The movie is a Victorian era murder mystery, with the now obligatory social commentary. As many such films are, it has a mystery, a twist, and the place in between is filled with the wonders and horrors of the past. A little hypocritical from a movie that takes a jibe at the blood thirsty masses.
But anyway, we have filthy London, we get a Jackish serial killer and a valiant policeman trying (nay, needing) to solve the case. I don't know who had the idea to put Bill Nighy, a comedic powerhouse, in this role. He performed brilliantly, as he is known to do, but you could have literally put anyone else there and the movie would have been unchanged. The star of the show is, in the movie and for us, Olivia Cooke. She owned the film completely.
Now, if by chance you are tired of the depictions of old London, all you have to enjoy in this film are the performances and the peeling of the murder layers. Unfortunately, the twist is pretty transparent from the beginning, so for me the movie was a bore. That doesn't mean it is bad. The acting was great, the sets were OK, the message was important.
The problem, I think, was a lack of subtlety in the direction. Everything hits you on the head, like you are a dumb thing that needs to be educated. And when you see it coming a mile away, it just loses any effect and what remains is the dull and rough handling of the story.
But anyway, we have filthy London, we get a Jackish serial killer and a valiant policeman trying (nay, needing) to solve the case. I don't know who had the idea to put Bill Nighy, a comedic powerhouse, in this role. He performed brilliantly, as he is known to do, but you could have literally put anyone else there and the movie would have been unchanged. The star of the show is, in the movie and for us, Olivia Cooke. She owned the film completely.
Now, if by chance you are tired of the depictions of old London, all you have to enjoy in this film are the performances and the peeling of the murder layers. Unfortunately, the twist is pretty transparent from the beginning, so for me the movie was a bore. That doesn't mean it is bad. The acting was great, the sets were OK, the message was important.
The problem, I think, was a lack of subtlety in the direction. Everything hits you on the head, like you are a dumb thing that needs to be educated. And when you see it coming a mile away, it just loses any effect and what remains is the dull and rough handling of the story.