User reviews

I wanted to love this. And I feel like I should have. But I didn't. I was interested in it enough to see it all the way through the end to find out the conclusion of the central mystery. Why was it just okay? I'm not sure. The performances were strong, and the period sets and costumes were amazing, but I would find my mind drifting throughout it, a lot. Too much. So I can only chalk it up to the script and the directing. The shots themselves in the movie were good. It looked beautiful.

But for whatever reason, I was never fully pulled in. And I think this was in large part because the crimes of the Limehouse Golem were all told as flashbacks essentially, there was no real suspense, except for one scene near the very end that I won't spoil. So yeah, ultimately I think the storytelling structure diminished the sense of suspense that should have been present in the story. The movie is also pretty violent/gory in those flashbacks, btw. That neither raised nor lowered my overall score of it, but it was violent enough that it's worth noting.

The Limehouse Golem is a hugely atmospheric, gothic murder mystery. It is visually stunning, blood thirsty and enthralling. I enjoyed from start to finish, even if I couldn't always follow the plot at times. This is a film I think I will enjoy much more on subsequent viewings as I'll be able to take more in, and discover the small details I missed first time round. Stunning sets, glorious costumes, it really is a visual treat, they managed to capture the spirit of the Ripper's London. It felt like a film version of Ripper Street meets Sherlock. Fabulous performances, Billy Nighy, Olivia Cooke and Sam Reid all excellent, but the star of the show had to be Douglas Booth, who was simply tremendous.

Deserving of a higher rating here, and a higher status, this is a quality film. 7/10

Well crafted movie with a beautiful cast, good aesthetics and some nicely twisted elements made for a enjoyable watch even tho from my point of view, the ending is quite predictable from the very start. It was rather obvious the destination, yet the journey remained suspenseful and filled with little hidden gems here and there.

Bill Nighy is one great actor, I'm sadden by the fact that he didn't manage to make a bigger splash earlier, but even now, his presence on the screen brings so much force, so much seriosity, that you take everything in deeper and leaves behind quite an impact with every line he says. He was perfectly cast here, as the other actors too, a diversity and character development that I loved from the very start.

Of course I will recommend this movie, but bare in mind, there is close to no horror here, you will find no such thing, but only the horror of man. What man is capable of, his hideous crimes, selfishness, but has nothing to do with jump scares or tension.

Cheers!

THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM won't change the world, but it's definitely worth watching if you're the kind of person who likes to watch a movie with a bit of mystery. Set in old London, this movie follows a detective who is trying to solve a series of murder cases that somehow seem to connect to the local playhouse theater of the district. There's a host of suspects, and time is running out as an innocent may be executed soon.

Here's the one thing that matters for a movie like this: I definitely found myself trying to guess who the murderer was. And I really didn't know for most of the movie who it would be! So in that sense, THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM clearly succeeded for me. There was some pretty good acting and there were interesting themes of revenge and jealousy being explored... all in all an interesting, although not world-changing, crime thriller.

Based on the book of the same name. The late 1800s murder mystery, revolving around a young woman and an old cop who is investigating a series of murders. Elizabeth Cree had not had a best childhood, but she almost reached to her dream to become a best actress in the town. Then suddenly a murder jeopardise everything she had worked so hard. Now she has to cooperate with a detective to come out of the mess. But the tale takes a twist at every corner, making more complication for her freedom. How this puzzle is solved was told with a final twist that flips the whole scenario upside down.

First of all, I love such costume drama. The atmosphere was awesome. Well maintained suspense, along with a good pace of the story narration. From all it's the actors, especially for me, it's the Olivia Cooke. Bill Nighy was not bad too. Despite he's one of the main character, Cooke stole the show. But the film was not a masterpiece. From an entertainment perspective, it delivered. I think it was a good adaptation. The only weak point is, most people would guess the end twist. It was intentional. But overall film was decent.

