MovieChat Forums > From Hell (2001) Discussion > Isn't the premise of the movie (who the ...

Isn't the premise of the movie (who the killer is), patently ABSURD?!!!


SPOILERS

You know, that sir William Gull was the killer.

I don't mind the conspiracy plot, nor the reasons, but the bit of the Queen having her 70 year old physician play hitman.

I mean, come on, a 70 year old man?!!!

Like the Queen couldn't have her men of trust hire a professional hitman (soldier, cop, investigator, you name it) who BTW were also physically fit for the job!!!

May as well have the Queen herself commit the crimes, heh?

And to top it all off, since Gull is enforcing the Queen's wishes, why on Earth is he punished for it? Because he went overboard? Well hello, that's what you get for asking murder and mayhem from someone who is not in such line of work!!! Anyone would go insane in the process unless he's not already harnessed by such trade (ask any white collar dude to fill in for a slaughterhouse worker ONE DAY and let me know how that goes).

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It's so absurd that if known, you would not believe who the killer was...oh wait...

And so, God came forth and proclaimed widescreen is the best.
Sony 16:9

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Also, PAV's marriage was never legal as he didn't receive permission from the monarch and heirs to the British throne are forbidden from marrying Catholics.

The idea came from a British reporter Stephen Knight, who got it from a man named Joseph Gorman, who claimed to be the illegitimate son of the painter Walter Sickert. But Gorman later recanted his story and it turned out that Knight had a brain tumor and may have not been operating with all of his faculties.

Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.

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It is entertaining but the plot is definitely absurd and so cliche! The previous poster has already identified some of the issues with the story. At the end of this movie I ended up laughing. The love story between Abberline and the prostitute was really over the top! Overall, the film started well but ended up being incredibly cheesy!



Alas, I am beyond impropriety -Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Downton Abbey)

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This ridiculous theory was already discredited long before this film was even made as well. The screenwriters & directors were just too lazy to do any research.

On the DVD features, there is a video of the directors walking around the sets. Their ignorance on the subject is shocking.

They are talking about Polly Nichols's nickname, & not knowing what it is. Her name was Mary Ann Nichols, & Polly WAS her nickname.

They didn't know what street Elizabeth Stride was killed on (Berner Street).

They were at the Miller's Court set talking about how Mary Kelly's landlord lived above her & did not do anything when he heard the cries of "oh murder" in the early hours of the 9th of November.

Um, no. Not only did he not live above her, but any neighbours that did hear the cry didn't do anything because it was such a common occurrence in the area. There wasn't any sinister intentions behind the ignoring like the directors implied.

Then, in another documentary on the DVD (on suspects), one of the directors mentions Joseph Merrick (The Elephant Man), & basically said he should be suspected since he wore a black coat & hat. What a load of crap. ANYONE with a brain can see Merrick was physically incapable of committing these vile murders. People who say he was the Ripper are just saying so purely out of his appearance. They're just wanting to make a name for themselves by dragging his name through the mud. It is despicable.

The Hughes Brothers clearly knew nothing of the subject, but they acted like experts. I'd be okay with the conspiracy angle if they had made the film & dealt with the subject in a thought provoking manner. Look at JFK. It is a brilliantly made film & very fascinating. Same with Zodiac.

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"The Hughes Brothers clearly knew nothing of the subject, but they acted like experts. I'd be okay with the conspiracy angle if they had made the film & dealt with the subject in a thought provoking manner."

I've got to tell you, Albert, this is the very same way I feel about David Fincher, in terms of how he directed "Zodiac" back in 2007. It might very well be a "brilliantly made and fascinating" film aesthetically, but it's a total crock in terms of the real-life facts of that particular case, much like "From Hell" is. It was based on the books about the case by Robert Graysmith, who is a proven liar and charlatan who just wanted to make money off of a criminal case by claiming that he had "solved" it. At least Alan Moore didn't do that when he wrote the graphic novel upon which "From Hell" is based - it might well have been about a real life criminal case, but he stated outright that he wasn't trying to actually "solve" it, and that's a key difference.

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To be honest, the movie Zodiac if filled with useful informations. Even if it's not 100%, it gives a good basis to do research. From Hell in another hand felt more like an entertainement to me.

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Because that’s what royalty does. The queen had gull do it because he’s a physician, much more important than a normal guy. Also, once the jobs done you have to shut him up. The queen probably asked gull to silence the girls, not rip them apart that’s why at the end she says “I dont want to hear about this again” so she had him committed. That’s why never trust your royals or your government. They are not to be trusted and will protect themselves by any means.

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That’s why never trust your royals or your government. They are not to be trusted and will protect themselves by any means.


That's not true here in the U.S. Every campaign season, the political ads say how such and such a candidate is great and cares about the common people. And you know it's true, because at the end of the ad, it says the message was approved by that politician.

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Oh yes that makes it trustworthy and genuine

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If a 70-year-old man was sent out to do the Royal murders, I have to assume it was because he volunteered. And that he volunteered because he liked killing and dismembering prostitutes, and couldn't believe his luck in getting carte blanche to live out his fantasies!

He did a pretty good job, too, never got caught.

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I have also toyed with the idea of the particular murder of Mary Kelly as the work of a copy cat. Either someone eerily fixated on Kelly herself, someone who took the opportunity to kill when a notorious serial was active - or someone fixated on the Whitechapel murderer. But this theory askes for too much: not only managed Jack to disappear in thin air, leaving few traces. But a copy cat sharing this mixture of skill and luck?

There is only one way Jack the Ripper could do what he did, and that's to live anonymously in Whitechapel, know every ally and street, and being able to blend in the crowd as a nobody of interest. He must have laughed his head off while pretending to be outraged like all the others.

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