Starring Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Holm, Ian Richardson, Jason Flemyng, Susan Lynch, Joanna Page

(9-Great Film)

Sinister. Gory. Lurid.

Abberline: This ain’t killin’ for profit. This is ritual.

Taking very loose inspiration from Alan Moore’s sensational, dense, intelligent graphic novel, The Hughes Brothers have dumbed down the material significantly. This isn’t a police procedural like the book, nor is it much in the way of character study. It is, instead, a big-budget slasher film with high production values. No wonder Alan Moore, the author, despised it. As for the critics, most of them anyways, who dismissed it, I think they were unfair. Depp plays Scotland Yard Inspector Abberline, as London nears the end of the 19th century, assigned to an unprecedented series of murders orchestrated by “Jack the Ripper.” Along with finding a group of prostitutes to be the killer’s targets, he grows close to one of them, Mary Kelly (Graham), while wading his way through what amounts to an epic conspiracy. The plot and the characters are complex without being especially deep or thoughtful. This is what many might hone in on, but I would call that missing the boat. The setting, atmosphere, performances, and stylish direction make this a superior slasher, a beautiful nightmare.

-Walter Tyrone Howard-

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