Murder by Decree (1979)

Elementary my dear Ripper!

Murder by Decree is directed by Bob Clark and adapted to screenplay by John Hopkins from the novel The Ripper File written by Elwyn Jones and John Lloyd. It stars Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Frank Finlay, Anthony Quayle, Donald Sutherland, Geneviève Bujold & John Gielgud.

Film pitches Sherlock Holmes (Plummer) and Dr. Watson (Mason) into the hunt for Jack the Ripper in Whitechapel, London 1888...

I've been exploited old fellow, by the very people for whom we are searching.

The greatest of detectives searching for Britain's most notorious serial killer, it's a killer pitch that had already had a film made in 1965 called A Study in Terror. That was a film that couldn't quite get it right, here, 14 years later, there's a bigger budget and "A" list gloss to help tell the tale. And boy does it work! In the cannon of Sherlock Holmes, Murder by Decree is to Holmes films what On Her Majesty's Secret Service is to the James Bond franchise. Appertaining to the great detective himself, it's the odd one out, a divisive picture, not because it's rubbish or technically shy, but because the main man protagonist dares to be human, a man of conscious; politically, socially and ethically. He's still the same charming, clever and complex character most have come to know and love, but Murder by Decree fronts him out as a human being, with Watson alongside him as a non buffoon bloke doing his bit for the case whilst remaining sensitive about the last pea on his plate! It's these characterisations, splendidly played by two actors of considerable talent, that are at the core of the film's success.

If she dies and you come under my hand? Expect no mercy.

Period production value is high, it has to be for a Jolly Jack based movie. Bring the dark, bring the smog and bring the Victorian costumes (Judy Moorcroft). Then play it out amongst shadowy lamp lighted cobbled streets and let the sets drip with slum London sweat and tears. All that is required then is to have a source story of compelling interest, of which Murder by Decree scores greatly as well. It's fanciful for sure, but the most spectacular of all Ripper theories. From a secret love child to the Freemasons, and up to Royalty itself, it's a potent notion put forward. That is of course conjecture as a solution, but the makers are to be applauded for taking that idea and successfully combining the Arthur Conan Doyle creations with historical reality, something that A Study in Terror fell considerably short on.

Rest of the cast is filled out with some quality as well, where Hemmings, Quayle, Finlay, Gielgud and Bujold don't disappoint, the latter of which gets to really perform with substance in the pivotal scene set in an Asylum. Only real let down is Sutherland, or more like what the makers did (didn't do) with him. His psychic Robert Lees crops up for a couple of small scenes for what we expect will be a telling contribution to the plot, but they aren't. It seems like just an excuse to do Sutherland up like he had just awoken from the grave, and to give the picture some ethereal sheen moments. For the finale and the big reveal of the Ripper, Plummer is simply magnificent. He holds court in front of his peers, including the Prime Minister (Gielgud), and unfurls the explanation with impassioned fortitude, it's then that we realise this was always a Sherlock Holmes movie, and not a Jack the Ripper piece. With that, it's one of the best featuring the Deer Stalker wearing fellow. 9/10

Christopher Plummer dons the famous deerstalker in this well produced and stylish looking outing for "Sherlock Holmes". Here, together with stalwart colleague "Dr. Watson" (James Mason) they find themselves drawn into the mysterious investigation of a series of gruesome Whitechapel murders. What is being locally described as the "Jack the Ripper" crimes is baffling "Lestrade" (Frank Finlay) to the point that his job is on the line after an intervention by the Commissioner himself (Sir Anthony Quayle). This adaptation follows the increasingly more established story of political and court intrigues around the identity of and the reasons for the "Ripper". A solid cast lend well to the overall sense of despair and, to some extent, depravity in which these prostitutes lived - with a good effort from both Susan Clark ("Mary") and Genevieve Bujold ("Annie"); the latter offering a particularly poignant scene towards the end. The denouement drags out rather, and perhaps shows up a little of the limitations of Plummer, but otherwise this is an entertaining enough retelling of a story that benefits from great attention to detail and an effective score. Rathbone and Bruce they are not, but Plummer and Mason make a good fist of this, and it's an easy watch.

**_What if Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson took on the 1888 Jack the Ripper case?_**

This isn’t as colorful as “A Study in Terror” or the Hammer versions; nor is it as sordid & gory as Klaus Kinski’s 1976 rendition or Anthony Perkins’ future “Edge of Sanity,” nor as entertaining as the future “From Hell.” You could call it a respectable version of The Ripper case that’s dialogue-driven and eschews exploitation with the highlight being Christopher Plummer and James Mason as the detective duo. I’d compare it to Jack Palance’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” from eleven years prior, just with a bigger budget.

While the subdued, intellectual approach might make it boring to some tastes, it fills the bill if you're in the mood for a Victorian milieu, black coats, London fog, cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, gas lamps, taverns, Whitechapel women, ghastly murders and governmental intrigue.

Donald Sutherland shows up in a peripheral part while Susan Clark and Geneviève Bujold are on hand in the feminine department.

Keep in mind that the murderer was never identified or arrested and so every cinematic account that reveals the killer's identity is a fabrication or, at best, plausible theory.

It runs 2h 4m and was shot in Jun-Aug 1978 in London with the Victoria era set and interiors done at Elstree Studios and the docks sequence done at Shepperton Studios.

GRADE: B-