This was finally released on DVD, but only dubbed in English. They only used American actors to do the dubbing, so everyone in 1888 Whitechapel has an American accent. The plot has some interesting points. It takes place AFTER the last Ripper murder and is the only film I know that deals with the possibility of Kosminski as a suspect. I would have much preferred an original German version with English subtitles.
10 Reviews
Could have been better, could have been worse
Horst_In_Translation4 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Honestly, if you hear that German television channel Sat 1 brings us a movie about Jack the Ripper, then it does not really sound as anything you'd look much forward to. On a positive note, it is not a failure as it could have been. On a negative note, it is also not a good movie. Writer Holger Karsten Schmidt has worked on some pretty good crime stuff in recent years, so I was surprised to see his name attached to this project. Director Sebastian Niemann seems more accurate looking at other stuff he has done. I personally think that the cast is the biggest problem of this 100-minute movie from November 2016. It begins with Sonja Gerhardt already. She is not good enough of an actress to carry a film like this, not in the lead role. She may be a cute face, but in terms of range, she just doesn't have it from what I saw here. The headstrong, dedicated female character in the center of the story may be an interesting new take on the JtR films, but it's not working with Gerhardt. Her face expression is basically the same during the entire movie and her presence (or lack thereof) harms the film instead of doing it any good. Also some of her line deliveries are pretty bad, but this is also a problem that applies to some of the supporting players.
The most known cast member here is probably Sabin Tambrea. I must say mediocre 'small-screen stuff may exactly be the right thing for him as I always found him mediocre. He has that air of mystery about him, but all that it does is disguise how limited of an actor he is. The other actors in here are luckily better, especially the older ones. I understand, however, that they wanted to use a known title here to get people interested in the story, but it may have been better to narrate a story without Jack the Ripper as the plot and the directions it takes did not feel authentic related to JtR, especially the plot twist at the end. In-between, the film loses itself at what could turn into a love triangle between the central character, a police officer and a photographer. Besides, it felt a bit generic how they included secrets and mysterious moments about every (male) character and how they could possibly Jack. A Sat 1 film of course has to deliver a revelation and solution at the end and this is why I think Jack the Ripper was not the right choice. Just make it a crime movie with unknown characters.
Overall, you see Schmidt's talent on some occasions and I would not say that the script was the biggest problem here. But it was one of the biggest problems that followed the weak lead performance. Everybody has heard of Jack the Ripper and the fact that there is nonetheless not yet a defining film about this legendary character shows how difficult it may be to deliver convincingly on this subject. This small screen production certainly isn't that either. It only delivers partially and it does more wrong than right I believe. More bad decisions than good ones and it seems it may not be a good choice in this film to tell other people that they will soon be dead. Also the forced and rushed happy ending isn't helping things at all. Do not watch.
The most known cast member here is probably Sabin Tambrea. I must say mediocre 'small-screen stuff may exactly be the right thing for him as I always found him mediocre. He has that air of mystery about him, but all that it does is disguise how limited of an actor he is. The other actors in here are luckily better, especially the older ones. I understand, however, that they wanted to use a known title here to get people interested in the story, but it may have been better to narrate a story without Jack the Ripper as the plot and the directions it takes did not feel authentic related to JtR, especially the plot twist at the end. In-between, the film loses itself at what could turn into a love triangle between the central character, a police officer and a photographer. Besides, it felt a bit generic how they included secrets and mysterious moments about every (male) character and how they could possibly Jack. A Sat 1 film of course has to deliver a revelation and solution at the end and this is why I think Jack the Ripper was not the right choice. Just make it a crime movie with unknown characters.
Overall, you see Schmidt's talent on some occasions and I would not say that the script was the biggest problem here. But it was one of the biggest problems that followed the weak lead performance. Everybody has heard of Jack the Ripper and the fact that there is nonetheless not yet a defining film about this legendary character shows how difficult it may be to deliver convincingly on this subject. This small screen production certainly isn't that either. It only delivers partially and it does more wrong than right I believe. More bad decisions than good ones and it seems it may not be a good choice in this film to tell other people that they will soon be dead. Also the forced and rushed happy ending isn't helping things at all. Do not watch.
i actually thought movie was 6
jgkelley-4879718 July 2021
But I docked it a point cuz maybe I'm bias cuz I'm a big fan of real unsolved mysteries & also of Jack the Ripper & the whole Victorian London backdrop. Even tho I realize this fiction. Only docked it a point due to my bias tho cuz I also believe that I'm fair. Even tho I tend to shy away from movies in foreign languages, merely cuz I have ADD & it's usually too much trying to read the words on the screen & pay attention to what's going on around me. Others have no issue with that but they ain't me. Other than that, I'd have no issue reading along. But this movie, I actually found myself being able to still follow everything. The acting was good, from what I could tell. At least characters were believable. And when it comes to Jack the Ripper, sadly, outside of From Hell & especially, "Murder by Decree", I've had a hard time finding good takes on the ripper scene. Could do a lot worst. Idk, I think it's worth a once ova if you don't mind subtitles & enjoy Saucy Jack. Or maybe you can find it dubbed.
