The Limehouse Golem

Horrifically solemn, with a loose sense of impending doom like no other; Victorian London at its finest.

Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) is assigned by Scotland Yard to investigate one of the most mysterious serial killers that has graced the streets of Victorian London. From cryptic messages left with the victims to a whole host of suspects, Kildare must put together the pieces together before it’s too late.

Director, Juan Carlos Medina, has elegantly pieced this devastating storyline together by investigating each suspect, all whilst building a story of the murders and the possible incentives behind them. By seeing the perspective of each character, it enables a constant element of surprise that keeps the audience guessing.

Creating a believable Victorian London in this day and age is no easy task, but the production and cinematography of this film are flawless throughout, sewing the actors and the scenery into seamless chemistry.

 

Split

When one man has twenty three personalities living inside him, it’s not surprising that things get a little weird.

Kevin (James McAvoy) is a man with an army of personalities within him, and each one is as eager to reach the surface as the next. Despite his efforts to conceal these alter-egos, eventually the most powerful of the personalities are brought forward, leading him to discover a very dark side of this traumatic ‘illness’.

The premise of the film is one befitting to the horror genre; it’s just a shame that director M. Night Shyamalan didn’t fulfil its potential. The very idea of twenty-three personalities residing in one body is thought-provoking in itself and enough to entice any audience. But what starts out as an interesting concept soon spirals out of control as the screenwriters get carried away with themselves with the inclusion of an animalistic twenty-fourth personality, which quite frankly does nothing but cheapen this film’s potential brilliance.

Whilst the story does lose itself in a ridiculous turn of events, there is one saving grace that makes this film almost worthwhile a watch and that is the acting. James McAvoy, as you may expect is more than perplexing in his role, or should I say roles. Not only does he step into each character with ease, but he owns each one as though they are completely different entities.