The Limehouse Golem

I'd have to call this movie intriguing rather than engrossing. The story is reasonably interesting. It focuses on the investigation into a series of Jack the Ripper-style murders in Victorian London in the 1880's committed by a killer who was known as The Limestone Golem. Alongside that investigation is the story (and trial) of a young woman and music hall actress named Elizabeth (Olivia Cooke) accused of poisoning her husband. Inspector Kildare of Scotland Yard (played by Bill Nighy) is assigned to investigate the Golem murders and also becomes involved with Elizabeth's case as he begins to think that her deceased husband might have been the Golem.

What I found most intriguing about this movie was the way in which actual historical figures of the time were woven into the plot. Dan Leno (Douglas Booth) was in fact a very famous British actor of the day; George Gissing (Margan Watkins) was a British novelist of the day and Karl Marx (Henry Goodman) really did live in London at the time. Leno, Gissing and Marx all became suspects in the Golem murders. I thought the fictional story managed to incorporate them into the plot very well and very believably. The performances were good. The setting of the movie seemed authentic. There was a Victorian feel to this movie in both the sets and the dialogue, and it was interesting to get a bit of the taste of what it migt have been like behind the scenes of a London music hall of that era. All that was well done.

The story, however, seemed somewhat choppy to me. I wasn't taken with the flow of the movie; it seemed inconsistent from beginning to end. At times it also seemed as if a little bit too much effort was being put in to trying to keep the viewer guessing, but the end result (for me) was times of confusion over the story more than anything. The "twist" in the plot as the murderer was finally revealed took me by surprise (which I appreciated) but then the movie went on for a little bit too long. Once the twist was revealed I was ready for the story itself to come to an end, and I thought the last few scenes (once the identity of the Golem had been revealed) were superfluous.

It was an interesting movie, even if it was a little bit uneven. Overall, I'd say it deserves a 6/10.

A mash up of Se7en and The Elephant Man, this one is stylish but over long and relentlessly grim.

With a nod to the Jack the Ripper murders this one is set in London's underclass Limehouse, where Inspector under a cloud Nighy arrives to investigate the succession of "Golem" slasher murders. Suspects include comedian Dan Leno and a bushy bearded Karl Marx. Nighy's investigation gets involved with hard working actress wife Olivia Cooke's trial for poisoning her husband.

Alternating between the British Museum and Leno's tacky music hall attention shifts to Cooke's back story with lots of oppression of women, class warfare, homoerotic suspicions, opium dens and politicking at the Yard.

Cast and design are superior but this one is not a fun outing.

Based on the book of the same name. The late 1800s murder mystery, revolving around a young woman and an old cop who is investigating a series of murders. Elizabeth Cree had not had a best childhood, but she almost reached to her dream to become a best actress in the town. Then suddenly a murder jeopardise everything she had worked so hard. Now she has to cooperate with a detective to come out of the mess. But the tale takes a twist at every corner, making more complication for her freedom. How this puzzle is solved was told with a final twist that flips the whole scenario upside down.

First of all, I love such costume drama. The atmosphere was awesome. Well maintained suspense, along with a good pace of the story narration. From all it's the actors, especially for me, it's the Olivia Cooke. Bill Nighy was not bad too. Despite he's one of the main character, Cooke stole the show. But the film was not a masterpiece. From an entertainment perspective, it delivered. I think it was a good adaptation. The only weak point is, most people would guess the end twist. It was intentional. But overall film was decent.

6/10

The Limehouse Golem is a hugely atmospheric, gothic murder mystery. It is visually stunning, blood thirsty and enthralling. I enjoyed from start to finish, even if I couldn't always follow the plot at times. This is a film I think I will enjoy much more on subsequent viewings as I'll be able to take more in, and discover the small details I missed first time round. Stunning sets, glorious costumes, it really is a visual treat, they managed to capture the spirit of the Ripper's London. It felt like a film version of Ripper Street meets Sherlock. Fabulous performances, Billy Nighy, Olivia Cooke and Sam Reid all excellent, but the star of the show had to be Douglas Booth, who was simply tremendous.

Deserving of a higher rating here, and a higher status, this is a quality film. 7/10

I wanted to love this. And I feel like I should have. But I didn't. I was interested in it enough to see it all the way through the end to find out the conclusion of the central mystery. Why was it just okay? I'm not sure. The performances were strong, and the period sets and costumes were amazing, but I would find my mind drifting throughout it, a lot. Too much. So I can only chalk it up to the script and the directing. The shots themselves in the movie were good. It looked beautiful.

But for whatever reason, I was never fully pulled in. And I think this was in large part because the crimes of the Limehouse Golem were all told as flashbacks essentially, there was no real suspense, except for one scene near the very end that I won't spoil. So yeah, ultimately I think the storytelling structure diminished the sense of suspense that should have been present in the story. The movie is also pretty violent/gory in those flashbacks, btw. That neither raised nor lowered my overall score of it, but it was violent enough that it's worth noting.