Alan Moore is one of the most celebrated writers in comic book history. If there was a short list of the five most talented, well-respected names in the industry, it would be Frank Miller, Dave Sim, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, and Alan Moore. The brilliant early work of Alan Moore includes "Watchmen" (considered by many to be the best comic book story ever written), "Miracleman," "Swamp Thing" (try not to think of that campy movie, it's nothing like that), "Batman: The Killing Joke," and "From Hell." His stories were very dark, very grim, and NOT for kids. His more recent work doesn't reflect that, and most Alan Moore fans would be quick to say that his new stuff isn't nearly as good as his old stuff, but that's okay. He's still a legend.
What's also legendary is the amount of research Alan Moore put into "From Hell." His list of references almost seems to be longer than the graphic novel itself (which is about 500 pages). Sure, the story is a fictional tale wrapped around actual events, and it's also based on one of the many theories of who "Jack the Ripper" really was, but for the elements surrounding the murders and the investigation, Alan Moore made sure that he got his facts right. It's to the point where many "Jack the Ripper" enthusiasts (sorry, I didn't know how else to word that) consider "From Hell" to be a bible of what really happened.
I remember buying the hard-to-find graphic novels when they were being released, but I never read them. I was the kind of comic book geek who had to have the entire story before I started reading. Unfortunately, the books were getting more difficult to find over time, and since it seemed as though it would be impossible to get the whole series, I gave up, and I gave them away. It's a shame, because I would really have loved to read them, especially now that I've seen the movie.
Ah yes, the movie.
"From Hell," the movie, took many liberties with the comic book. For one thing, the movie is set up like a mystery. In the comic book, the identity of "Jack the Ripper" is revealed early on. In fact, he's practically the central character. They took a supporting character from the book, and turned him into the main character for the movie. There are other differences, but like I wrote earlier, I never read the books, so I don't know all of them. That also means that I can't make comparisons. But on it's own, "From Hell," the movie, was really good, and I enjoyed it... but it's not a happy movie. It's a dark, dreary, depressing movie. I won't tell you how it ends, but you should keep in mind that the "Jack the Ripper" case is considered to be the most well-known UNSOLVED case in our history.
Wait, before I forget, I gotta tell you all about this thing that happened back when I worked at a comic book store. A few years ago, I worked at Tekno Comix in the Miami International Mall. Though I had a fun time with the people I worked with, the company was evil, and they seemed to follow every negative stereotype about corporations. Anyway, there was this time in Miami when there was a guy who was killing prostitutes at night. The media, being the way they are, compared him to "Jack the Ripper," and they nicknamed the guy "The Tamiami Strangler" (he was really twisted, don't click on that link if you have a weak stomach). Of course, other than killing hookers, this guy was nothing like "Jack the Ripper," but whatever. At Tekno Comix, since it was in the middle of a mall, we'd get all kinds of customers. There was this one guy who would always come and buy "Spider-Man" comics. He was a cool guy, very pleasant. He was one of those who made our lives easier because he was a nice guy who knew what he wanted, got it, and paid for it. No fuss. The ideal customer. Well one day, the Assistant Manager at Tekno (who is now my eternally tormented friend, AJ) showed up with the latest issue of The Miami Herald, and on the front page it said that "The Tamiami Strangler" was caught. There was also a photo, a mugshot... and it was the face of that friendly customer who had a thing for "Spider-Man." We were pretty spooked. Our wacky manager, Roger, decided to pull out one of the credit card slips that this murderer signed, and he displayed it for everyone to see. We had the autograph of "The Tamiami Strangler" right in our store! So yeah, I knew a serial killer.
Back to the review...
Johnny Depp turns in yet another excellent performance. "From Hell" seems reminiscent of "Sleepy Hollow," and the casting of Johnny Depp is part of the reason. Both are characters in the 1800s investigating horrific, grisly crimes, and both characters are in dark, atmospheric movies. Well, believe me when I tell you, "From Hell" is nothing like "Sleepy Hollow," and "Inspector Abberline" is nothing like "Ichabod Crane." Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors, and his performance in this movie, once again, shows why. Heather Graham co-stars with Depp, and though I don't consider her to be one of the best actresses in the world, I think she's good here. As far as accents, Johnny Depp is just about flawless. Heather Graham is really good, but not as good as Depp. Still, I was impressed with her performance. I liked Robbie Coltrane ("Hagrid" in the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"... "Fitz" in the British TV series, "Cracker"). He plays a gruff investigator helping out Johnny Depp, and I thought he was really good. Finally there's the great Ian Holm, who plays the doctor helping out in the case. He was "Ash," the cyborg gone bad in "Alien." Also, he starred in the Atom Egoyan film, "The Sweet Hereafter." Some of you may remember him as "Priest" in "The Fifth Element." Ian Holm is a very good actor. He has a subtle, soft-spoken delivery that is often a great addition to the movie he's in. He's the perfect choice to play the person he plays in this movie.
There's a character who makes a great cameo. It's a character making the cameo, not an actor. It was a pleasant surprise to see this person in the movie, but it's also very, very, very sad.
The screenplay for "From Hell" was written by Terry Hayes (helped write three Mel Gibson movies, "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior," and "Payback"... also helped write "Vertical Limit") and Rafael Yglesias (wrote the recent screen adaptation of "Les Miserables"... also wrote the Jeff Bridges movie "Fearless," based on his own novel). I think that they did a good job turning the graphic novel into a screenplay. It couldn't have been easy, but they did it. They made a lotta changes, and we'll never know for sure how the movie would be if they followed the original story more closely, but that's okay. Keep in mind, it's not uncommon for movies to stray from the original source. As for the directing, that went to Allen & Albert Hughes, the Hughes Brothers. This may surprise some people, because they're best known for their masterpiece, "Menace II Society." That was their debut feature film, and it was widely praised by critics. Their second film, "Dead Presidents," was considered a disappointment. I never saw it, so I don't know. Their third film was a documentary about pimps called "American Pimp." To go from those three movies to "From Hell" is a big leap, but lemmie tellya, they pulled it off. The movie isn't perfect, though. There are slow parts, the ending is kinda unsatisfying, and it's probably about ten minutes too long, but the Hughes Brothers still made a very entertaining movie.
"From Hell" isn't the best movie of the year, but it's a fascinating ride nevertheless. Visually, it's remarkable, and the acting is really good. As for the violence, well, this probably isn't a movie for the squeamish. I don't think it's all THAT bad, but there are a few parts that might nauseate the wuss contingent. As for the rest of you, go see this movie. You'll like it.
Scale of 1-10: 8