Leofwine_draca This made for television movie tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the famous, real-life case of Jack the Ripper, the murderer who slaughtered prostitutes in Victorian London and neatly removed their internal organs. The film concentrates on a detective's investigation into the murders and therefore cannot be missed by any self-respecting mystery fan, as it's an above average and taut thriller with lots of star performances and a nicely portrayed Victorian London, complete with pea-soup fog, cobbled streets, and lurking figures in black cloaks.The cast is populated by British actors and actresses, even though the film is an American production. Just about everybody you've ever seen in British television and film turns, there are just too many names to list: Ray McAnally, Michael Gothard, Susan George, Harry Andrews...the list goes on. It's Michael Caine, though, who steals the spotlight with his portrayal of a dogged detective (also an alcoholic, way before Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwarzenegger picked up the bottle in their films). Some people have called his performance hammy, well maybe it is, but it's entertaining anyway. I mean, who wants to watch subdued actors who don't give it all they've got? Unfortunately Jane Seymour turns up as the obligatory love interest, and the less said about her performance, the better. On the other hand, Ken Bones is a wonderfully neurotic clairvoyant, and Armand Assante does a wonderful transformation from Dr Jekyll into Mr Hyde before our very eyes with the aid of some prosthetics (and he isn't afraid to be ridiculed when it turns out he's bald). Assante's performance is nicely slimy.I would go so far to say that this could be a definitive portrayal of the Ripper murders. It's not perfect by any means, for a start there are too many red herrings and people get blamed for the murders just for the sheer sake of it. Also, the whole city of London is far too clean and respectable, nobody is smoking or taking drugs, difficult to believe but merely a product of the political correctness of our time (but altering an audience's perspective of the Victorian era just to comply with modern day issues? It's a fact that people smoked, there's no point trying to deny it and this omission just makes the producers look ridiculous).On the plus side there is oodles of suspense, plenty of atmosphere, and good and assured performances from a distinguished cast. The film may run for slightly too long (it goes on for about three and a half hours) but I can say that I didn't get bored while watching any of it, as Caine had me riveted throughout. The actual gore content is kept low, but a brief flash of a room where a prostitute has been dismembered and parts of her body are draped everywhere is very unsettling.

Tweekums I got the DVD of this series free with the newspaper and wasn't sure what to expect; in fact I initially assumed it was a film as it stars Michael Caine! One could be forgiven for thinking it was a film right up until the half way point when the first episode ends as it has a surprisingly cinematic look. There are always going to be some difficulties in bringing the Ripper case to the screen; the largest of which being that it is probably the most famous unsolved case in history and a good story needs a proper conclusion. In this adaptation that problem is handled fairly well by showing a culprit then giving an logical explanation as to why the public must never know… of course after all this time it is almost certain that we will never learn who the ripper was. For those unfamiliar with the story it is 1888 and somebody is murdering prostitutes in Whitechapel them mutilating them in a way that suggests a good knowledge of anatomy. Chief Inspector Abberline is put on the case but it isn't going to be easy; the local police seem keener to clean up the mess than to preserve a crime scene, the populace don't want to talk to the police and a rabble-rouser is whipping up a mob because 'the police are doing nothing'. Abberline and his Sergeant, Sgt. Godley persevere however and establish a long list of suspects that includes doctors, an actor, a psychic and even a grandson of Queen Victoria herself! I really enjoyed this, although in hindsight I think it would have been better to watch the two parts separately rather than in one sitting… it is quite long! Michael Caine, in a rare TV performance is great as Abberline and is ably supported by Lewis Collins as Sgt. Godley the rest of cast were pretty good too. I quite liked how they got around the problem of solving a real unsolved crime and the wide variety of suspects kept me guessing to the end. While there is no swearing or nudity there are scenes showing the Ripper's victims, which some viewers may find disturbing, although they are still fairly tame by today's standards. If you like a good mystery drama this is certainly worth watching… especially if you see it being given away on a newspaper; even if it isn't your usual read.

Alain English I came across this picture on Hallowe'en this year, when a DVD copy of it was being sold with "The Guardian". Having gotten familiar with Jack the Ripper earlier this year doing a play about him, I found the idea of the infamous serial killer in a movie with Micheal Caine irresistible. I wasn't disappointed.The film shows the investigation of the famous killings in 1888, in the Whitechapel district in the East End of London. When a spate of apparently motiveless prostitute killings start bloodying the streets of Whitechapel, the local constabulary find themselves powerless. They call in Scotland Yard who send in their best detective Frederick Abberline (Caine) who pursues the case with a ruthless tenacity in the face of rising corpses and mounting public pressure...It is actually quite an effective piece of film-making, even on a television budget. The streets of Victorian London are captured well on screen, Caine gives his customary brilliant performance and he is surrounded by a very strong supporting cast, including Lewis Collins as his assistant Godley, Ken Bones as crazed psychic Robert Lees and Ray McAnally as the Queen's doctor Sir William Gull. Armand Assante as stage actor Richard Mansfield and Jayne Seymour as the lover of both him and Abberline give great performances.Without giving too much away, the film's theory as to the identity of the killer and the reason the case has been marked unsolved is actually a highly plausible one and the build-up to it is suspensefully enacted. The film does well to show Abberline's thought processes as he breaks down the logically how the killer operates.Better than the more slickly polished Johnny Depp effort "From Hell" (which arrives at similar conclusions to this one), this is definitely a must-see for all the Jack the Ripper buffs out there. Case closed.

Henry Fields This one may be the best dramatization of Jack The Ripper's crimes and of the researching' that were made. Since the case was never solved, the movie relies on the several hypothesis that were considered about the identity of the world's most famous serial killer. Believe me, they made a perfect script that keeps you on alert till the very last second. Although it was conceived as a TV mini-series you can watch it in one go (I mean, you'll WANT to watch it in one go). OK, the second time you watch it (when you already know who the killer is and stuff) obviously some thing won't get you by surprise, but the movie is good enough for being watched several times. It was a TV production, but it is as good as if it was made for cinema: the setting is just wonderful and the cast is unbeatable (headed by master Michael Caine). PS: It is pretty similar to "From hell", but much more addictive.*My rate: 8/10