Jack the Ripper is back with an African American twist. The Hughes Brothers new film, "From Hell" debuted on October 19, 2001. The movie is based on the legend of Jack The Ripper, and it features stars such as Johnny Depp as Inspector Fred Abberline, Heather Grahm as Mary Kelly and Ian Holmes as Sir William Gull. The twist is that Albert and Allen Hughes (Dead Presidents, Menace II Society) wanted to give more "life" to the victims. The Hughes Brothers said, " They weren't just casualties. They were human beings." .
As far as the movie goes, I think that the viewers find themselves more engulfed into sets costumes and killing scene gore of the movie, rather than the storyline, which is a good thing. The main locations of the movie include several historic castles in Prague. The sets were created by Academy Award winner Martin Childs ("Shakespeare in Love"). The costumes were likewise elaborate and very true to Victorian England style. Over 400 costumes were required and they were created by Kym Barrett, ( "The Matrix," " Shakespeare's , Romeo and Juliet"). The special effects for the movie were done by Millenium Efects, who also worked on the film " Saving Private Ryan". These features combined with the "devilish" photography done Peter Deming, who did work in Screams 2 and 3, for was the main stay for viewers. Women cringe and men's eyes light up with each and every bloody murder. The culmination of them all was when The Ripper cuts the heart out of one of the victims and burns it in the fireplace.
The story line, however, is another matter all in itself. It can be summed up simply, by saying: Drug addicted inspector hunts for Jack the Ripper and falls in love with a prostitute. There you have the whole movie. Little nuances, like the visions of victims, Inspector Abberline has and Mary Kelly (Grahm) being the prettiest prostitute ever try to fuel the movie. These nuances are of no avail.
