From Hell (under construction)
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Johnny Depp with a cockney accent? You must be joking, me old shiner. But, amazingly, it works, and once again Depp proves he's much more than a pretty boy in his portrayal of an opium-eating, rule-breaking nineteenth-century english copper, Fred Abberline.
From Hell, based on the popular eponymous graphic novel, is a hotchpotch of a film, but which nevertheless works well, visually, as a gothic study of Victorian London's dark side. As a whodunnit, it would work well, if its subject matter weren't so well known. Anyone with a sketchy knowledge of Jack the Ripper lore will have already decided who the murderer the moment we first meet him. Nevertheless, the acting is such, up until the final scenes, that they could well think they were wrong.
In very much the same way as "The Crow"'s meagre plot was redeemed by its deliciously dark cinematography, so this apocalyptic Victorian London is characterised by its strong red and black imagery, created by "Shakespeare in Love" set designer Martin Childs and director of photography Peter Deming (whose credits include the second and third films of the Scream franchise, and Austin Powers). Interesting, then, that similar treatment was given to both of these graphic novels, and to similar effect.
Johnny Depp's performance completely steals the limelite, which is more than we can say for his supporting actress. Heather Graham plays Mary Kelly, one of a group of prostitues who roam Whitechapel trying to make ends meet to pay off the debt collectors. She's too clean and too pretty to convince as lady of the night, flashing her perfectly white teeth, but provides a pleasant damsel in distress for whom Depp's hero can quest. However, some outstanding performances come from the other prostitues, Kate (Lesley Sharp), Liz (Susan Lynch), Annie (Katrin Cartlidge) and Polly (Annabelle Apsion) as the unfortunate victims of the killer's scalpel. Rough, mouthy and deeply East London, the irish Mary pales into insignificance beside them, and seems completely out of place in their company.
Ian Holm also merits a mention as an esteemed surgeon...although his acting does become deliberately (and, in my opinion, inadvisably) hysterical towards the end. But I can't finish this review without lauding Robbie Coltrane for a fantastic piece of comic relief as Abberline's down-to-earth Scots subordinate. Real class, as always.
From Hell, based on the popular eponymous graphic novel, is a hotchpotch of a film, but which nevertheless works well, visually, as a gothic study of Victorian London's dark side. As a whodunnit, it would work well, if its subject matter weren't so well known. Anyone with a sketchy knowledge of Jack the Ripper lore will have already decided who the murderer the moment we first meet him. Nevertheless, the acting is such, up until the final scenes, that they could well think they were wrong.
In very much the same way as "The Crow"'s meagre plot was redeemed by its deliciously dark cinematography, so this apocalyptic Victorian London is characterised by its strong red and black imagery, created by "Shakespeare in Love" set designer Martin Childs and director of photography Peter Deming (whose credits include the second and third films of the Scream franchise, and Austin Powers). Interesting, then, that similar treatment was given to both of these graphic novels, and to similar effect.
Johnny Depp's performance completely steals the limelite, which is more than we can say for his supporting actress. Heather Graham plays Mary Kelly, one of a group of prostitues who roam Whitechapel trying to make ends meet to pay off the debt collectors. She's too clean and too pretty to convince as lady of the night, flashing her perfectly white teeth, but provides a pleasant damsel in distress for whom Depp's hero can quest. However, some outstanding performances come from the other prostitues, Kate (Lesley Sharp), Liz (Susan Lynch), Annie (Katrin Cartlidge) and Polly (Annabelle Apsion) as the unfortunate victims of the killer's scalpel. Rough, mouthy and deeply East London, the irish Mary pales into insignificance beside them, and seems completely out of place in their company.
Ian Holm also merits a mention as an esteemed surgeon...although his acting does become deliberately (and, in my opinion, inadvisably) hysterical towards the end. But I can't finish this review without lauding Robbie Coltrane for a fantastic piece of comic relief as Abberline's down-to-earth Scots subordinate. Real class, as always.
