The Limehouse Golem

Name: The Limehouse Golem
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Released: September 8, 2017
Duration: 109 min
Rating: 63
Cast: Adam Brown, Amelia Crouch, Bill Nighy, Damien Thomas, Daniel Cerqueira

2017

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Ratings

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5.6

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5.6	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Ratings

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The Limehouse Golem (US Trailer)

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Movie Details & Credits

Concorde Filmverleih | Release Date: September 8, 2017 | Not Rated

Starring: Adam Brown, Amelia Crouch, Bill Nighy, Damien Thomas, Daniel Cerqueira, Daniel Mays, David Bamber, Douglas Booth, Eddie Marsan, Henry Goodman, Louisa-May Parker, María Valverde, Michael Jenn, Morgan Watkins, Olivia Cooke, Patrick Durham, Paul Ritter, Peter Sullivan, Sam Reid

Summary: The city of London is gripped with fear as a serial killer – dubbed The Limehouse Golem – is on the loose and leaving cryptic messages written in his victim’s blood. With few leads and increasing public pressure, Scotland Yard assigns the case to Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) – a seasoned detective with a troubled past and a sneakingThe city of London is gripped with fear as a serial killer – dubbed The Limehouse Golem – is on the loose and leaving cryptic messages written in his victim’s blood. With few leads and increasing public pressure, Scotland Yard assigns the case to Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) – a seasoned detective with a troubled past and a sneaking suspicion he’s being set up to fail. Faced with a long list of suspects, including music hall star Dan Leno (Douglas Booth), Kildare must get help from a witness who has legal troubles of her own (Olivia Cooke), so he can stop the murders and bring the killer to justice.… Expand

Director: Juan Carlos Medina

Genre(s): Thriller, Horror

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 109 min

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Critic Reviews

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Sep 7, 2017

It’s an entertainingly bizarre, lurid nightmare with a playfully literary flavour, very Ackroydian, but with hints of Angela Carter and a bit of William Blake. Read full review

Josh Winning

Sep 7, 2017

Weird, twisted and deliciously unique, Medina’s horror taps a dynamic vein in feminism and Giallo-esque gore. Read full review

The Telegraph Patrick Smith

Sep 7, 2017

The Limehouse Golem may be hokum, but it’s glorious hokum that brings something fresh to the stale old cadaver of Victorian melodrama. Read full review

Andrew Crump

Sep 15, 2017

The Limehouse Golem has costumes, and drama and an abundance of severed appendages, splattered gore and artfully dismembered bodies, and maybe that’s all any horror fan can ask for. Still: There’s nothing wrong with hoping for more. Read full review

Michael Rechtshaffen

Sep 7, 2017

A perfectly watchable if overtly theatrical whodunit. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Sep 7, 2017

It’s hard not to wonder how much better the cluttered results might have played as a miniseries. Read full review

Empire Jonathan Pile

Sep 4, 2017

A great cast is let down by a script that fails to provide a compelling mystery to solve. Never mind as a big-screen production, this would be disappointing as a BBC mini-series. Read full review

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User Reviews

FilipeNeto

May 14, 2022

I found this movie on television by chance and decided to watch it, seduced by a brief plot synopsis and intriguing beginning. At the right time I did, the film was worth it and deserves our attention. The plot takes place some years before the appearance of Jack the Ripper, and recounts theI found this movie on television by chance and decided to watch it, seduced by a brief plot synopsis and intriguing beginning. At the right time I did, the film was worth it and deserves our attention. The plot takes place some years before the appearance of Jack the Ripper, and recounts the somewhat amateurish way in which the English authorities dealt with the emergence of a bloodthirsty serial killer.

Obviously, the inspiration for this film was evident: each of the Golem's crimes bore a very strong signature of Jack the Ripper, a real killer who was never caught or even successfully identified. The crimes in this movie are gory and graphic, and the movie can be shocking at times. But the best thing about the film is, in my opinion, its cleverly written and executed screenplay, in which a Scotland Yard inspector searches for the murderer and all the clues point to a woman he firmly believes to be innocent and, probably, trying to cover up the real criminal. The plot has many twists and turns, and you should be careful not to miss anything important. The effort pays off.

