Anyone have less money in their account today than they had before
Anyone have less money in their account today than they had before
Member since:07.04.2007
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From Hell is a 2001 film directed by The Hughes Brothers. Based on a similarly named graphic novel it is about the Jack the Ripper story from the point of view of the investigating detective Abberline played by Johnny Depp.
The film starts in the seedy White Chapel area of London (I don't know much about London but I do know Whitechapel was one of the crappy brown properties in monopoly.) A small group of prostitute friends are meeting with an old friend who has risen from the slums and is married to a wealthy artist. Things change for the worse for her though, as one evening a group of men led by the head of the special branch take her husband and her away and torture and lobotomise her.
Then we meet Abberline in an opium den being rudely awoken by Robbie Coltrane playing another policeman. A girl from the group of friends has been brutally murdered. Abberline usually has visions about such occurrences but he says it was not this one that he foresaw but another. One by one the girls are picked off. A man in a fine coach always approaches them and lures them in with grapes, then leaves them horribly mutilated and lacking certain organs. Abberline along the way enlists the help of the royal physician played by Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins) and falls in love with one of the girls Mary Kelly (Heather Graham). Abberline gets close to the truth but
finds that it is way above his head and he can't do anything about it no matter how hard he tries.
My synopsis of this film is not great. So one more quick summary:
Group of prostitutes - One married to wealthy man but captured and tortured by special branch - others picked off and horribly mutilated - Abberline on the trail - Coltrane tagging along - Abberline befriends one - the mystery...
I really liked it, it is an excellent film and an enjoyable 2 hour watch. First of all what makes it great and what you notice from the outset is all the big scenes of Victorian London. These all looked great and gave the film a great atmosphere. Throughout the film had a very authentic feel to it with the costumes and the scenery. Johnny Depp is great in this film and I think he's a great actor despite having not being in anything good for awhile (one Pirates of the Caribbean sequel too many and that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake was completely uncalled for). He puts on, what I thought was a very convincing London accent and just thoroughly took on the part. Robbie Coltrane is Robbie Coltrane, for some reason I always think Robbie Coltrane is in competition with Robert Carlisle and as I hate Robert Carlisle I like Robbie Coltrane more. The man also doesn't seem to change, if you look at Robbie Coltrane back in The Young Ones in 1982 and Robbie Coltrane now over 20 years later he's just got a little fatter but is otherwise no different. Ian Holm was also excellent, I don't want to say too much about him though for certain reasons. The only thing that annoyed me about this film was Heather Graham' bug eyes. Minty from Eastenders also has a part as the bar man.
The film was brilliantly directed, I haven't seen anything else by the Hughes Brothers but I really liked how this film was made. The killing scenes really stood out as being fantastically executed. One scene in particular has a woman being dragged into darkness and all you see is the flashes of the blade as she is stabbed. It wasn't graphic but it looked brutal and it looked terrifying. They created a dark, grim London but made it look a little realer than what Tim Burton comes up with in his gothic looking settings.
Music to this film is great, all fits in with the mood and feel and the special effects are likewise excellent.
Personally I strongly recommend it. Usually I don't buy DVDs of films that are on TV a lot but as this was only £3 in Tesco and it's such a great film I had to buy it. It takes a more fantastical theory to the Jack the Ripper mystery but one I liked to be perfectly honest. Don't be put off because it's based on a comic. Lately comics and cartoons are apparently becoming something that adults and children can both endulge. To me that's a lot of crap. I don't like comics and I don't watch cartoons but a lot of films based on comics have been great: 300, American Splendour and of course this film.
Also I don't know squat about the Jack the Ripper story so I can't the film to the facts but really who cares the majority of people are watching this as a film not as a historical textbook.
The DVD extras contained were 23 minutes of deleted scenes. None of them were really worth watching. Directors usually delete scenes because they're no good or they don't need them, not because they hate you and want to keep the best of the film for themselves. I think soon directors are going to start deleting scenes just so they can release them on DVD. A lot of them are in black and white for some reason, maybe Abberline was meant to have a lot more visions than in the actual film. Either way there's no way of watching the film with the deleted scenes and as they were they were nothing special to watch (I found it quite boring). There was the option to watch them with commentary from Albert Hughes.
You can also watch this film with commentary from Albert Hughes, the screenwriter, the cinematographer and Robert Coltrane. I tried to watch a bit with this and I flicked through a bit but it was boring. They were all a bit self obsessed and Coltrane didn't seem to be saying much.
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How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
What you put in the "disadvantages" only deserves a Very Helpful LOL. Just kidding and anyway it's a very good film and great review.
Soho_Black 01.10.2008 15:24
Probably should have been set to the "DVD" option, but I can't be bothered, as we've covered that ground before. I also can't be bothered to think of a title for you, so you'll have to come up with your own!
Expired-Account 27.09.2008 18:20
A Johnny Depp film I haven't seen, sounds great, off to find it asap, very helpful review
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]")
Sep 6th, 2008
exceptional by (2%):
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