From Hell

 

Night had fallen upon a gray and foggy Brooklyn Heights and as I stepped onto the street after seeing From Hell it was as if the darkness of the movie had attached itself to me and followed. Every face that passed was distorted and grimacing, every vagrant (and there are plenty in Brooklyn) leaning on a building for support was ready to erupt into fits of madness from the hopelessness of a tormenting existence. Truth be told, I had forgotten my glasses at home that day so I had been sitting in the front row of the theatre squinting and a garbage truck had its brights on in my direction.

The historical myth or truth of events taking place in the Whitechapel district of London in 1888 where a killer fed viciously and demonically on the local streetwalkers is the basis for the movie. It sounds even more enticing if you call it a retelling of the infamous criminal career of Jack the Ripper (what a name). Johnny Depp is the inspector, Abberline, tracking the killer - Depp playing consecutive British inspectors after embodying Washington Irving's Ichabod Crane in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow - Depp being talented enough however creates two completely different characters.

Heather Graham, an acting wasteland (sorry Graham fans, she is bootylicious though), adopts a cockney accent, tightens her bodice, and plays the cleanest, most radiant (her hair color proves that L'Oreal's Feria existed in the 17th century) homeless whore (or "unfortunate" as the film suggests)that has ever lived. Jack the Ripper is played marvelously by the actor - wait - none of this is important…What is important is that the movie expertly and convincingly escorts the audience into Hell for two hours and plunges us so deeply into the molten blackness of disease and sorrow that some may require daylight, ice cream, and the theme song from Silver Spoons to escape. The closest a film has come to re-imagining Hell on Earth in recent years is David Fincher's Seven which is an excellent companion piece to this film (for those of you who haven't thought of a thesis yet in film school, cash in!). What is also extraordinarily important, no matter how hard they try to play it down, is that From Hell is directed by Albert and Allen Hughes. For those who don't know, The Hughes Bothers, as they are known, are youngish black males who have directed acclaimed urban (i.e. cast, neighborhood, and themes are black) dramas such as Menace II Society and Dead Presidents.

Let's talk about another set of African American brothers. The Wayans Brothers. They spoofed the urban dramas that paraded through theatres in the early to mid 90's in a movie called Don't be a Menace to South Central while Drinking your Juice in the Hood. See, the title of the movie is a compilation of all the films that it spoofed. Never mind the comedic brilliance, let's move on.

Think about the movies that it parodied - Menace II Society, South Central (Deuce here), Clockers, Juice, Boyz N the Hood - movies directed by young black talent, breaking ground with strong, provocative motion pictures. Directors like Spike Lee, John Singleton, and Ernest Dickerson. Spike Lee, who denounces Michael Mann (The Insider), a white person (forget great Director) for being the man helming the upcoming Muhammed Ali movie. Singleton (Shaft) and Dickerson (New Snoop Dog movie, Bones) making openly racist movies let alone films that have rarely if not ever portrayed a decent white major character. Read this in bold: Although racism is uncool and shows ignorance, it is an unfortunate part of life and it's not going anywhere. The fact that black directors are making movies about black people is perfectly acceptable and obvious and appropriate. What Lee, Singleton, and Dickerson are doing makes sense. It fits in our real and obvious world.

What the Hughes Brothers have done in making a lavish period piece complete with some of the oldest, whitest, British actors of our time is nothing less than a revolutionary achievement. As that Japanese ball player in Major League II might say, "It takes marbles!" And if you see the movie you'll know that this is not just a gimmick: Black Director makes white people movie. These gentlemen have an acute cinematic vision and a bold, courageous style and they simply took those gifts and entered a new genre. Perhaps for this reason alone you should see and support this movie. It opens doors for more interesting and creative filmmaking in the future.

Another reason to see the movie is because it is quite good.

Excellent cinematography (that's how the movie "looks", more or less) and a tense guessing game for the audience where in each scene we ar trying to figure out which character is The Ripper, makes this movie a thrilling experience. The challenge the Hughes Brothers faced was putting a new twist on a tale covered by Hollywood numerous times before. It appears the writers, screenplay by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias based on the comic book by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, did their homework - authenticating the movie with the actual names of the women killed, street and pub names, and even a cameo by true Whitechapel native John Merryck, better known as The Elephant Man.
Beyond these accurate titles, most of the movie is part speculation, part fantasy and the movie is better for it.

The historically true characters also get a new spin. Abberline becomes an opium addict and occasional psychic, but this does not prevent him from earning respect on the job and thankfully. His visions are merely a personality quirk, and do no not assist him in the investigation. I say thankfully because it is a treat to watch Depp solve the crime using logical and perceptive deductions. The "unfortunates", lead by Graham's Mary Kelly (noted historically as being of a higher class of prostitute than The Ripper's other victims - not saying she is or isn't a victim here) are all given individuality, making their brutal slayings all the more affecting. One of them is even, rather shockingly, depicted as a raging bisexual for no apparent reason - I like to think it was included just for me. Kelly and Abberline also muddle through a classically tragic romance - love that cannot be. Since half the fun is trying to pick the killer I won't ruin anything by going into it, but there is quite an assemblage of the seediest, coldest bunch of Englishmen you could ever hope to find. You'll wish there were five Jack the Rippers so that more than one of these crypt keepers could go down in the end. When we do finally meet The Ripper, The Brothers do a neat trick with contact lenses to display the pure monstrosity of the character. We are reminded that no matter how intricately and methodically a hideous crime is carried out, the criminal is nothing more than (as our President likes to say) evil.

As a side note, Jewish people should see this movie just to become reawaken to our apparent omnipresence in history, as well as that of the anti-Semitism that goes along with it.

We also learn a very important geometric lesson from Abberline as he states with authority that, "the Star of David has six points."

One of the movies more telling moments takes place at the funeral of one of the slain as Depp and his burly partner (Robbie Coltrane) stand at a distance (this is one of the two short daylight scenes). Coltrane proceeds to eulogize the girl with a winded sermon about death and protecting the innocent from evil and suffering or something like that. Depp responds that a simple "Rest in Peace" would have done, and after seeing From Hell nothing sounds more enticing than that.

The "Skyrockets in Flight Award for inanimate objects playing a major role in a movie…goes to …The Ripper's stage coach stairs that jump out with spring action speed about ten times in the movie and it gets you every time.