The film bets a lot on creating a dense environment, with deep suspense, and makes the best use of the nocturnal, decadent and almost inhumane atmosphere of Victorian London. From the gloomy streets to the poorly theater, passing through the brothels and the Library (one of the most important and symbolical settings), the film has the right atmosphere and is visually elegant. There are several characters who carry within themselves a dismay and bitterness that is part of the Victorian feeling, where disenchantment leads to the need for abstraction and escapism, depression and mental anguish.

Bill Nighy's work is really the most solid and consistent of the entire cast, and it sustains the film quite well. The actor is a British veteran, impeccable in his work, and manages to give the character a touch of tiredness that gives him realism and credibility. Olivia Cooke is surprising and did an excellent job here, in a character that is not easy, demanding and full of psychological nuances. Nevertheless, she does manage to captivate and capture our sympathy, even being more pleasant than Nighy's character. Douglas Booth also gives his character a bit of acidity. He's seen too much in a world too ugly. Sam Reid looks good to me, and Maria Valverde also made a very thoughtful contribution.

On a technical level, the film makes a serious and consistent bet on cinematography, dark, dense and purposefully foggy, as if to immerse the audience in a foggy, dirty London, full of vices and the smell of coal and smoke. The special and visual effects also worked well, particularly in the crime and murder scenes. The sets were beautifully executed and the choice of filming locations was careful, as was the design of the film's costumes and props, which look excellent and historically rigorous. The soundtrack helps us a lot to live the period and feel the atmosphere of the film.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MrLiss

Oct 19, 2017

It was a big mistake of distributors to position this picture as a horror movie, because of this genre here only gloomy atmosphere. About any horror and not talking that will probably lead to the disappointment of many spectators, who received not what they were expecting. I got to theIt was a big mistake of distributors to position this picture as a horror movie, because of this genre here only gloomy atmosphere. About any horror and not talking that will probably lead to the disappointment of many spectators, who received not what they were expecting. I got to the premiere in our city display to see the dark British detective of the Victorian era and has not lost.

The plot of the movie is classic: in the most prosperous area of London in the late nineteenth century is a series of brutal murders. At the crime scene discovered the bloody message to the detective investigating the case — the question to Kerry, and following these messages, the detective gradually unravels the tangle of events, of names and persons, leading to the mysterious killer. But not so easy, because the frame of the plot, banal and very common in the genre, here is threaded correctly inscribed some directorial decisions, but also hides a philosophical topic. What is the glory? What is ready for attention, for the sake of admiring, wide-open eyes of his audience? What is above human morality, or the desire for freedom and recognition? The main character Lizzie Cree is a very important character not only because it is built around the whole plot, but because it is through line of her life reveals the third parallel ribbon — the fight against inequality, oppression and ill-treatment companies. This implication is particularly beautiful and contrasting looks in combination with a line of events in a circus performance, a thousand eyes, the roar of the crowd, the show must go on!

The detective component of the film limps. Yes, bill Nighy was perfectly used to the image of Kildare, Yes, the final plot twist is quite good and presented with taste, playing with the viewer and causing him to doubt what he saw to the last frame, but the rest of the duration does not hold in tension. The narrative is slack and periodically plunged into flashbacks too deeply, why is partially lost, the intrigue and the viewer is not sitting on pins and needles from emotional excitement, and frowns trying not to forget a bunch of British surnames, and any person which one belongs. It adds a smooth and relaxed atmosphere, but not to say that this time it was good. I believe that to fall asleep when you view you do not have, but everything that happens may seem sometimes boring.

In technical terms, the painting's all right. Caste of powerful British actors of the old and new hardening plays a Bang — characters was quite open, colourful and memorable — especially the characters Eddie Marsan, Douglas booth and Daniel Mays, who with a relatively small screen time was trying to make his images are vivid and complete. A huge plus of the movie.

