The Limehouse Golem (2016) Reviews

• Surely destined to enjoy cult status in later life

  tomgillespie20022017-10-06

  The Limehouse Golem, adapted from the novel by Peter Ackroyd, has lingered in development hell for years, being passed between various directors and actors (Alan Rickman pulled out at the last minute due to his failing health), before finally getting the green light in the hands of rookie filmmaker Juan Carlos Medina and screenwriter Jane Goldman. Boasting a terrific cast, a blood-drenched, smog- filled atmosphere, and a murder mystery that is as grisly as it is engaging, the film has sadly struggled to find an audience. With a measly number of ratings just shy of 4,000 on IMDb, its failure is truly unfortunate. The Limehouse Golem is, at its heart, a Sherlock Holmes-esque mystery set in a pre-Jack the Ripper London, complete with a frustrated detective, a handful of red herrings, a small band of colourful suspects. But dig a little deeper, and there's an interesting feminist work at play. Beginning, as charismatic music hall performer Dan Leno (Douglas Booth) announces, at the end, Medina introduces to this eternally grey world with the death-by-poison of wannabe playwright John Cree (Sam Reid). His wife Lizzie (Olivia Cooke) is distraught, but her conniving maid Aveline (Maria Valverde) - whose role in the story becomes clearer through flashbacks - drops the hint to police that Lizzie is the one to make his nightcaps, and insisted on doing so the night the husband she wasn't very fond of died. The beginning, at we come to learn, is more like the middle, as this opening scene not only sets in motion Lizzie's story (she is arrested and faces the noose is found guilty), but may also hold the key to the identity of a brutal killer who has terrified the community of Limehouse with a series of nasty slayings - The Limehouse Golem. We learn of the Golem's activities through John Kildare (Bill Nighy), a disliked Scotland Yard investigator brought in as a scapegoat when previous investigations have led to dead ends. Upright and quietly-spoken, Kildare is known as "not the marrying type," and has therefore found himself dumped in menial department ushered away in some dark corner, despite his obvious skills in the field. To help navigate the filthy slums, he procures the help of highly competent copper George Flood (Daniel Mays). Yet Kildare's hunt for the killer is made even more desperate by the ticking-clock that is Lizzie's trial, and saving her from the gallows becomes as equally important as preventing another murder victim. Man's urge to rescue a 'woman in need' is a prime focus of Medina's film, and Lizzie seems to find one at every turn. A victim of childhood abuse, she is also doted over by Cree, a nice guy on the face of it, but one driven by the need to sweep a girl away from nothing and into his handsome, middle-class arms. Kildare quickly learns that Lizzie doesn't need to be, or even want to be, saved. Nighy may have received top billing, but this is very much Cooke's film. She has the most screen time, and handles Lizzie's development from a strong-willed working-class girl, into a star of the music hall, and eventually into a possible murderer, astonishingly well. As Leno, Booth plays the role like a big-toothed and less annoying version of Russell Brand, and shows remarkable restraint and skill in avoiding stumbling into caricature. But much praise must also be lavished on Medina and Goldman, who both manage to juggle the thrills and intrigue of a Victorian whodunit with a character piece that reveals far more layers than you would expect. When it does delve deeper into the mystery, Medina relishes the squalor, employing different characters to monologue the killer's diary as Kildare lines up the suspects, and delivering some surprisingly gory moments. Surely a film destined to enjoy cult success later in life, The Limehouse Golem is a truly unexpected delight.

• Keeps you wanting to guess the murder

  stroggos2017-08-20

  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.

• Nice. Nice. Nice.

  gothic-fiction2017-09-10

  Well crafted movie with a beautiful cast, good aesthetics and some nicely twisted elements made for a enjoyable watch even tho from my point of view, the ending is quite predictable from the very start. It was rather obvious the destination, yet the journey remained suspenseful and filled with little hidden gems here and there. Bill Nighy is one great actor, I'm sadden by the fact that he didn't manage to make a bigger splash earlier, but even now, his presence on the screen brings so much force, so much seriosity, that you take everything in deeper and leaves behind quite an impact with every line he says. He was perfectly cast here, as the other actors too, a diversity and character development that I loved from the very start. Of course I will recommend this movie, but bare in mind, there is close to no horror here, you will find no such thing, but only the horror of man. What man is capable of, his hideous crimes, selfishness, but has nothing to do with jump scares or tension. Cheers!

• Just see it

  smoke02017-09-09

  I don't get the less than glowing and/or outright negative reviews. This movie was a completely unexpected delight, a well done old fashioned murder mystery with a twist and I loved every minute of it - well, almost ever minute...I only gave 9 stars instead of 10 because of the last rather gratuitous five minutes or so, as the movie should have properly ended right where it began. Yes, it is gory, but what would you expect from a film about a serial killer committing horrific murders? However, nothing depicted here is comparable to the average slasher movie, so there is no gore for gore's sake or prolonged and torturous murder scenes. I was kept guessing right up to the point when both the inspector and the audience are supposed to realize who the killer is, and that, to me, is the best experience possible when watching a well done murder mystery. Just stop reading and go and see this film.

• Great film - deserves to be a big hit

  sjo-152017-09-11

  I really enjoyed this film. There is real chemistry between Bill Nighy and Daniel Mays. Nighy is electrifying as ever. Most of the supporting cast are great. It has a gloomy atmosphere and the music hall setting works well (albeit a music hall with lots of music and absolutely zero musicians!). Its not overly gory - this is a good thing as its the plot and character interplay that is strong here. The ye olde London Town setting is well done. The story moves along as quite a pace with red herrings and twists galore. We guessed whodunit 2/3 of the way through - but it was an entertaining ride nonetheless. This film is a cut above much of the generic and formulaic Hollywood fare we are fed these days. Go see it quickly while its still in cinemas - its not nearly as big a hit as it deserves to be.