There have been numerous films dramatizing the horror of Jack the Ripper. More than a century later, facts about the Ripper are still in question -- though there seems to be no shortage of theories on his identity.

Based upon the graphic novel of the same name, From Hell is a meticulously produced attempt at giving a face to the infamous night stalker. Directors Allen and Albert Hughes (Menace to Society, Dead Presidents) know how to use their camera with style and restrained energy. Each scene moves along with a deliberate pace and does a nice job depicting London’s destitute and homeless population. The film does an equally admirable job depicting the story’s gruesome details in a non-sensationalized fashion. Yes, there is blood spilled and dead-on shots of the Ripper’s ghastly aftermath. But the violence is framed in such a way that your mind creates much more than the visuals present. The Ripper’s first murder is the best in this regard -- a dark alcove within an alley and all one sees is the glimmer of a knife as it viciously thrusts up and down into an unsuspecting victim.

The acting is on par with the production qualities. The always-reliable Johnny Depp stands equal to some first-class British actors. The sexual tension between him and the equally talented Heather Graham builds to an unbearable intensity. Where the story fails, however, is in its telegraphing the Ripper’s identity. It took me all of two minutes into act two to figure out which character donned the psychotic alter ego. The script by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesisas tries to mislead the audience with red herrings, but none of them have enough plausibility to stick.

I would buy this film for its excellent DVD treatment alone. Cinematographer Peter Deming’s rich Baroque images offer reference-quality colors and deep, magnificent blacks. A surplus of black capes and dank, dark corners of the London streets are crystal clear and three-dimensional. At times I became entranced by the lushness of the film’s look. I wish that Shadow of the Vampire could have looked like this!

With the exception of some scenes having poor vocal intelligibility, the balance of From Hell’s audio is outstanding. Deep, clean bass extension and a wide dynamic range are among its more impressive qualities. As with most movies I’ve seen, the DTS soundtrack seems to pull the most detail and ambience from the film’s relatively dense sound mix.

Twenty-three deleted scenes and excellent commentaries rose to the surface of this two-disc set, which includes a documentary on the Absinthe liquor, which was popular at the time, and a tour of the Ripper’s murder sites. Even the MTV-like HBO "Making Of " documentary managed to cram an impressive amount of interesting trivia within the space of 20 minutes.