Premise
London, 1888. A young woman plays a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with England’s most famous serial killer.
Overview
Release – 29 November, 2016 [German language TV movie]
Runtime – 100 minutes
Genre – Horror/Mystery/Period Drama/Thriller
Review
NO Spoilers
‘Jack the Ripper’ – one of the most infamous serial killers that the world has witnessed… ever. Based on spine-chilling true events that took place in the Whitechapel district of London, England in the late 19th Century (1888 to be precise), the series of grisly murders of women prostitutes in the night shook the whole country to its very core, sending ripples across the globe. With no end to the killings, and the police force nowhere close to catching the ever-elusive killer, the streets of London were never more feared. To this day, it remains one of the most widespread unsolved mysteries of modern times to grace the newspapers. And although very recent findings and research into the case has somehow concluded that the killer might have been a certain individual, ‘Jack the Ripper’ was officially never caught.
Got goosebumps yet?
Well, I have mentioned earlier in one of my other reviews that I absolutely get way too much excitement from any story/plot set in the Victorian era England (and especially that surrounding ‘Jack the Ripper’).
Check out: ‘Van Helsing: The London Assignment‘ (2004).
What is it exactly that gets me so excited? To be honest, there are a few factors that come to mind – the gaslights, the muddy/cobbled streets, the horse carriages, the dressing style, the industrial revolution, etc. are some of the reasons for sure. The premise for this movie made me instantly interested, along with a pretty decent trailer for the same.
Want to know a bit more? I’ve got you covered –
Anna, a young photographer from Germany, arrives in London, 1888 in search of her brother. At the same time, the Victorian era Capital is gripped by the gruesome killings of women at night. With her brother being a prime suspect, Anna must align with Inspector Abberline to find the truth behind the madness, and to try and put an end to the rampage caused by England’s most notorious serial killer – Jack the Ripper.
What follows is pretty much a plot of cat-and-mouse through the streets of London to unmask the killer, with certain new elements added to the storyline than what had actually happened in real-life.
What was good?
- A pretty good opening scene/sequence.
- Good opening credits.
- BGM was good.
- A couple of jump scares worked nicely.
- The details/information shown of the victims, and that of ‘Jack the Ripper’, were the exact same as those of the real-life incident (name, date, the letter, etc.).
- Certain new and upcoming discoveries at that period of time shown – photographs/moving pictures/film, medical procedures, the term ‘motive’, etc.
What was bad?
- Acting was decent, but not quite there.
- The plot was a bit too basic in my opinion.
- The ending could’ve been better.
Some quotes/dialogues
“A series of murders on an unprecedented scale.”
“They can’t catch him. He’s like a shadow. Like a ghost.”
“There’s a lot of speculation. A butcher, a doctor, a royal personage. They even said he accompanied Scotland Yard on the hunt.”
Final thoughts
Overall, a decent enough movie for people who are into such plotlines (like me!). Somethings felt a bit too basic/flat, and could’ve done with a little bit of ‘zing.’ The Victorian era depiction was pretty decent, but didn’t quite offer too much, which was a bit disappointing. Oh, and if you didn’t catch it earlier, this is a German language movie. And although the effort was pretty good, the execution wasn’t quite there in my opinion.
Rating: – 7/10 (Decent)