6/10

Period mysteries set in 19th century London are rather frequent. The era of Sherlock Holmes, "Jack the Ripper" and a plethora of unsolved crimes. Its own gothicism remains an attractive aesthetic quality that has managed to create its own niche. For the most part, this mystery remains captivating, although extensively formulaic. An inspector is tasked with investigating "The Limehouse Golem" whilst simultaneously proving the innocence of a widow accused of murdering her husband. What really worked was the atmosphere. Gloomy, dark and ominous, 19th Century London has never looked so authentically dirty. The contrast of the blackened urban streets to the flamboyant music hall ensures that two tones were nested within the production. Cree's backstory and the inspector's investigation may initially look like separate stories, but as with all these mysteries, slowly start intertwining. The major issue with this, is that the plot is overcooked. Various culprits are accused, investigated and dismissed, however the plot's focus constantly shifts between the two stories mentioned above that you start to question what the main mystery actually is. Is it her innocence? Or the serial killer? The narrative tries to express the importance of both, but this ultimately fails due to the lack of focus and ludicrous amount of explanation, culminating to an underwhelming twist. To be fair, I guessed incorrectly, but I should've known! Fortunately a cast of fresh faces and experienced actors convey a methodical script that felt reminiscent to an Arthur Conan Doyle novel. Plenty of flair and finesse within each line, plus Nighy is a national treasure. Each murder that takes place is soaked in blood and brutality, more so than I expected! The question this film does raise is the pronunciation of "golem". I've always thought to it to be "gol-lum", not "go-lem"? Anyway, I digress. A murder mystery relishing in its own classicism, but lacking the focus to elevate it above the rest.

Despite being yet another film set in London (yawn) The Limehouse Golem is atmospheric and will certainly hold your attention. This is partly due to the detailed scenic constructions that create a dark, intimate atmosphere but also due to the excellent casting. Juan Carlos Medina brings out the best in the cast. Watch how he uses the actors' eyes to communicate directly with the audience via the camera lens. Oliva Cooke, alternately resembling Emma Watson and Julia Roberts, glows and sparkles and then freezes as the film jumps between her recalled memory and her jail cell. Sadly, the usually wonderful Bill Nighy only hints at his customary quirkiness and the inferred gayness of Nighy's Inspector Kildare and Daniel May's gentle George Flood seems strangely pointless. The interplay between audience the stage of the music hall and the audience draws the cinema audience right into the heart of the action. The music hall scenes are beautifully re-imagined and are a joy to watch. Douglas Booth turns in a beautifully sensitive portrayal of Dan Leno that reminded me of Eddie Redmayne in the Danish Girl.

Despite the fact that the film is a little under-written - I worked out the identity of the Golem about one third of the way through the film -

this is a very enjoyable and convincing tale that is well told. My major criticism of the film is that it is overlong. Sometimes less is more and the film would have benefited by tighter editing of the final scenes where fantasy and fact become confused leading to the audience being not quite sure what is happening.

Overall, though, a very enjoyable couple of hours spent in the cinema and please, film producers,let's have more films like this. But please also remember that London was not the only location in the UK where dark deeds happened in Victorian times. There was, and is, life and interest outside London.

There was so much good going on in this movie it's just a shame the big reveal, and they do make a meal out of it, was meant to be such a shock, when really you knew from the very beginning..

Which is really annoying because if they had thought just a little bit more, just a little bit more subtlety this would be pretty good. unfortunately the only people who will be surprised at who the killer is are people who have never watched any other movie ever. Then it will be surprising, for the rest, it really is painful to watch as the movie dances around the obvious.

Again, everything else was good, the setting and the way it played out like a play while everyone was literally playacting was nice and different to other movies. worth a watch, just don't expect to be surprised.

The casting for The Limehouse Golem was certainly on the money. No actor disappoints in that regard. If you like Sherlock Holmes or movies such as From Hell (2001) then you'll love this. The murderer in this case would probably be an early hero of Hannibal Lector. Highly energised London characters come to life, particularly around the theatre, which is a precious insight in itself, and a delight. I can't remember another movie doing music halls so well. Very entertaining. The editing between music hall and streets is superb. Great effort has gone its sets and lighting, and all the props and extras necessary to recreate the London 1880 atmosphere. The who-dun-it side of things is also done well, and in an original way, but it is precisely that way that keeps ticking off the suspects and thus narrowing the pool, so that by the end your guess is on even money. Mind you, by that stage you've pretty much enjoyed the whole movie so it's not such a drag. Bill Nighy shoulders the focus, and does it really well. If you are a fan of his style this is gold. I hope he reappears in another adventure in this same world. I was slightly disabused toward the end when I thought there were too many secret reveals, particularly in regard to secret character foibles, but I guess that is the writers aiming for a modern expectation. Regardless, it's all done really well, and The Limehouse Golem will certainly be regarded both as one of the finer period pieces of its year, as well as great horror.

