postmortem-books Review of The Limehouse Golem

The Limehouse Golem (2016)

Nighy shines in poor blood-fest flick.

[4/10 · 2 September 2017]

I decided to see this on the strength of the trailer - Victorian murder mysteries being one of my favourites - and also the fact that Bill Nighy was starring. Bill and I went to the same school together in the 60's and were taught by the same English teacher who inspired Bill to go into acting (at which he has proved immensely successful) and myself into writing (not so much so!). Nighy has done some great films over the years but, sadly, this is not one of them. The fault lies not with the characterisation of Inspector Kildare but with the gore fest of a film he has to wade through. Maybe I'm getting long in the tooth but at a certificate 15 I was not expecting such gruesome blood letting which seemed to substitute for a cohesive plot which, considering the enormous holes to be found, was possibly intended to divert the audience. The mystery of whodunnit is entangled with a confused subliminal message of cross- dressing and homo/lesbian tendencies which did nothing to advance the story or make it any more viable. The scene in which Segeant Flood holds the hand of Inspector Kildare towards the end of the film was so unlikely that it just made me laugh. There was a good film to be made from a good book but this is not it.