Midlands Review - Ripper Untold
midlandsmovies • June 28, 2021
Ripper Untold
Directed by Steve Lawson
2021
Creativ Studios
Leicester director Steve Lawson returns with a new feature which delves deep into the legend of Jack the Ripper in a frightful film about the infamous Victorian killer.
We open in London 1888 as Inspector Rees (local Midlands actor Phil Molloy) is brought in to investigate a bloody murder after a woman who has “fallen on hard times” is found dead in the street.
A medical examiner (Jonathan Hansler as Thomas Locque) is called upon to ‘dissect’ the circumstances surrounding the body’s discovery. And he also struggles with his own black-out drinking demons and a frustrated wife (Sylvia Robson as Elizabeth) back at home.
When a letter arrives from the killer via newspaper man Stubb (Chris Bell) the three soon realise that they have a serial killer on their hands – one who takes joy in mocking the authorities.
But when it’s revealed the letter is a fabrication, the mystery deepens as to who the culprit is as the number of cadavers begins to increase.
With Ripper Untold, the prolific director is already on his third feature film of the year – after the horror Saltwater: The Battle for Ramree Island and the gothic-tinged Bram Stoker's Van Helsing.
Lawson’s quick way of shooting does tend to be at the expense of a more artistic vision though. Scenes regularly play out in shot-reverse shot. And despite some stock footage of the capital (and never-ending church bells), I never quite felt I was in turn of the century London.
But there is a sheen of quality about the look of this film. And Ripper Untold, with its candles, brown décor and some murky interiors may be Lawson’s most stylish film to date.
The cinematography from Jon O’ Neill gives the film a professional look and adds touches of both elegance and grime when the story needs. The shadowy rooms are well lit and the film gets visually darker as the murders continue apace.
The film moves at a faster rate than Lawson’s similarly historic chiller Haunting of Alcatraz and the detail in the script seems well researched. It’s unfortunately hemmed in by the same 3 or 4 locations which, whilst providing some claustrophobia, isn’t enough variety to fill the film’s 90 minutes.
With Covid limitations over the last 18 months then kudos to the filmmaker who has done rather well considering. But there is definitely a lack of characters and crowds in general. A busy bustling London street with throngs of seedy oiks in cobbled alleyways is sorely missing from the Whitechapel mythology.
Despite essentially a supporting character, Jonathan Hansler gets the plumb role as the tormented coroner and does well with the material. Sadly, others aren’t given as much as a chance to shine given the limited locations and camera set-ups. And a few more “kills” would have energised the narrative as we mostly witness the butcherly aftermath
But as we head along to the film’s denouement, Ripper Untold ramps up with some saucy scenes “sliced” in amongst the bloody bodies (with some excellent SFX and make-up) that are piling up.
Lawson delivers an ending with a slightly different interpretation of the crime, which helps if you are over-familiar with the many other adaptations on the same topic. The two leads are consistently great and their head-to-head deliberations liven up some of the otherwise duller moments – mostly caused by the repetitive locations and drab offices.
An honourable take on the tale, Ripper Untold delivers enough of a whodunit to maintain interest with Molloy and Hansler carrying a significant weight on their shoulders when other aspects are lacking. Despite a clear low budget, the feature is Lawson’s best to date combining as it does murder and mystery in a no-fuss indie-film package.
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