It takes two actors as beautiful as Johnny Depp and Heather Graham to keep the filmgoer from blanching in reaction to the gore of "From Hell."
This Hughes brothers film focuses upon one particular explanation for the Jack the Ripper killings in 19th century England. The theory espoused in the film is directly based on the heavily researched, extensive graphic novel "From Hell."
The gory, 16-volume graphic novel gives the Ripper a face and a name and weaves a story the reader must choose whether or not to believe. The film adaptation follows suit.
The oft-drugged Inspector Fred Abberline (Depp) experiences grisly, stomach-turning visions of the elaborate Ripper killings before they occur. As a five-woman band of prostitutes led by Mary Kelly (Graham) are gruesomely killed off, the violence increases exponentially. Like Depp's visions, the crimes' detail and heinousness prove that "From Hell" isn't for the weak-hearted.
Violence aside, the film has so very much potential to be interesting but falls oh-so-flat. At times it seems to take a break to make a social critique, such as the case of the randomly homosexual prostitute who does nothing for the storyline. This social criticism is fundamental to the original graphic novel but has no foundation in the movie.
Also, there is no alluring connection to the characters. Graham constantly wavers between joy at Depp's attentions and terror of imminent death. This flightiness makes the viewer want to give her a good shake and tell her to leave England in favor of the "American Woman" video.
