I was expecting something like a Hammer Horror film. There are elements of that. But this surprisingly grisly and stylish Victorian crime drama is decidedly not supernatural.
The worlds of the police and the theatre/music hall coincide in limehouse, london as a detective is introduced as a fall guy in a tough case.
The actors do a good job. The style of the movie veers around a bit. Is it melodrama? Is it grisly horror-crime? Is it a twisty-plot? All of those to differing extents.
The pursuit of the killer is done with a repeated technique: meet the suspect. Ask them to write some of the killer’s words. See the detective’s mind’s eye view of the suspect as the killer. From early on it is apparent who the killer is. Nonetheless, this was an unusual and entertaining crime story with some graphic scenes of poverty and violence.
Worth taking a chance as you might enjoy it.
