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From Hell
2001
FROM HELL is a gory detective film cloaked in Victorian-era mystique. The movie shows how the serial killer Jack the Ripper stalked the dark streets of 1888 London, slaying prostitutes and crudely dissecting their bodies. Based on the graphic novel written by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, this moody chiller is directed by twin .. Read more
| Starring | Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane |
|---|---|
| Director | Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes |
| Genres | Thriller |
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From Hell
FROM HELL is a gory detective film cloaked in Victorian-era mystique. The movie shows how the serial killer Jack the Ripper stalked the dark streets of 1888 London, slaying prostitutes and crudely dissecting their bodies. Based on the graphic novel written by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, this moody chiller is directed by twin brothers Albert and Allen Hughes (MENACE II SOCIETY, AMERICAN PIMP). Johnny Depp stars as Inspector Frederick Abberline, who smokes heavy doses of opium and drowns himself in absinthe to evoke hallucinatory visions that are his clues to catching the Ripper. Heather Graham costars as the prettiest of the floozies, who wins the muted affections of the inspector.
With plenty of atmosphere and spooky effects, FROM HELL borrows scenery, filming tricks, and sequence construction from a host of popular movies, resulting in a visually interesting--if inconsistent--style. Haunting nighttime shots of the London skyline (actually Prague) bleed into shadowy Tim Burton-like prowls through the damp cobblestone streets; aerial camerawork contrasts with crowded ground-level focuses; and the camera peeks around corners and into foggy windows with stealthy curiosity. What may stand out most in viewers minds after the carnage is through, is the exaggerated use of surround sound, which brings a dreadful sense of reality to the film's gore, making FROM HELL all the juicier.
| Starring | Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Richardson, Jason Flemyng, Susan Lynch, Paul Rhys, Lesley Sharp, Katrin Cartlidge, Terence Harvey |
|---|---|
| Director | Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes |
| Studio | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 57 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 57 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Language | English |
| Subtitles | English, French, Spanish |
| Released | DVD: 16 Aug 2004 Blu-ray: 19 Nov 2007 Production year: 2001 |
| Format | DVD |
From Hell (2001)
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Inspired by Michael Allred's comic-book, Grafik Muzik, this is a brilliant premise that loses its way as Christopher Coppola strives to reproduce the twisting complexities of hardboiled pulp. Escaping from Hell after a lifetime's iniquity, cops Tate Donovan and William Forsythe vow to go straight to avoid a reunion with the satanic Robert Goulet. However, decency becomes increasingly difficult as they investigate the murder of millionaire Barry Newman, who had hired them to keep tabs on his scheming wife, Vanessa Angel. It's fun, but the sci-fi subplot, involving mad inventor David Huddleston and the ever-manic Bobcat Goldthwait is a quirk too far.
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Lurid melodrama, in which London becomes a city of myth and occult forces; it never quite convinces and much of the narrative will seem familiar to those who saw the 1978 Sherlock Holmes mystery Murder By Decree.
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Most helpful member's review
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53 out of 54 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
superb
this film is superb. Jack the Ripper is perhaps one of the most infamous, serial killers ever known. he has become somewhat of a household name, that has withstood the test of time. The Whitechapel murders, to this day, remain unsolved, and many people find themselves morbidly drawn to this slew of ghastly occurrences.
The Hughes brothers are no different, from the countless others, who seek to dissect the facts, surrounding these heinous crimes, and they approach this fascination with cinematic fervour, creating this excellent movie.
Inspector Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp), is hot on the trail of the murderous monster. He enlists the hallucinatory effects of absinthe, which enable him to induce visions, that aid him in his quests.
Throughout his investigation, he gradually begins to fall for one, of the Whitechapel prostitutes at risk (Mary Kelly played by Heather Graham), this serves to up the ante, regarding the challenge to find the villain and, furthermore, accelerate his efforts.
Sir William Gull (Ian Holm) is a doctor, who contributes to Inspector Fred Abberline's profile of the meandering butcher. Add to this an illegitimate marriage and a royal scandal, and this equates into an enticingly dour, dark and moody thriller.
well worth renting out. -
Most recent members' review
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Heaven or Hell?
I am a great believer in appreciating film adaptations for their own worth. Comparing a film to its literary predecessor is generally a worthless exercise as the two mediums are poles apart.
"From Hell" is a dark and disturbing tale of a dark and disturbing act. With Johnny Depp at the helm you can generally be assured that a film will have worth and originality - and this is no exception.
The cinematography is interesting and has pace - providing an excellent transition between the world of visions and the world of reality.
The dialogue is perhaps a bit awkward in places and the forced cockney accents can be off-putting to say the least. Some of the cast members are rather implausible, Heather Graham in particluar fails to pull off a convincing east-end whore.
However as a whole I think that the film works and is worth a viewing.
Do bear in mind the graphic scenes of violence though - they are certainly not for the faint hearted. -
News and features
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Law returns to comic roots
- 13 Aug 2004
He's glamorous, rich, famous and good-looking - who would have thought Jude Law was a fanboy. But the star of "Cold Mountain" and "Enemy at the Gates" spent his youth hopping from one comic store to another and still dallies with geekdom. "I still go to comic shops, [like] Forbidden Planet and look through back issues of the ones I love," he told Empire magazine. "I was a big fan of 'Johnny Nemo' and 'Strange Days', 'Parallax', you know those? But I haven't... Read more
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- From Hell - BLU-RAY Version
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FROM HELL is a gory detective film cloaked in Victorian-era mystique. The movie shows how the serial killer Jack the Ripper stalked the dark streets of 1888 London, slaying prostitutes and crudely ... -
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From Hell
FROM HELL is a gory detective film cloaked in Victorian-era mystique. The movie shows how the serial killer Jack the Ripper stalked the dark streets of 1888 London, slaying prostitutes and crudely dissecting their bodies. Based on the graphic novel written by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, this ...
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