Murder by Decree (1979, United Kingdom)
detective storiespolice investigationserial killertrue crime stories
Running time: 120 minutes
Language: English
Locations: the story takes place in LondonCity of London, EnglandUnited Kingdom
Murder by Decree 1979 British mystery thriller review
The group of Whitechapel residents visits the home of famous detective Sherlock Holmes, hoping to persuade him to take up the Jack the Ripper case. They don’t believe that the police are able to cope with such a shocking and complicated case, and it would take a far superior mind to catch this horrific killer. Holmes does not hesitate and agrees to help, but how can he approach such an unusual murderer? He starts his investigation by trying to find information sources among the most at risk inhabitants of the Whitechapel - the prostitutes. The story which begins to unfold in front of his eyes is even more unbelievable than he initially imagined.
The film mixes two realities - the true case of Jack the Ripper, an infamous serial killer in 19th century London, and the fictitious characters from Arthur Conan Doyle novels, Sherlock Holmes. The script is interesting, but just like in the American movie From Hell, the story consists of many legends, myths and false information about the case rather than actual events.
The plot is interesting enough, the cast is good, the original idea to mix Jack the Ripper with master detective Sherlock Holmes was not bad, but the final effect is just average. The pace is rather slow, which would not be a problem because it helps to build the atmosphere, but the plot moves from chase after a serial killer to more or less a chamber drama.
Can you solve a case like this?
Our rating |
6.4 / 10 |
Movie value |
6 / 10 |
Realism factor |
3 / 5 |
Adventure factor |
3 / 5 |
Story complexity |
4 / 5 |
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Creators of Murder by Decree
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Cast of Murder by Decree
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as Sherlock Holmes | |
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as Dr. John H. Watson | |
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as Inspector Foxborough | |
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as Sir Charles Warren | |
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as Prime Minister Lord Salisbury | |
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as Mary Kelly | |
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as Inspector Lestrade | |
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as Robert Lees | |
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as Annie Crook |
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