A SCARY JACK THE RIPPER MOVIE? 'HELL,' NO.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic Near the end of ``This Is Spinal Tap spinal tap: see spinal puncture. ,'' bassist Derek Smalls dredges up the idea of doing a rock musical based on the life of serial killer serial killer Forensic psychiatry A person who commits serial murders Prototypic SK White ♂ age 30; 97% are ♂; 80% are sociopaths. See Dahmer, Depraved heart murder, Ice Man. Cf Megan's law, Son of Sam law. Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper, name given to an unidentified late-19th-century murderer in London, England. From Aug. to Nov., 1888, he was responsible for the death and mutilation of at least seven female prostitutes in the East End section of London. . The show would be called ``Saucy Jack,'' with the title song's jaunty jaun·ty adj. jaun·ti·er, jaun·ti·est 1. Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk. 2. Crisp and dapper in appearance; natty. 3. Archaic a. Stylish. b. Genteel. chorus going, ``You're a naughty one, Saucy Jack; you're a haughty one, Saucy Jack.'' Sadly, the ``Saucy Jack'' project has never come to fruition. Instead we have what might be the least consequential movie ever made about Jack the Ripper, the Hughes brothers' ``From Hell.'' In this film, Jack is one dull boy, burdened by a screenplay that is short on suspense and discovery and long on improbability im·prob·a·bil·i·ty n. pl. im·prob·a·bil·i·ties 1. The quality or condition of being improbable. 2. Something improbable. Noun 1. . Even the murders aren't particularly exciting, which should alienate the movie's core audience of ghouls who are undoubtedly expecting to see some ghastly thrills. ``From Hell'' stars Johnny Depp as Inspector Abberline, a tormented soul who spends much of his free time in opium dens trying to erase the more gruesome memories that come with his job. The opium has another effect, too, conveniently providing Abberline with some clairvoyance clairvoyance (klâr'voi`əns), alleged power to perceive, as though visually, objects or persons not discernible through the ordinary sense channels. into murders before they happen. And in 1888 London, they're happening with alarming frequency. Abberline comes to investigate the ritualistic slashings and disembowelments of a group of prostitutes in London's working-class Whitechapel district. The obvious suspect is the working girls' pimp, but Abberline, being smart and hopped up on narcotics, knows better. His conclusions implicate im·pli·cate tr.v. im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing, im·pli·cates 1. To involve or connect intimately or incriminatingly: evidence that implicates others in the plot. 2. familiar faces in Ripper lore - Freemasons This is a list of notable Freemasons. Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation which exists in a number of forms worldwide. Throughout history some members of the fraternity have made no secret of their involvement, while others have not made their membership public. and the royal family. ``From Hell'' gets the atmosphere right; the Hugheses make Whitechapel every inch of the film's title. But the movie broods and broods without ever going anywhere. Plodding from one hideous murder to the next, the directors fail to establish an atmosphere of fear and tension. And as it lumbers toward the rather obvious revelation of the Ripper's identity (an identity, by the way, that doesn't fit with physical dimensions of the murders), it gets sidetracked in a romance between Abberline and a kindly prostitute (Heather Graham) that's as pointless as it is preposterous. Saucy Jack? Nope. ``From Hell'' is tasteless in more ways than one. ``FROM HELL'' (Rated R: strong violence, gore, sexuality, drug content and language) The stars: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham. Behind the scenes: Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes. Screenplay by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias. Running time: Two hours, two minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Two stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Johnny Depp, left, and Robbie Coltrane investigate the latest handiwork of Jack the Ripper in ``From Hell.'' |
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