Another huge plus is the atmosphere. London, 1880 looks very realistic that we have licked the graceful building of the municipal library, but the corner curve dirty street with drunks. Immersion in the era and aesthetics of that time almost the maximum and tasteful. For this special thanks to the composer, the costume designers, the Director and the operator — the work done at a level.

Summing up we can say that the "Limehouse Golem" was beautiful and atmospheric detective in the best traditions of the genre, raises some philosophical questions and compels the viewer to reflect on them. All this is accompanied by a competent soundtrack and quality acting. But, taking into account all the details, the ribbon loses in the most important scenario, why not seem so strong work. I believe that if this picture came out 30 years ago, it would have received cult status, if not, then at least a very strong pattern, but in our time, full of movies of different genres, images, and forms similar to catch much harder. And all fans of dark mysteries, the grey atmosphere of Victorian London, as well as fans of bill Nighy is recommended for viewing.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JLuis_001

Sep 9, 2017

Surprising how it works, the cast is solid and the story is entertaining enough, in addition, the gothic atmosphere helps a lot, eventually falls a little, blame the script, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed this more than I expected.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

DawdlingPoet

Nov 28, 2021

This film is somewhat spooky in tone but also felt a little bit forced perhaps - its predictable to an extent but having said that, I did find it relatively entertaining. I thought Bill Nighy was a good choice of actor in his role as he seemed to me quite believable as a Victorian policeThis film is somewhat spooky in tone but also felt a little bit forced perhaps - its predictable to an extent but having said that, I did find it relatively entertaining. I thought Bill Nighy was a good choice of actor in his role as he seemed to me quite believable as a Victorian police inspector.

There is quite a lot of bloody violence depicted, or perhaps moreso bloody injuries depicted, which mean it isn't for the faint hearted. its fairly atmospheric, although there have been a fair number of similar period drama films made and released in the past. I think I mostly liked it in terms of trying to understand where other characters were coming from, attempting to piece things together. It felt like a feature length BBC costume drama production, only with a bit more blood and gore than we might perhaps expect. Not a great watch but not an awful one either, I felt it was ok. There was a definite element of enforced melodrama which didn't sit well with me but its not unwatchable either.

Would I recommend it? I'm not sure I'd say its worth going out of your way to see, so no I wouldn't outright recommend it. It felt a bit too 'run of the mill' to me, although thats not to say it isn't watchable but I wouldn't spend money to see it specifically.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Rebecca31

Sep 8, 2017

The Limehouse Golem practically screams Jack the Ripper I honestly don’t know why they didn’t just make a Jack the Ripper movie. Or better yet a TV show because from the moment it starts it’s got that TV movie feeling which it never shakes. That’s not a major criticism, it could have been aThe Limehouse Golem practically screams Jack the Ripper I honestly don’t know why they didn’t just make a Jack the Ripper movie. Or better yet a TV show because from the moment it starts it’s got that TV movie feeling which it never shakes. That’s not a major criticism, it could have been a lot worse but there were too many occasions where I wanted the episode to end so I could tune in next week only to realise oh right I’m watching a “film”, any chance you could skip past yet another musical moment and get on with the story? Thanks.

You're hooked instantly by the serial killer, the mysterious Golem and once you’re intrigued enough not to leave, the story takes a sharp detour into the wonderful world of stage performances and be prepared to sit though song after song after song. No this won’t go down as anything particularly memorable and it hasn’t really brought anything new to the whole serial killer terrorizing ye olde London genre. What it does have is a good story that only gets better the more time you give it. Although it took long enough I did eventually start to enjoy this “film.” It’s dark and twisted enough to attract a certain audience and it definitely delivers with the gore. Keeps you on your toes for a while but you can guarantee you’ll have the killer figured out well before the dramatic reveal. It’s far too stagy for its own good but there’s enough to entertain you. Recommended if you’re in desperate need of a horror movie fix before IT.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

temptershell

Sep 13, 2017

A mediocre costume film based on Jack the Ripper story with a above average actress. Surprising creations, poor stage design and even worse editing, but I did not expect anything more.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

geewah

Jan 9, 2021

A glorified tele-movie. Nothing original, nothing exciting. So bland in so many ways.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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