Juan Carlos Medina's "THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM"
Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald
The recreation of 1880s London backstreets and raucous musicals take center stage in this combination of Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes murder mystery. We follow Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) as he pieces together clues about a series of grisly serial killings. At the same time he attempts to find evidence to exonerate the wife (Olivia Cooke) of the presumed killer as she awaits hanging for the murder of her husband.
A series of flashbacks tells her backstory and rise to musical fame while details of past horrific murders are revealed. This is where the photography and production values of the movie shine as they — almost — recreate the horrific urban smells that must have accompanied 1880s London. This is not the tidy London of so many Sherlock Holmes movie mysteries but a tough environment where modern police and investigative techniques were unknown.
Fans of Bill Nighy may be a bit disappointed that he does not chew the scenery as he does in other more fantastic tales. Also, Olivia Cook’s musical performances are enthusiastic but a bit underwhelming. Still, if your taste in mysteries is fairly mainstream and you enjoy a well photographed and detailed period piece — and can tolerate the blood and gore — you might enjoy this one.
Review copyright (c) 2021 by Dennis D. McDonald
