is aided with him being psychic and flashbacks only add to his already troubled mind.
Meet his partner Godley ( Robbie Coltraine), now he is good at his part, mind having watched him in programmes like Cracker you know he can pull this genre off without batting an eyelid. Not only super acting but also the expected dry humour peppered throughout certainly gives this film a welcome boost at times.
THE PLOT UNFOLDS *****************
Well lets get into the film and see exactly what it is about, for those who have not seen it I am going to tell you so much but not enough to spoil it, more to actually let you decide if this ones for you!.
The story unfolds with Mary and her bunch of unfortunate friends witnessing the abduction of another friend who married and had a child to a wealthy artist, or so they thought he was at the time...
After this the Ripper springs into action, ruthlessly killing and butchering them one by one, he cunningly lures them into their doom with bunches of grapes..grapes at that time were only for the very rich so the chance to nibble on these made the women think he was going to reward them for their services very handsomely...
Instead they find their throats slashed, and if that wasn't bad enough the Ripper complete with an array of surgical instruments proceeds to remove various organs..
Of course there is a perfectly rational explanation for these killings, the girls in question all witnessed something which if ever got out could cause serious damage to the whole country, so by night in his horse drawn carriage the Ripper peruses the poverty stricken areas of London searching them out one by one..
Abberline of course ends up doing more than his expected police duties with Mary's he tries to unscramble the puzzle, applying his sometimes less than logical theories to solving it, he enlists the help of the Royal families private physician Sir William Gull (Ian Holm).
Holm is able to offer his expertise and you find him a very odd character indeed, very well acted indeed by Holm you won't really know what to make of him and your stomach will churn as you watch him carry out surgical operations that seem almost barbaric but at the time were the best around!
Well, this sets the scene, a race against Abberline to solve the murders before any more are killed, with 5 down he can't afford to mess around, so does he get the killer??... Not going to tell you anymore, I will just say that the endings a total shock and certainly you don't expect it!!
SUM UP TIME ************
Well despite all the flaws and minor niggles I really enjoyed the film, but I will warn you now the actual killings are very realistic!, and often close ups thrown in, so if you are faint hearted then be warned! The set was superb and this again made up for other things lacking, it was actually filmed on the outskirts of Prague.
The film is very easy to get into indeed and although the story is somewhat what you expect it is very watchable indeed.
I would actually recommend it, well if you can get your head round Depp and Grahams flaws then your fine! But...please don't order a pizza to munch whilst viewing, you might regret it!!
Running Time - 117 minutes Rating - 18
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Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
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Heavy on atmosphere and light on everything else,From Hellis visually impressive while ... more
lacking the depth of the acclaimed graphic novel it's based upon. Making their third feature since 1993'sMenace II Society, twins Allen and Albert Hughes approach th...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Heavy on atmosphere and light on everything else,From Hellis visually impressive while ... more
lacking the depth of the acclaimed graphic novel it's based upon. Making their third feature since 1993'sMenace II Society, twins Allen and Albert Hughes approach th...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
A Gripping and Stylish Thriller. -Lou Lumenick New York Post While Jack the Ripper ruled ... more
the streets of London terror reigned. His crimes were unspeakable. His blood lust unquenchable. His identity unknown... until now! Johnny Depp and Heather Gra...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
In 1888 London, the unfortunate poor live horrifying lives in the city's slums. Harassed ... more
by gangs and forced to walk the streets for a living, Mary Kelly (Graham) and her small group of companions are terrorized when their friend is kidnapped and anoth...
![From Hell (2 Disc Special Edition) [2002] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78545544.jpg "From Hell (2 Disc Special Edition) [2002] [DVD]")
Dec 1st, 2002
(Dec 11th, 2002)
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