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.