Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Frederick Abberline is an opium-huffing inspector from Scotland Yard who falls for one of Jack the Ripper's prostitute targets in this Hughes brothers adaption of a graphic novel that posits the Ripper's true identity.
From Hell is a visually striking adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel, with the Hughes Brothers delivering genuinely atmospheric Victorian London cinematography — dark, oppressive, and stylish. Depp's performance as the opium-addled Abberline is watchable but the character is somewhat thin, and Heather Graham struggles with her accent. The plot follows the graphic novel's Masonic conspiracy theory compellingly enough in its mid-section but simplifies Moore's dense source material considerably. The ending deflates the tension built up throughout, resolving too neatly and melodramatically. Novelty is decent — the Ripper conspiracy angle and gothic visual palette give it a distinctive feel, though it's ultimately a fairly conventional serial killer procedural dressed in atmospheric period clothes.