The Ripper

Not blazingly original, but still a well made film about the infamous Ripper murders. The cast is good, Bergin and Anwar are excellent and West is perfectly cast. Costuming, atmosphere and the like are up to big screen standards. Events and characters are modified a little for dramatic purposes, so true blue Ripper enthusiasts might find fault, but recommended for fans of Victorian period movies and general thriller/mysteries.

This was terrible! I guess it's a very romantic notion that the Heir Presumptive could have been "Jack the Ripper," but since there's proof that he was out of the country when most of the murders were committed, why even try? Also, why throw in the love story? Just for the sake of it? It's too bad that these fine actors were wasted on such an awful concept. Samuel West, especially, is one actor I'd like to see in more movies stateside.

Ripper, The (1997)

** (out of 4)

Yet another version of the story of Jack the Ripper with Patrick Bergin playing Insp. Jim Henson, the man investigating the murders of various prostitutes. He strikes up a relationship with an on-again, off-again prostitute (Gabrielle Anwar) who just happened to witness one of the crimes. This film lets us know at the very start that Prince Albert Victor Edward committed the murders and the rest of the film is pretty much Bergin trying to catch who it is. We sit back as we watch the investigation and eventually the reasons why Prince Edward was never arrested for the murders. Many Ripper buffs say it was impossible for Edward to have been the real killer so they're probably not going to care too much for this film but this is a movie and not trying to be any sort of documentary. With that said, there are a few interesting things going on here but the 100-minute running time feels triple that and in the end there's just not enough stuff working here to make it worth sitting through. The biggest problem is the directing, which is hard to spot as it's clear Meyers doesn't have control of the story and she can't manage to get it on the screen in any sort of entertaining way. The film's pacing is incredibly bad because it feels like molasses as one scene just drags to the point where you feel the entire movie is about over with then you notice the section you've been watching only lasted a couple minutes. What does work are the ideas about the various forms of people and how much they hated one another. One subplot involves the rich feeling that Bergin is just wasting his time because there's nothing wrong with someone killing the "scum" on the streets. You even have a group feeling that it's a Jewish man doing the killings. You also have the poor resenting the police and refuses to help because they feel that the police don't care about them. These items are the most interesting thing working here but the direction keeps them from really being something special. Both Bergin and Anwar turn in good performances as does Samuel West as Prince Albert. There have probably been just as many Ripper movies as actual myths about the man and they're all of mixed quality. The mysterious around the case is what keeps the legend growing but this film here isn't one of the betters one out there and is for completest only.

Stayed up late to watch this on TV, being a bit of a J the R geek, always ready to read or see another take on the mystery. Oh my... Almost every known fact was either omitted, twisted or misused to serve a half-baked and ludicrous movie. It would have been more logical to make this a complete fiction and call the criminal Bert The Slasher, cos this has nothing to do with the London murders of 1888. I know it's 'just a film', and actually the true story wouldn't be very satisfactorily filmic, as there's no structure, no love story and the villain remains unknown, but a few arty cuts (no pun intended) and camera angles don't make this a good film. Bergin's accent wobbles, and West's pantomime psycho act makes the best of a potty script, but really, there are better things to be doing at 1 a.m. than watching this nonsense.

As a Police Officer I have always been intrigued by unsolved murders. When some one mentions unsolved murders the "White Chapel" murders attributed to "Jack the Ripper" comes to mind.

Though this film "The Ripper" is highly fictionalized, what it lacks in facts it more than makes up in acting, and authenticity in details of the period.

Patrick Bergin, and Gabrielle Anwar portray the parts of Scotland Yard Police inspector, and former prostitute , to perfection. More than a crime story It is about the relationship which develops between Bergin (the police inspector) and Anwar(a former prostitute ) . Anwar has left prostitution behind, and is by that time working in a factory. Her life takes a turn when she witnesses one of the murders, but is reluctant to come forward because of the way she's treated by most of the police. Bergin unlike the others gives her police protection, and the two eventually become romantically involved.

What made this film great was the way that the inequities of the Victorian era is portrayed. All from the separation of the classes. To the scenery, and last but not least the Superb acting of the cast.

If you're looking for historical facts about the "White Chapel Murders" this film is not for you. But if you can watch this film keeping in mind that it is not a documentary , or historical epic, and that the writer used extensive "creative license" then you must see it.