From Hell by Albert & Allen Hughes - 2001
From Hell, the movie draws inspiration from the graphic novel “From Hell” by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. And directors Hughes Brothers have done justice by transforming this graphic novel into a well made two hours thriller movie. The name of the graphic novel “From Hell” is adapted from the letters sent to the police by the famous serial killer Jack the Ripper. And similarly, the movie revolves around the same theme.
From Hell takes you back to 1888 - Whitechapel, England, which is a small town full with dirt, poverty, bars, brothels, prostitutes, Englishmen looking for sex, beggars, money lenders etc. and everybody had their own way of life until mutilated bodies of prostitutes begin to appear in different parts of the town. As the death toll begins to rise, inspector Fredrick Abberline (Johnny Depp) and Sergeant Godley (Robbie Coltrane) are given the duty of investigation. In the meantime young inspector Abberline falls for a young prostitute Mary Kelly (Heather Graham). As the investigation moves on, they discover several leads, the main being that all the murders are done by a single person who is quite familiar with human anatomy.
The story of From Hell is based on the true events that took place in Whitechapel during 1888. Though this movie has exposed Jack the Ripper in the climax, but in reality we are still in darkness. The story basically starts with the murder investigation and ends with the capture of the murderer. However, Albert & Allen Hughes have added a pinch of romance between Johnny Depp and Heather Graham to make the plot a bit more interesting.
The sets of From Hell are absolutely brilliant. It gives you a perfect feel of old London, the grime and bleak conditions of the common people on the streets. The usage of dim lights and old structures and dirty alleys with hookers at the corner waiting for you make the whole scenario suitable for the perfect murder. The sets as well as usage of computer graphics are good enough to make this thriller more appealing to the audiences.
Johhny Depp did a brilliant job as an opium smoking police investigator who is torn between his official duty and lady love Heather Graham. Graham though didn’t have much scope in From Hell, lived up to the expectation.
From Hell is a pure thriller. A mystery slowly unfolds before the eyes of the audiences. Hughes Brothers have done a fantastic job in this thriller and obviously Johnny Depp played his part too. Thank God this didn’t turn out to be another I Sell the Dead.
Watch the trailer of From Hell
My Rating - 5/10
Learn more about the movie on IMDB.
