Though comic scribe Alan Moore may want little to nothing to do with this film adaptation of his graphic novel of the same name, From Hell manages to be an entertaining, pulpy, if not a little overblown thriller. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when Johnny Depp plays the lead and directors the Hughes Brothers work hard to break from the norm of their previous efforts (Menace II Society, Dead Presidents). Having only viewed this movie upon its original DVD release, and feeling mixed about the results, I found myself enjoying From Hell more than I expected or remembered. Maybe the great transfer on the Blu-ray Disc had something to do with it.
From Hell is a fictional story based on the “Jack the Ripper” murders aka “the Whitechapel” murders in 19th century London, England. Based loosely on historical fact and conjecture of the murders as well as the Moore graphic novel, and owing a huge debt to Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow(also starring Depp), From Hell mixes modern movie nuainses with 19th century flair. This results in a film that isn’t exactly sure what it wants to be but contains enough mystery and conspiracy to intrigue and entertain.
Johnny Depp stars as Inspector Abberline, an eccentric (of course!) opium smoking 19th century profiler who is assigned the case of the brutally murdered prostitutes. One such prostitute, Mary Kelley (Heather Graham) is enlisted for aid and as a love interest, which only serves to fuel the timeliness of catching the killer. Robbie Coltrane and Ian Holm also round out the cast as Sgt Peter Godley and physician William Gull respectively. As the story unfolds, Abberline discovers that there are larger players in place and the murders aren’t as random as they may first appear to be. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the film, but there are a few unexpected twists to be had.
Part of what makes From Hell work is the setting and the way the Hughes Brothers use color and shadow to stylize the film. It really is a great film to look at which is even further enhanced by the high definition presentation. What also works is the performance by Depp who steals the show (is anyone surprised?) What doesn’t really work is that the plot gets convoluted and overlong as the mystery unfolds, and as much as I did enjoy it, I was glad when it was finished as well.
Video
As I said before, this film is great to look at, especially in 1080p. Visuals are lush, colors are deep and rich, and blacks are inky. I was completely impressed by the transfer which only enhanced my viewing experience. Hey, that’s what high def is about, right? While much of the film is darkly lit and warm in tone, the daytime outdoor shots looked phenomenal as well. I think I could watch any film if it had this good a transfer as Fox has given us with From Hell. The only thing that keeps this transfer from a perfect score is that some edge enhancement was visible in a few scenes, but more importantly, black are crushed. Yep, if that bothers you extensively, please keep it in mind. Me, I didn’t mind so much because I loved the pop of the rich colors.
Audio
While this disc contains a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track, I was only able to decode the DTS core due to hardware limitations. That said, I’m happy to report it still packs a wallop. I loved the dynamics present in the track as well as the great surround effects and generous use of the LFE channel. I can’t wait until DTS-HD MA can be added to my current setup, but I was still extremely pleased with the DTS core.
Special Features
The real highlight here is the commentary by the Hughes Brothers along with supporting actor Robbie Coltrane, the screen writer, and the cinematographer. The track provides a lot of insight into the making of the film as well as the directors struggles with making a big Hollywood movie. It was very interesting, and fans should definitely give it a listen. Also present are quite a number of deleted scenes, some of which directly referenced scenes from the graphic novel, so Alan Moore fans (like myself) will probably want to check those out.
Final Thoughts
If you’re in the mood for a stylish, well acted murder mystery, From Hell might just hit the spot. Fans should be pleased with the Blu-ray upgrade, and newcomers can prepare to be wowed with an excellent high definition presentation.
