The Limehouse Golem - Mistero sul Tamigi

THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM won't change the world, but it's definitely worth watching if you're the kind of person who likes to watch a movie with a bit of mystery. Set in old London, this movie follows a detective who is trying to solve a series of murder cases that somehow seem to connect to the local playhouse theater of the district. There's a host of suspects, and time is running out as an innocent may be executed soon.

Here's the one thing that matters for a movie like this: I definitely found myself trying to guess who the murderer was. And I really didn't know for most of the movie who it would be! So in that sense, THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM clearly succeeded for me. There was some pretty good acting and there were interesting themes of revenge and jealousy being explored... all in all an interesting, although not world-changing, crime thriller.

Despite being yet another film set in London (yawn) The Limehouse Golem is atmospheric and will certainly hold your attention. This is partly due to the detailed scenic constructions that create a dark, intimate atmosphere but also due to the excellent casting. Juan Carlos Medina brings out the best in the cast. Watch how he uses the actors' eyes to communicate directly with the audience via the camera lens. Oliva Cooke, alternately resembling Emma Watson and Julia Roberts, glows and sparkles and then freezes as the film jumps between her recalled memory and her jail cell. Sadly, the usually wonderful Bill Nighy only hints at his customary quirkiness and the inferred gayness of Nighy's Inspector Kildare and Daniel May's gentle George Flood seems strangely pointless. The interplay between audience the stage of the music hall and the audience draws the cinema audience right into the heart of the action. The music hall scenes are beautifully re-imagined and are a joy to watch. Douglas Booth turns in a beautifully sensitive portrayal of Dan Leno that reminded me of Eddie Redmayne in the Danish Girl.

Despite the fact that the film is a little under-written - I worked out the identity of the Golem about one third of the way through the film -

this is a very enjoyable and convincing tale that is well told. My major criticism of the film is that it is overlong. Sometimes less is more and the film would have benefited by tighter editing of the final scenes where fantasy and fact become confused leading to the audience being not quite sure what is happening.

Overall, though, a very enjoyable couple of hours spent in the cinema and please, film producers,let's have more films like this. But please also remember that London was not the only location in the UK where dark deeds happened in Victorian times. There was, and is, life and interest outside London.

Period mysteries set in 19th century London are rather frequent. The era of Sherlock Holmes, "Jack the Ripper" and a plethora of unsolved crimes. Its own gothicism remains an attractive aesthetic quality that has managed to create its own niche. For the most part, this mystery remains captivating, although extensively formulaic. An inspector is tasked with investigating "The Limehouse Golem" whilst simultaneously proving the innocence of a widow accused of murdering her husband. What really worked was the atmosphere. Gloomy, dark and ominous, 19th Century London has never looked so authentically dirty. The contrast of the blackened urban streets to the flamboyant music hall ensures that two tones were nested within the production. Cree's backstory and the inspector's investigation may initially look like separate stories, but as with all these mysteries, slowly start intertwining. The major issue with this, is that the plot is overcooked. Various culprits are accused, investigated and dismissed, however the plot's focus constantly shifts between the two stories mentioned above that you start to question what the main mystery actually is. Is it her innocence? Or the serial killer? The narrative tries to express the importance of both, but this ultimately fails due to the lack of focus and ludicrous amount of explanation, culminating to an underwhelming twist. To be fair, I guessed incorrectly, but I should've known! Fortunately a cast of fresh faces and experienced actors convey a methodical script that felt reminiscent to an Arthur Conan Doyle novel. Plenty of flair and finesse within each line, plus Nighy is a national treasure. Each murder that takes place is soaked in blood and brutality, more so than I expected! The question this film does raise is the pronunciation of "golem". I've always thought to it to be "gol-lum", not "go-lem"? Anyway, I digress. A murder mystery relishing in its own classicism, but lacking the focus to elevate it above the rest.

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.

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