When fiction and reality intertwine in a story, there is no telling where it might go. A hybrid that has been tried many times, in 1979 came the Mystery Thriller Murder by Decree, meshing together the legendary literary character of Sherlock Holmes and the infamous real-life, unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper.
These are two figures that have been featured throughout literal history for over one hundred thirty years. Interestingly enough, though, the two never crossed paths in countless writing, even though the first Sherlock Holmes novel appearance was in 1887’s A Study in Scarlet… right around the same period as Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror overlooking the East End of London. Nonetheless, English Screenwriter John Hopkins (who wrote for the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball) found inspiration in the 1976 book Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution and penned the screenplay for Murder by Decree.
With this, the underrated Filmmaker Bob Clark (known for 1974’s Black Christmas and 1983’s A Christmas Story) handled the direction and production while working with a stellar cast that included the award-winners Christopher Plummer as Sherlock Holmes and James Mason as his partner, Dr. John Watson. With this, you also had David Hemmings (who had a lengthy career with many credits) as Inspector Foxborough, as well as the fantastic Donald Sutherland as the medium Robert Lees (who was a real person who claimed he knew who Jack the Ripper was).
All very fascinating, the characters meld together in Murder by Decree, which, as stated, meshes fiction with real history. Done so with class and authenticity, the settings, wardrobe, and mood of Murder by Decree are second to none. However, given the story that it is, some may argue that the pace moves rather slowly, and it is hard to argue with such opinions when the film does run for just over two hours.
Nonetheless, if you dig your heels in, have a foundational knowledge of the characters, and enjoy historical settings, Murder by Decree shines bright. It is also helped by the stupendous acting of Plummer and Mason, who transform into their characters seamlessly.
At this point, it is a film that is forty-six years old and may not be as recalled as other films from the ‘70s era, but at the time, it won five Genie Awards a year later in 1980. It is also the fourth highest-grossing film ever in Canada, and if you are a modern film fan, you can see how some of its ideas paved the way for the popular 2001 Johnny Depp film From Hell (which was based on a graphic novel series). All matters considered, Murder by Decree is certainly a film worth looking back on, especially with Kino Lorber having released it in 4K Ultra HD.
The first ever 4K Ultra HD release of Murder by Decree, the new two-disc set, arrived on January 21, 2025, complete with a slipcover and reversible artwork. Released domestically in the North American region to DVD (in 2003 and 2009) and Blu-ray (actually put out by Kino Lorber in 2020), it goes without question that this new 2025 4K scran of 35mm original camera negative offers the brightest, cleanest viewing of Murder by Decree from a home entertainment system to date. A step up from the 2K edition Blu-ray, the clarification makes the 4K edition a must-have.
Mirroring the minimal supplemental features from the 2020 Kino Lorber Special Edition Blu-ray, such as audio commentary with Bob Clark and an original theatrical trailer, the brand new 4K Ultra HD upgraded release of Murder by Decree is recommended because Cryptic Rock gives it 4 out of 5 stars.
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