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Directed by: Albert Hughes Starring: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm From Hell is excellent in nearly every category, and is among my favorite movies from recent years. The fact that it works as a horror film but also as a very compelling crime thiller makes it all the better. It's beautifully shot, the sets and direction is really excellent and fitting of the mood. The plot is also excellent, and it takes on a somewhat less popular Royal conspiracy theory view of Jack the Ripper. Whether or not you think the theory is really accurate doesn't matter, because inside the context of the film it works very well. I wasn't familiar with the theory prior to seeing the movie so it was all the more of a suprise. I didn't see it coming until it was revealed. Depp is great as always, the cast around him is great too -- especially Robbie Coltrane and Ian Holm. Heather Graham never struck me as all that remarkable of an actress and she does an OK job here. The movie raises serious questions and has some pretty deep running themes if you want to find them. Just Google it and you'll find people discussing the social implications and commentaries on humanity that this story provides, especially regarding the 20th century. Thankfully the movie is very light-handed in the larger theme elements, and never comes across as preachy or pretentious. A few minor complaints: Heather Graham's character is far too attractive to be a cheap whore like her friends, I'm not complaining, but she really looked far too good for the role. The ending, namely Depp's character's suicide came off weird to me, and I didn't quite understand why it was necessary. RATING: 4.5 PROS: Timeless story, excellent acting, both a good horror film and a who-dunnit crime thriller CONS: Ending seems tacked on ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120681/
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Jun 17, 2004 20:10
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 17:13 |
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I didn't like this at all, but I think having read the comic absolutely ruined it for me. I can sometimes separate between film and comics/books but in this one I just couldn't. If you've read the comic I wouldn't bother, otherwise, listen to other reviewers.
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Jun 17, 2004 21:26
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It was an okay movie. I picked it up used at a GameStop for around $7. Entertaining, but it didn't seem to have much replay value. It was pretty predictable, as well. 3.5
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Jun 18, 2004 04:36
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It was a DECENT movie; no more, no less. Coltrane and Depp are good, but Heather Graham is absolutely horrible in my opinion. She really detracts from the film. 2.5/5
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Jun 18, 2004 05:17
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I hated this movie. It was the first movie I ever fell asleep while watching. It was dumb, predictable, not even worth a rental or the time spent watching it. The visuals weren't too bad so I'll give it a 1.5/5.
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Jun 18, 2004 06:36
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I liked this movie. Excellent visuals and I found the story interesting enough to follow. As previously mentioned Coltrane and Depp gave decent performances, but Holm took the cake, mostly because seeing Bilbo Baggins slice whores' throats and cook their hearts gave me a few morbid thrills. I didn't really see much wrong with this film, at all. 4.5/5
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Jun 19, 2004 02:51
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Goddamn I'm surprised by the hatred towards this movie. It tells a great story, has great acting, and is very intense. Good visuals as well. Oh, and people complain it's predictable? No poo poo, it's the Jack The Ripper story retold  .5.0
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Jun 19, 2004 03:43
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The visuals are wonderful. Depp & Coltrane are awesome. I guess I just ignored Heather Graham everytime she came on screen... 4.5/5
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Jun 19, 2004 15:38
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gorb fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Sep 12, 2004 |
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Sep 12, 2004 20:12
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4.5 The only drawback is Graham's lightweight screen presence, but that's a minor quibble. She's still very appealing, just a little too much Cameron Diaz and not enough Sigourney Weaver. I strongly recommend this movie to those who appreciate creativity, originality, and nuance in films. The setting, characters, acting, dialogue, and plot are all first rate. The filmmaking is absolutely superb. It's a dark, multilayered story well told. Not a date movie unless your date is a goon  Protip: Don't read up on the Ripper story until AFTER watching it, and you may be surprised at how much of the movie is based on fact or plausible conjecture.
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Sep 12, 2004 20:16
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I can sit through just about any movie, but I nearly walked out of this one. The whole thing was just too disturbing for me. The violence wasn't technically as bad as in some movies, but it was far, far too unsettling. I felt like I was watching something very evil. Excellent work on the part of the film makers in creating such a disturbing movie, but I hated it. I know, I know, I went to a Jack the Ripper movie, I should have known what I was getting myself into. I still don't like this movie, and I just didn't like at all how easy it was to figure out where it was going. Yes it, was a Jack the Ripper movie, and therefore somewhat predictable, but I felt like the twist could have been a bit better. 2/5 for good visuals, but I hate this movie.
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Sep 12, 2004 20:16
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Great-tastic movie! As someone said above, you really feel like you're watching something evil. I think this is a freaky-rear end art house movie about psychosis that somehow sneaked by and made it as a Hollywood movie. I really despise period pictures where everyone has shiny white teeth and clean hair and it's the year 1648. This movie is DIRTY. People washing their clothes in public trough's and sleeping in giant rooms with 50 other people all roped in together. It makes you really see how bad things were. The Hugh's brothers said it was a movie about the hood. Maybe not black people in the hood, but certainly the underbelly of society. The acting I thought was superb. I believed everyone's characters. I didn't dig the whole vision poo poo. They had a gritty, realistic movie and have to put in some hocus pocus. You can tell there were a few too many subplots they had to work out and that sometimes gets the plot going in too many directions. Other than that, I think it was great. 4.5
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Sep 13, 2004 02:04
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