Starring: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane.
Directed by: The Hughes Brothers

Let me get this out of the way. Johnny Depp could be sharpening a pencil and it would be entertaining. From Edward Scissorhands to Ichabod Crane, Depp is always amazing. Therefore, I am partial to this movie even before seeing it. Now for the review.

Depp plays Abberline, a detective in late 19th century London who is in charge of investigating the murders of several prostitutes. What gives him a special advantage is his opium induced dreams that reveal glimpses of the future. Soon enough, he forms a bond with a friend of the victims (Graham), and tries to proctect her from the serial killer, now referred to on the streets as Jack the Ripper.

The movie is adapted from a "graphic novel" (fancy term for "long, thick comic book"), by Alan Moore. I haven't read Moore's work, but I am told the film has retained surprisingly much of the original. The story is strong, giving a conclusion to an unsolved mystery: who Jack the Ripper actually is (according to Moore, that is). Before the film ends, we go from London's seedy east side, to pubs, the Freemasons secret lair and the Royal Palace. What rules in this movie is the lighting and colours. The Hughes have done a splendid job of using light (or not using it, in this movie's case) to create such brilliant atmosphere. The streets of east end London look downright scary. Who knows what craziness lurks in those back alleys?

On top of the cinematography, the acting is great. The always dependable Depp is, well, dependable. It seems to me that he's playing the same character from Sleepy Hollow, except with less humour. Heather Graham has not impressed in the past (ahem...Austin Powers 2), but here she's actually pretty good, with a Cockney accent on top of everything. The rest of the cast is composed of mainly veteran English actors, who are always good. Can't go wrong with the Brit thesps.

So should you see From Hell? Well, that depends on how strong a stomach you have. Since we're dealing with Jack the Ripper here, you know there's going to be gore and disturbing violence. If you're up to it, keep the young'uns at home, please. But even if you think you can stand the nastiness, remember what the guy in front of me said after the house lights came up:

Guy: "You actually liked that monkey crap?"

Well, Guy in Front of Me, I did, actually. The movie could have been a little shorter and got a bit boring at times, but in the end, it was worth a face card in my estimation.

DroopyMcC
Jack (no pun intended)

JBo		What do you get when you mix groovy 19th century drug use, hot lesbian action and gratuitous violence? I don�t know, but I think I just stepped in a big pile of it. And here�s hoping that Annie�s not a syphilitic!
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