The Limehouse Golem (2016)

 

Set in the Victorian London of the 19th century, "The Limehouse Golem" fits in the crime mystery genre, somewhere between Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, maybe more close to the latter and his Sherlock Holmes. 

The movie follows the investigation conducted by inspector Kildare of Scotland Yard concerning a series of murders in Limehouse, one of London's bad neighborhoods in the 1800s. The subject, adaptation of a book, has similarities with the case of Jack the Ripper, which is an obvious inspiration - from the setting up to the investigator and suspects, some picked out from the real figures of the time. The action thread intersects with a parallel case of poisoning a writer, and of his accused wife, this becoming basically the main lead in the investigation, both cases revolving around the same people.

I can't say that I liked the movie, but I have to give it credit for some aspects. The subject is convoluted enough to keep the mystery alive until the end, although you can reduce the number of suspects relatively fast. The director's approach is interesting and seems to put more weight on the artistic side (visuals, set decoration, etc) than on the concrete story. Sometimes, however, it feels rushed, and you lose track of what's going on. And if I got to the negative parts, there's a bit too much red paint in it. The grim scenes bring a strong contrast to the rest, but it doesn't feel really useful in the sense it's probably intended = to strengthen the same contrast between the personality of the murderer and the real image of the character ( no more spoilers :) ). As last remark for this entry, Bill Nighy seemed rather tired for the lead role, although again, maybe that's what was intended for the character to look like. Bottom line... 

Rating: 3 out of 5