Even at your earliest glances of From Hell, you get a distinct impression that this is not your average slasher flick. It begins with a forbidding quote the infamous Jack the Ripper left: ’’One day, men will look back and say I gave birth to the twentieth century, ’’ and then immediately transports you the frighteningly different yet creepily nostalgic London of 1888, where the clouds and skies are tinted a bloody red, and the streets are dark, gloomy, and labyrinthine. The atmosphere grasps you even at the beginning, and already at this point in the movie your nerves are becoming tense.
The movie seldom lets you go through the process of untangling them. As From Hell moves on, and the famed killer starts his vicious rampage, Inspector Abberline (Johnny Depp: Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow)is introduced. Along with a deductive mind and a trusty Sergeant at arms (Robbie Coltrane: Goldeneye), Abberline has the awesome ability to see how the murders truly happened, thanks to opium-addiction-induced visions in which the images come to him, and the audience, in several rapid-fire and spectacular sets of brilliant direction. During these scenes of Abberline’s heightened consciousness, deep and disturbing images appear, and Abberline sees what is happening even before being informed. As Abberline and his accomplice begin to unravel the intricate conspiracy shrouded within the mystery of the murders, one that seeps down to the Freemasons and even the British throne, he becomes acquainted with the ’’unfortunate’’ (one of the several colorful synonyms for who-re introduced throughout the movie) Mary Kelly (Heather Graham: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me), who inevitably becomes the focus of the unnecessary romance, and the only good-looking prostitute in the whole of London.
From Hell is much more than that, however. During the course of the strangely poetic movie, the deviant ethics and ideals of its protagonist and the declining moral stability of England under the control of Queen Victoria are shown. The Industrial Revolution has taken its toll on Great Britain. It has become a loathsome place, crowded with people but lacking any type of sanitation. This sudden moral collapse of England is evident; crime is everywhere, and the tainting of the spoils of nature seems to be a great theme here. To further develop the mood, through feasible small variations of the plot, the audience is also presented the conduction of an inane experiment in an operating theatre, a depressing tour through an asylum, and the heart-wrenching public display of the grotesque Elephant Man.
While the devious scheme unveiled is thought-provoking and interesting, for the most part, the latter third of the movie fails for having an obsessive dedication to unshroud the man known as Jack the Ripper. While the first two scenes sculpt the anti-industrialist and ironic theme, and are focused on revealing the atmosphere and mood, and they do a magnificent job of doing so, the third is all too obsessed with putting a face to the killer. Suspense has built up a considerable amount by the third act, and the easiest route is taken when the elaborate scheme is clumsily unveiled by just a small series of dialogues, which leads to an undeservedly short and unappreciative resolution.
Had From Hell not taken that route, and wouldn’t have delved so deeply into the secret of Jack’s identity, it surely would have lived up to the potential for which the first two acts had set it up. Still, From Hell remains enjoyable, scary, even satirical to a degree. There are some strong visuals, and unexpected shocks. The atmosphere is potent; the realistic costuming, the elaborate design, the diminishing of the tints of the colors all do their part in keep the experience lively and vivid. Jack the Ripper is an antagonist to be feared; he succeeds, striking fear into the audience’s hearts with his intimidating voice and frame and impressive, to say the least, style of disposing of his victims. If only the finale had lived up to its preceding acts, then From Hell could receive a full-fledged recommendation, and would have undoubtedly would have become known as a masterpiece of the thriller genre. As it stands, it is still entertaining, creepy, and intriguing. But just think of the possibilities...