German in London?
mlh04289913 April 2021
Suspenseful and fairly enjoyable detective movie.
Slavic9 November 2020
This is a nice little film. What I noticed about it is that it doesn't look cheap and the production values actually look quite lavish which helps to give that special authentic look of the Victorian era. I don't watch foreign films usually with the subtitles on, (I prefer them dubbed instead), but I gave this one a chance and it kept me glued on after the first 10 minutes into it. I have to commend Sonja Gerhardt's performance here, she was wonderful. She carried the whole movie so well. I think the rest of the cast does also an exceptional job. This is a pretty straightforward storytelling with the so-to-say traditional unmasking of the killer at the end. Which is nice since there are many films that leave you hanging with the unanswered questions and ambiguous endings. Also, I think this movie tries something new, it tries to differentiate itself from other Jack The Ripper stories by centering the story on the main lady character instead of just turning her a damsel in distress type of character. She is the detective and gets things done.
There's no movie that is perfect out there, but this one is just pretty good. The movie is moderately violent which is good for its subject matter, but doesn't go too crazy on the gore either. So overall, this is a decent Jack The Ripper film that will leave you satisfied.
There's no movie that is perfect out there, but this one is just pretty good. The movie is moderately violent which is good for its subject matter, but doesn't go too crazy on the gore either. So overall, this is a decent Jack The Ripper film that will leave you satisfied.
Dubbed
Moravian129714 July 2021
Tbf, this film looked well made and seemed authentic, albeit top heavy with the old CGI. Unfortunately the version I saw, was dubbed from its original language to English! As I'm unable to sit through dubbed films, this was a disappointment indeed. I simply cannot understand how some people prefer dubbed to subtitles?! Unless done for ironic purposes, all dubbing in movies should be banned lol!
Effective account of the Whitechapel killer.
parry_na8 September 2021
This German recounting of the exploits of the Whitechapel Murderer is a well told, lavish looking adaption of the story that sags just a little in the middle.
Anna Kosminski (Sonja Gerhardt) travels to London to discover that her brother Jakob is in an asylum and has been wrongly accused of carving up locals - or so she believes. Swimming against the stream, she sets out to find the truth behind the accusations and exposing one of history's most notorious killers. Whether she succeeds or not is for the viewer to find out - but I would recommend the journey.
The recreation of London in 1888 is painstakingly achieved and the acting, taking into consideration the English dub, is uniformly excellent. The plot twists and turns and offers up a few genuine surprises, although don't expect a particularly accurate representation of the facts (after all, this doesn't pretend to be a documentary). My score is 7 out of 10.
Anna Kosminski (Sonja Gerhardt) travels to London to discover that her brother Jakob is in an asylum and has been wrongly accused of carving up locals - or so she believes. Swimming against the stream, she sets out to find the truth behind the accusations and exposing one of history's most notorious killers. Whether she succeeds or not is for the viewer to find out - but I would recommend the journey.
The recreation of London in 1888 is painstakingly achieved and the acting, taking into consideration the English dub, is uniformly excellent. The plot twists and turns and offers up a few genuine surprises, although don't expect a particularly accurate representation of the facts (after all, this doesn't pretend to be a documentary). My score is 7 out of 10.
Fanciful rubbish
carlwilkessob18 September 2023
First thing to address is to point out that this is a German rendition of the story, filmed for German Tv in German language. Someone made the ridiculous decision to overdub in English with American voice actors. Americans running around Whitechapel!
One positive I can point out is that it is the first film to look at kosminski as a suspect. Although he was a suspect no one has addressed it before.
However that's all I have it just becomes more and more fanciful with a ridiculous direction abs ending
Aberline of course has a love interest with the leading lady same as Johnny depp in from hell
Just stick to the little facts we have
Very poor.
One positive I can point out is that it is the first film to look at kosminski as a suspect. Although he was a suspect no one has addressed it before.
However that's all I have it just becomes more and more fanciful with a ridiculous direction abs ending
Aberline of course has a love interest with the leading lady same as Johnny depp in from hell
Just stick to the little facts we have
Very poor.
NOT crazy about German in London...
AndyVanScoyoc18 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
That's my only real complaint about this film.
I'm fairly certain people in Jack The Ripper era London, didn't speak German.
That honestly throws off the entire movie. Personally, I spent the entire movie watching the actor's mouths to try and see if they movie was filmed in English and then dubbed into German, or what exactly they did.
I'm a Nicholas Farrell fan, so I'm almost positive he doesn't speak German...I've seen him on too many BBC shows...
It's honestly very distracting...German in London and took away from what was a gritty and probably all too real, view of 1888 London.
Other than that, the movie isn't bad.
I'm fairly certain people in Jack The Ripper era London, didn't speak German.
That honestly throws off the entire movie. Personally, I spent the entire movie watching the actor's mouths to try and see if they movie was filmed in English and then dubbed into German, or what exactly they did.
I'm a Nicholas Farrell fan, so I'm almost positive he doesn't speak German...I've seen him on too many BBC shows...
It's honestly very distracting...German in London and took away from what was a gritty and probably all too real, view of 1888 London.
Other than that, the movie isn't bad.
Very interesting !
igl-555606 June 2021
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