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In the 1880s (thus before the exploits of Jack the Ripper), a serialkiller dubbed the Limehouse Golem is roaming the streets of London, killing pretty much indiscriminately, so Scotland Yard puts the case into the hands of John Kildare (Bill Nighy) - not because he's such a good investigator, heck, he has never even handled a murder case, but because he's gay and a (foreseeable) failure on his part would give his opponents a great opportunity to remove him from service. But this is exactly why he throws himself into the case whole-heartedly ... and soon he and his sidekick Inspector Roberts (Peter Sullivan) find the first clue in a library where they research the backstory of the Golem legend and find some mad scribblings in a reference book that can only be the work of the Limehouse Golem. So they go through a list of everyone who had been in that particular reading room of the library, and after relieving quite a few persons (including Karl Marx [Henry Goodman]) of suspicion, they are left with playwright John Cree (Sam Reid) - who has been poisoned by his wife Lizzie (Olivia Cooke) and all his notes have been burned, so there's no chance to compare his handwriting to that in the book. However, Kildare tries to get the truth out of Lizzie, who's presently awaiting her execution after being convicted of the murder of her husband. Kildare though thinks she has only killed him because she knew he was the Limehouse Golem, but she won't admit to that even if that would mean a retrial and maybe acquittal. But Kildare isn't one to relent, so he encourages her to tell her tale of woe, a rags-to-richess story where Lizzie, as a young girl (and played them by Amelia Croush) from poor origins with a mother who died before her time, pretty much stumbled into a job at a music hall, first as a lowly stagehand, but she soon replaced the theatre's dwarf (Graham Hughes) on stage, who died under mysterious circumstances, and gradually rose up the ranks thanks to her natural talent to entertain. And especially actor Dan Leno (Douglas Booth), superstar in the making, takes her under his wing. She in turn takes an instand liking in him because he likes her for her talent and personality and is as uninterested in sex (with the opposite gender) as she is. Eventually, she meets talented and promising playwright John Cree, and soon they marry, also because the play he's currently writing might prove the next stepping stone in her career. She isn't interested in sex with him though, but hires her rival on stage and for her husband's attentions, Aveline (Maréa Valverde), as her maid, with the main purpose that she keeps his husband happy in bed. Eventually, Lizzie finds out that John hasn't been working on his play for weeks, and she first throws a fit, then finishes his unfinished play and brings it to the stage without his approval - and the play bombs. Of course that results in a big argument, which results inher poisoning him.

It's only hours until the execution, and finally Kildare has a clue to go on that might prove Cree to be the Limehouse Golem, his manuscript that's kept in the library - and wouldn't you know it, the handwriting on the manuscript matches the scribblings in the book. Pretty much last minute, Kildare manages to call for a stay of the execution - but when he finally gets the truth out of Lizzie, it throws him into a terrible fit of doubt ...

One of the many historical/horror hybrids that have cropped up in the last few years, and one that suffers from pretty much the same shortcomings as many of its ilk, including the weird tendency to force historical figures into a plot, no matter if they fit the narrative or not (e.g. Karl Marx as a murder suspect, which could have been a nice idea if it served more than to tick a box), but also to overburden the story with historical context that doesn't always help the story or even detract from it. This is really mirrored in the visuals as well that seem to be overwrought and lack clear focus onto what's important. And then there's the story that tries too hard to be overly clever to really realize it's just a formulaic murder mystery. All of this is by no means special to The Limehouse Golem but goes for most movies of its ilk.

So is The Limehouse Golem a bad movie? Actually, no, it's nicely played, it's colourful, it does have its tense moments - it just tries too much to be something special to really be anything out of the ordinary.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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