A mash up of Se7en and The Elephant Man, this one is stylish but over long and relentlessly grim.

With a nod to the Jack the Ripper murders this one is set in London's underclass Limehouse, where Inspector under a cloud Nighy arrives to investigate the succession of "Golem" slasher murders. Suspects include comedian Dan Leno and a bushy bearded Karl Marx. Nighy's investigation gets involved with hard working actress wife Olivia Cooke's trial for poisoning her husband.

Alternating between the British Museum and Leno's tacky music hall attention shifts to Cooke's back story with lots of oppression of women, class warfare, homoerotic suspicions, opium dens and politicking at the Yard.

Cast and design are superior but this one is not a fun outing.

If yu like Victorian crime dramas then your like this , good production values with Bill Nighy well cast in the lead , entire cast come to that and there's a couple of red herrings chucked in for good measure

Splattered with surprising amounts of grisly gore, layered with darkly mature themes and brimming with otherwise brutal viscera, this Victorian-era detective drama is a much more nuanced affair than first advertised, playing out not as a simple whodunnit but rather as an exploration of theatre vs reality and the pantomime roles all of the key players (whom are all written and acted wonderfully) inevitably, and perhaps unknowingly, play. While I had successfully figured out the identity of the killer before the second act had even begun, it didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of 'The Limehouse Golem (2016)'. All of its pieces are on the board from the beginning and each twist makes perfect sense within the narrative; there is no cheating and that alone is to be applauded. In the end, this is a very enjoyable and gripping thriller which is as fun to unravel as it is to passively watch, also working well as a sort of meta-textual commentary. After all, when the audience wants blood, it's blood they will get. 7/10.

Brilliant terror film and well played , dealing with ominous murders committed in London . A scary , ghastly , fictitious story based on a work of fiction but including some actual roles living in London at the time the movie is set. As the picture is set in Victorian London, there a Scotland Yard inspector called John Kildare (Bill Nighy , this role was initially given to Alan Rickman , but due to his illness he turned down) helped by a cop named George Flood (Daniel Mays) are exhaustively seeking clues about grisly killings , as John attempts to hunt down the sadistic killer behind a series of gory , Jack the Ripper-Like murders . During his quest , he finds strange conclusions , as Kildare will exhume terrifying secrets and astonishing discoveries . And a series of odd events will shock him when he searches for clues through a public library . There are several suspect people , a beautiful young Lizzie Cree (Olivia Cooke) who is detained , and various stage actors as Dan Leno (Douglas Booth) , Aveline Ortega (María Valverde) , Uncle (Eddie Marsan) , among others . Who is the killer ? . Then horrible , violent deeds begin to occur and other hideous murders take place. Before the Ripper, fear had another name.

United Kingdom horror film in whodunit style , set in London full of thrills , suspense , chills , red herrings , creepy twists and turns . This scary , bizarre film contains tension , thriller , drama , mystery , plot twists and shocks , including decent scares with horrifying sequences especially in its final part , in a tense denouement . A luxurious British production with a timeline that spans along XIX century , and throughout a Victorian London in which happens dreadful murders allegedly committed by a weird Jewish creature , The Golem . It suffers from some sputtering about a quarter of the way in , the sputtering came from a complete change in story direction , which suffers from some slow-moving scenes , away from the spectacular stage acting in which actors play pretended killings and toward a very complex story line with a lot of suspicious people . In fact, the suspect people include some actual characters who at the time live in London : Karl Marx, George Gissing and Dan Leno . Interesting and amazing screenplay by Jane Goldman based on the novel by Peter Ackroyd , revolving a prime suspect woman , a Police Inspector and the various amazing surprises he finds . The motion picture is pretty well , although sometimes deliberate pacing and packs a lot of turns ; however , being entertaining for continuous suspense and unsettling , awful atmosphere . The picture is thrilling and some moment brilliant, and the players are quite reliable . Ghastly movie builds taut by showing virtually well staged set pieces , evocative settings , adequate soundtrack and rousing cinematography . Few disagree that the film is professionally mounted , the performances solid , and that it respectfully carries on the tradition of ¨Hammer" horror films , borrowing several elements here and there . Colorful cinematography by Simon Dennis , showing splendidly the shading and dark streets from London . Eerie as well as frightening musical score by Johan Söderqvist who has composed for successful films as ¨Let the right one in¨ , ¨Bron¨, ¨In a better world¨, ¨After the wedding¨, "King of Devil's Island" and ¨Kon-Tiki¨ .

