‘Jekyll & Hyde’ Review
Stars: Tom Hendryk, Michael McKell, Helen Crevel, Robin Denys, David Lenik, Mark Topping, Francesca Louise White | Written and Directed by Steve Lawson
Following on from Bram Stoker’s Van Helsing and Ripper Untold, Leicester-based filmmaker Steve Lawson returns with his third take on classic cinematic villains with Jekyll & Hyde; and like those aforementioned movies his story doesn’t take the traditional route, retelling the same story we’ve heard before with a new slant… It’s an interesting low-budget adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella, Jekyll and Hyde, that’s for sure.
Though if you are looking for a formula, Lawson does follow that which he set out in Bram Stoker’s Van Helsing and Ripper Untold, namely that the film is small-scale, with minimal locations and feels much like a stage play (which it would be if not for the trip to Jekyll’s home) than cinematic feature – though that’s not a bad thing, it allows the films performances to shine. Truly shine.
Jekyll & Hyde follows lawyer Gabriel Utterson (Tom Hendryk), who launches his own investigation when his close friend Dr Henry Jekyll (Michael McKell) is accused of a horrific murder, apparently committing suicide when he’s confronted by the police. As he delves into the late doctor’s diary, Utterson discovers the full extent of Jekyll’s transformative experiments…
Told from the perspective of an investigation into Dr. Jekyll, Lawson – as mentioned in the opener – follows a similar formula to that of his other two historical horrors. We don’t see most of what is discussed, instead we see just that, discussions. Discussions about what Jekyll has supposedly done, who Jekyll supposedly is; this is more like an episode of the 1980s Jeremy Brett version of Sherlock Holmes rather than a Jekyll & Hyde movie. Thankfully Lawson’s script works really well as a mystery thriller; plus Lawson has a great lead actor in Tom Hendryk – who’s performance is both authentic and commanding and improves upon his appearance in Bram Stoker’s Van Helsing, almost belying the low-budget nature of the film too.
Speaking of the script, there’s a nice little nod to the publics “issues” with modern-day policing, including the Metropolitan Police. Jekyll & Hyde‘s Met police inspector records the crime as suicide; hell, he doesn’t even want to record the crime to keep numbers down and instead keep living the easy life not doing his actual job. Sound familiar?! They always say horror films often reflect the times they’re made and here that’s very apt – even given that Lawson’s film is a period piece!
We get a sub-plot about one of Utterson’s other clients, Richard Enfield, which seemingly doesn’t bear any relation to the rest of there story, with a seemingly weird plot device that sees Utterson’s wife Sarah punch the sexist bigot after he makes advances towards her. Only Lawson brings that plot point back around, showing that Sarah Utterson is not the typical damsel in distress – a refreshing change to the typical horror cliche. In fact Jekyll & Hyde plays with the entirety of the tropes and cliches of Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, adding just that little bit extra to the tale to make this iteration truly, completely, different to what has come before.
And of what has come before, namely Bram Stoker’s Van Helsing and Ripper Untold, Steve Lawson’s latest, Jekyll & Hyde, is easily the best of the bunch.
