DVD Review: From Hell (C-)

From Hell (2001)
Directed The Hughes Brothers
Starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham
MPAA: R
Grade: C-

The Hughes brothers return with a thriller/mystery based on Jack the Ripper. Of course the talented Hughes brothers brought us Menace II Society, Dead Presidents and American Pimp. While those films are entertaining and had some excellent characters, From Hell does not and winds up being a disappointment.

From Hell is actually the best looking of all the Hughes brothers films. It has a great "green tinted grunge" look at times, and the visuals are spectacular. At times its almost like something out of a Nine Inch Nails video. Old London looks creepy and the vibe is funky. Johnny Depp (as the inspector searching for Jack the Ripper) scours the streets at night and spends the rest of his time chilling in the opium dens. So far so good.

Where this film falls apart though is the acting. Johnny Depp (usually a fantastic actor) either seems to be phoning this one in or the directors have purposedly toned him down too much. As a matter of fact, all of the characters in From Hell seem flat. Its hard to feel for these characters (even in the midst of the horror going on around them) as they really don't seem that frightened.

From Hell is one of those films that has all the right ingredients but just doesn't come together as it should. Whether its a case of poor performances from the actors, or misguided direction of the cast, this movie just doesn't frighten enough.

Review by Scott Standish

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