This is an enjoyable as well as nicely set picture , displaying genuine chills , suspense , mystery and dark atmosphere and twisted finale , being skillfully proceeded by the Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Medina and turned out to one of the most unusual British thrilling movies of 2016 and certainly one of the most unsettling . Juan Carlos Medina is a good director and writer, known for ¨Painless¨ with Alex Brendemhul , Derek De Lint , Irene Montalá , his first and most successful film that premiered in various International Festivals , he previously directed shorts . Eventually , Juan Carlos Medina is set to direct this crime-thriller ¨The Limehouse Golem¨, also known as "Dan Leno and The Limehouse Golem" , ¨Golem, le tueur de Londres¨, ¨Das Monster von London¨ , and ¨Los misteriosos asesinatos de Limehouse¨. Medina's also directed episodes of notorious TV series as ¨A Discovery of Witches¨ and ¨Origin¨ .

I really struggled with whether or not to give this movie a 3 or a 3.5 star, and I settled with 3.5. This movie appeals to me in ways that I'm sure it wont appeal to others, so for me personally, that was enough to add another ½ star. I generally like grimmer stories set in Victorian times- and I have a particularly morbid fascination with serial killers like Jack the Ripper and H.H. Holmes (I'm not psycho- I swear... but isn't that just what a psycho would say? *laughs maliciously*), I like costume dramas and murder mysteries, I like Bill Nighy and Olivia Cooke, and I liked the unconventional way this film told its story, even if I could predict the ending... Perfect, this movie is not; entertaining, it certainly is.

I wasn't particularly keen to see this in view of the very modest rating but upon closer inspection I discovered that generally this was marked down because it was felt that an unnecessary amount of blood and gore spoiled the well crafted artifice and theatricality of the piece. I beg to differ without the aforementioned blood and gore I fear I may have dropped off. The Jane Goldman script is fine, Bill Nighy is as good as I have ever seen him, Olivia Cooke is radiant and shines throughout while Douglas Booth is most effective. And yet.. this is cloaked in such colourful and campy theatrics that for me at least there is always a considerable distance between what is on the screen and what is in my head. Nothing is convincing, even those 'Yorkshire' and 'London' locations. Just how much is real street and how much CGI is impossible to tell. There is also much repetitiveness with whole scenes created with slight variation and by the end although there is nothing outrageously wrong with the film it would be hard to recommend to an adult.

The movie is a Victorian era murder mystery, with the now obligatory social commentary. As many such films are, it has a mystery, a twist, and the place in between is filled with the wonders and horrors of the past. A little hypocritical from a movie that takes a jibe at the blood thirsty masses.

But anyway, we have filthy London, we get a Jackish serial killer and a valiant policeman trying (nay, needing) to solve the case. I don't know who had the idea to put Bill Nighy, a comedic powerhouse, in this role. He performed brilliantly, as he is known to do, but you could have literally put anyone else there and the movie would have been unchanged. The star of the show is, in the movie and for us, Olivia Cooke. She owned the film completely.

Now, if by chance you are tired of the depictions of old London, all you have to enjoy in this film are the performances and the peeling of the murder layers. Unfortunately, the twist is pretty transparent from the beginning, so for me the movie was a bore. That doesn't mean it is bad. The acting was great, the sets were OK, the message was important.

The problem, I think, was a lack of subtlety in the direction. Everything hits you on the head, like you are a dumb thing that needs to be educated. And when you see it coming a mile away, it just loses any effect and what remains is the dull and rough handling of the story.

A good-looking gaslit Victorian murder mystery set in 1880 with a classy cast of actors (including Bill Nighy and Eddie Marsan) and suspects (including Karl Marx and George Gissing), a powerhouse performance by Olivia Cooke as a music hall actress and pioneer of male impersonation; and a satisfying conclusion.