'From Hell' is another take on the identity of the person who tormented the underbelly of London in the late 19th century, commonly referred to as 'Jack the Ripper'. What I found different in this film as compared to the other Ripper films is that there is an other worldly feel to it, with the investigator being able to dream of the Ripper's next kill.
The story revolves around the kidnapping of a prostitute who had borne a child of Prince Albert Victor, heir to the throne of England. His marriage to her had been witnessed by 4 of her friends who were in the same trade. One by one they are discovered murdered, with some of their organs being removed. The case is assigned to Fredrick Abberline, an inspector who has the ability to dream the next steps of a killer as he is involved in a case. Having lost his wife and child to tragic circumstances, he flirts with the dark side and is heavily into drugs and drinking. As he is on the case, he befriends and falls in love with Mary Kelly, one of the hunted prostitutes, but is held back from pursuing it further by his own inner demons. The way he is able to put aside his personal spiral in order to solve this case is what the plot tries to unravel.
'From Hell' is at best a typical whodunit. The stand out aspect of this film is the depiction of the luring and killing style of the Ripper. It is graphic but is shot with finesse. The story does create enough doubt in the minds of the viewer on the possible characters who could be the Ripper, but the plot is tried and tested and does not surprise you beyond a point. None of the acting performances stand out, including that of the highly rated Johnny Depp playing Abberline. The title comes from an anonymous letter received by the police that had the phrase 'From Hell' before it started spelling out the contents of a parcel that came with it. The parcel contained a human kidney preserved in ethanol. The film is loosely based on the graphic novel by the same name.
The differentiator for me as compared to other Ripper movies is the special ability and vulnerability of Abberline as he tries to decode the pattern of blood left by the Ripper. If you are interested in whodunits and are intrigued by the Ripper killings, this would be an interesting film to watch.
