Customer Reviews

The Ripper [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robert Rodat, the scribe behind "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Patriot," cut his teeth on this made for television film that surprises the viewer with its excellent performances.

Patrick Bergin is the London inspector investigating Jack the Ripper. The film makers show us early the killer is Prince Eddy, Queen Victoria's grandson and heir to the throne. Samuel West does an incredible job as the prince, a bitter syphillitic who is taking revenge on the prostitutes who probably gave him the disease. Gabrielle Anwar is also very natural as the prostitute who sees the prince, and finds protection in the arms of Bergin. Michael York rounds out the cast as Bergin's superior.

While the historical accuracy of all of this could be questioned, the cast does a great job with the sometimes stiff material. Meyers' direction is also good, not crossing into exploitation but not boring us with Merchant/Ivory type dialogue. The set is also good, as the credits read this was filmed in Australia.

"The Ripper" is a good detective yarn that would definitely appeal to fans of British murder mysteries and suspense fans alike. I do recommend it.

This is rated (R) for physical violence, mild gun violence, gore, sexual content, sexual references, and adult situations.

This is one of my favorite sleepers. Not only is it a great Victorian period movie, it is also a crime thriller. For the more romantic at heart it includes two love stories; one unfulfilled and the other with broken trust. Worthy of at least a few viewings. Also, Anwar is great as an English rag doll with looks and brains. Buy it.

I have been waiting, waiting, waiting ... in vain for the dvd. The picture and audio quality of the VHS tape beats many Blu-ray renditions, about equal to the similar "From Hell" BD starring Johnny Depp. This movie unfortunately was overshadowed by the Johnny Depp version, but I consider this the better movie. The correct British accent a bonus.

The quality of the VHS is good enough for it to be transferred to a dvd for conservation purposes. It will not take too much effort or expense. The diction was clear enough to dispense with subtitles. Actors like Michael York do not mumble inaudibly. It's the Queen's English for everybody (late Victorian era). This movie was shot largely in Melbourne.

The star of this movie is Gabrielle Anwar, an Audrey Hepburn-esque actress, whose career I followed after seeing this movie on TV; in small movies like "Pursuit of Honour" and I thought she fizzled out. Until the hit TV series "Burn Notice". Gabrielle Anwar looks remarkably well preserved in "Burn Notice" when compared to much earlier "Ripper". When playing the prostitute in "The Ripper" she is the epitome of innocence. She exudes sex appeal in "Burn Notice", showing off her long legs and bare feet at every opportunity in the Miami TV episodes: kind of incongruous in Victorian England, even in subdued bedroom scenes.

The movie is relatively fast paced, telling the story within 1 hour and 40 minutes. Costumes are impressive. Movie sets were authentic and impressive. Dialogue is witty without being cliched. "All whores are women" is not cliched in the movie's context, and "I washed and I washed but I never feel clean". Suspense is in the story telling, not in cheap scare tactics.

Arsenic was used to treat syphilis in those days, and it comes out in sweat smelling like apricots. Apricots in "Ripper", grapes in "From Hell". If you want to know how an "A" lister like Johnny Depp impacts the outcome of a movie, just compare these two movies. The slightly inferior one (even with Depp factored in) is getting massive circulation, while the better movie is in danger of extinction. Patrick Bergin is very competent, is every bit an actor as Depp, but is not the charismatic crowd puller like Johnny Depp.

Like "Burn Notice", this movie explains intricacies and details as we go along. More depth than the TV episodes, of course. Educational too. This passes as a super Victorian version of Burn Notice (the better episodes), the difference being that Patrick Bergin was always in danger of being "Burned" investigating the Crown Prince.

If this movie were released today, I wager it will have its following. Gabrielle Anwar commands considerable Star Power today.

Come on Universal, get the dvd or BD out. Do not tempt me to make my own dvd out of the tape to preserve the movie for myself: your electronic lock was not that great and can easily be broken :))

I stumbled across this title as an instant play on a movie rental site I subscribe to. When I looked up the reviews for it here, I was surprised to discover that this is as yet unavailable on DVD. Well, the positive reviews persuaded me to watch it and I'm glad I did. This is another re-telling of the gruesome murders committed by Jack the Ripper in Whitechapel, London in 1888. This 1997 version is quite well-made considering it was a made-for-television feature (the screenplay was written by Robert Rodat of "Saving Private Ryan"). I think part of what makes this a worthwhile watch for fans of period thrillers and crime dramas is the excellent casting.

The dashing Patrick Bergin (who played a wife batterer in Sleeping With the Enemy opposite Julia Roberts) plays Scotland Yard inspector Jim Hansen, who is a rising star in the force, having been taken under the wing of his powerful superior Sir Charles Warren (played by Michael York). Here, the identity of the killer is no mystery - viewers are aware from early in the movie that the Ripper is Prince Albert Victor Edward, heir to the throne (played with sinister perfection by Samuel West who has been in a couple of period dramas, most notably, Howards End - The Merchant Ivory Collection). The Prince is portrayed as a cool and calculating killer who is driven to these horrifying acts by his desire for vengeance, blaming all prostitutes for infecting him with syphilis, a dreaded STD which drove victims to blindness and madness at the time. Though the historical accuracy of this portrayal is questionable, the premise is credibly explored here.

Gabrielle Anwar plays former prostitute and mill worker Florry Lewis who is desperate to save enough money to buy her passage to New York where she hopes of beginning a new life. Unfortunately, she is also the sole witness who is able to identify the Ripper, having caught him in the act of mutilating one of his victims, and is taken into the protection of Insp. Hansen. The rest of the story follows the pair as Hansen tries desperately to piece the clues together that will enable him to catch the Ripper.

For a TV feature, the production qualities are really well-done. The period details are credible enough, and there is a compelling sense of bleak atmosphere throughout the movie. Both Bergin and Anwar are credible in their roles though their chemistry is not as potent as that shared by Johnny Depp and Heather Graham in my favorite of all the Ripper movies, From Hell (Widescreen Edition). The acting by the rest of the cast is also quite top-notch and made this period thriller a riveting watch. I would also recommend another movie dealing with the Ripper, starring Christopher Plummer, titled Murder by Decree, a highly atmospheric and intelligent period thriller.

This movie is pretty good. They have their own idea of who the Rippper is so they really stay on this one person. One of the best movies about Jack the Ripper