Review ‘From Hell?’

After having seen the film “From Hell” and also having read the near-epic graphic novel on which it is based, I actually found Kenneth Turan’s review of the movie more shocking than either of them (“Violence Cuts Like a Knife in This Jack the Ripper Tale,” Oct. 19). He spent almost half a page harping on the disturbing nature of the murder scenes, calling them “stomach-churning” and belaboring his point of view throughout the review.

Considering that this is a notorious series of murders that has gone unsolved for over a century, one would think that more attention would be given to the story of who committed the crimes and why, which is actually quite fascinating, and the most complete and believable version of the events extant. In his nine long paragraphs, he takes little more than one to discuss the acting in the film, and nowhere mentions the cinematography, costumes, screenplay or overall style.

I am surprised to note that he spent less time and space discussing the violence and gore in “Hannibal” and even “Saving Private Ryan,” both of which had scenes of death far more graphic and disturbing than anything found in “From Hell.” He manages to at once say that the Hughes brothers have restrained their normally more graphic violence for this outing, yet also finds their depiction “gruesome” and lacking in “social criticism.” The film in no way glorified the Ripper murders or the murderer himself.

This seems less like a review and more like an unnecessary bloodletting committed on a film with more merit than his review would suggest.

STEPHEN BRIGGS

Atwater Village