The film stars Johnny Depp as Inspector Frederick George Abbeline, an opium-addicted police inspector investigating the murders, aided by his own psychic visions. Heather Graham plays Mary Kelly, one of a group of prostitutes targeted by the infamous Jack the Ripper in the Whitechapel. Abbeline first encounters Mary at the funeral of Polly, the first prostitute and one of Mary's friends murdered by the Ripper. He approaches Mary for assistance in the investigation because of her connection with the victim. Abbeline develops a bond with Mary in the course of the investigation as more of her friends are targeted by the Ripper. Eventually, Abbeline falls in love with her. During the course of the investigation, Abbeline also develops a friendship with Sir William Gull, a doctor who provides the only support for Abbeline's theory that the Ripper is wealthy and educated in anatomy, while Abbeline's colleagues will not accept that anyone of a higher social status could commit the murders. As Abbeline pursues Jack the Ripper and zeroes in on the killer, he discovers a more complicated explanation for the murders than even his psychic visions portended.
The part of the film focusing on Abbeline's investigation of the murders is rather compelling at first. The movie gives the audience an excellent idea of the brutality of the murders, although the visuals of the murders are often a little too graphic and not easily handled by the weak of stomach. It is also interesting how Abbeline comes to the conclusion that Jack the Ripper is not merely a lunatic tradesman or butcher. However, as the film progresses the story gets more convoluted. The subplot involving the kidnaping of Mary Kelly's friend Ann is not fully developed, and when its connection to the Ripper murders is revealed, it is unsatisfying. Moreover, the ultimate explanation of the Jack the Ripper murders as part of a grand scale conspiracy involving such diverse entities as the Freemasons and the Crown of England is nonsensical and goes against basic knowledge of how serial killers operate. This is not entirely the fault of the screenwriters or the directors. The royal conspiracy theory is one of the many historical explanations that have been offered for the Jack the Ripper murders, although there is nothing to support it and much to contradict it.
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