Customer Reviews

Fallen [VHS]

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Fallen is underrated, as I felt it wasn't nowhere near as bad as some critics said it to be. It's a very interesting mix of The Exorcist and The Silence of the Lambs and Seven. The result is one of the best thrillers of the decade. It's not quite up there with Lambs or Seven but it's as good as Arlington Road and is significantly superior to The Bone Collector and Kiss the Girls.

The plot is about Detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington), who has just captured serial killer Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas). Before Reese is executed, he speaks to Hobbes in a strange language and tells him a riddle, asking him why there's a space between Lyons and Spakowsky. Hobbes doesn't think much of this and watches silently as Reese is executed in the gas chamber.

The next day, another murder occurs, and Hobbes and his partner Jonesy (John Goodman) check it out. To his shock, Hobbes finds the same riddle Reese told him scrawled on the wall of the victim's apartment. Unraveling the clue and with the help of an intelligent woman named Gretta Milano (Embeth Davidtz), he discovers that a demon called Azazel had inhibited the body of Reese and can switch from one human host another with a simple touch.

The premise itself is chilling, yet I was a bit hesitant to watch this film. The critics' reviews were mixed but all of them seemed to agree that the film was a bit slow moving. The truth is, Fallen is a bit slow for the first forty or so minutes, but the last eighty minutes are full of intriguing ideas that are well explored along with plenty of extremely suspenseful scenes, especially the ending, which, by the way, has a great twist.

Regarding the suspenseful moments of the film, they can truly be described as edge of your seat. One of the most harrowing sequences in this film is an original chase scene that involves the domino effect, where the demon chases after Davidtz by passing from one human host to another. There's also the chilling scenes where Washington has to try and keep up with who Azazel has just possessed.

Fallen's greatest aspect, despite all those truly thrilling and very suspenseful scenes, is its ending. It first involves a very clever plan being unfolded by one of the characters and ends with a great and unpredictable plot twist. This is truly one of the most unpredictable endings I have seen. It might not have as much of the shock power as the edgy (and twisty) climaxes of Seven and Arlington Road (or for that matter, The Sixth Sense), but it's just as surprising if not more.

The performances in this film are solid. Denzel Washington is fine as the detective who is much more clever than Azazel thinks. John Goodman is his usual solid self as Hobbes' partner, and he excels in this role, proving he has a lot of range ever since his show Roseanne was cancelled. Embeth Davidtz's performance is okay though her character is slightly underwritten. The real scene stealer, though, is Elias Koteas. Though he's in the film for five minutes his Edgar Reese character is scary and actually a bit fun to watch. Most of the characters are well-developed and this helps us care for Hobbes and his family.

The script by Nicholas Kazan is well-written and the twist in the end makes it better to appreciate and Gregory Hoblit's use of a dark, edgy atmosphere and mood is undeniably effective.

Simply put, "Fallen" is a pure classic in the psychological thriller genre! Very few films in this genre that attempt such status actually ever achieve as successfully as this film does. From the very beginning of this film to the end it is an intense, script and character driven silver screen masterpiece. One of the most interesting aspects of this film is that it can be watched over and over again, given time in between viewings, and one can pick up different things every time, making it that much better.

Performance wise, Denzel Washington delivers one of his most powerful and memorable performances in this fine film. Of course, over the years he's proven himself to be one of Hollywood's finest in that very few films of his are less than spectacular. This particular role for him almost engenders the aura that it was specifically written with him in mind as the lead. John Goodman's performance is right on par with his usual style of acting, making the film that much better. Donald Sutherland's performances over the years have been, to me, somewhat spotty with his performance in this film being one of his better ones. The only other film that I've watched in which Embeth Davidtz, and incredibly beautiful actress, has starred in was "Schindler's List." Her performance in "Fallen" is extremely memorable, leaving one to the conclusion that they should check out her other films. Of special note is seeing a pre "Sopranos" performance by James Gandolfini.

It's official, I'm a fan of Director Gregory Hoblit's films as he's not only deftly directed this fine film but other enjoyable films such as "Frequency" and "Hart's War." Granted, he benefited greatly from the superior script of "Fallen," it's the style in which he portrayed this film that makes it such a powerful, edge of your seat film.

The Premise:

Denzel Washington plays homicide detective John Hobbes. Shortly after watching the execution of Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas), many of the same things that were happening to Detective Hobbes prior to capturing Reese start happening again but wait a minute, it was Reese that was doing these things before but that's impossible because he was executed.

What follows from there is one of the most intense and powerful psychological thriller to ever grace the silver screen as detective Hobbes starts to learn just exactly who or what he's dealing with...

The only true surprise in this film is that it didn't really gain overwhelming critical support when it was in the theaters. I highly recommend this film to any and all who are fans of films in this genre as it can only be described as tops in the genre. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Feature Length Audio Commentary by Director Gregory Hoblit, Screenwriter Nicholas Kazan and Producer Charles Roven
-Production Notes
-Cast & Crew bios
-Theatrical Trailer

This gets good marks simply because it is such an interesting, involving story that hooks you right away and every time you watch it and doesn't overwhelm you with violence and gore.

Denzel Washington is appealing as always as the good guy and John Goodman is surprisingly low-key for most of the movie. All the characters are very interesting and the special effects are creepy. The story is pure "Hollywood theology" mean also means the characters - include the heroes - in here have no clue about God or the purpose of life.

The DVD provides excellent entertainment. The visuals are decent on this disc and sound-effects are chilling in spots. As the demon sees through the eyes of people and passes by with these "whoosh" sounds, it's very effective. As mentioned, the film doesn't need a lot of violence to succeed with it's horror-type tale.

One note about the final scene. if you get confused, you aren't alone. Maybe I'm not too bright because it took me a couple of viewings to see it all in perspective.

Fallen is a dark supernatural thriller that is definitely worth watching. The plot is very clever, beautifully constructed and acted, with a superbly thought-provoking ending. Denzel Washington does a really good job as the homicide detective Hobbes being chased by the fallen angel Azazel. Excellent support is provided by John Goodman as his partner. The film is genuinely creepy in places and Azazel's transference from person to person produces some really good scenes. Overall, this movie was excellent, thanks to the superb acting from all the cast, and the great direction of the film. Highly recommended.

This super natural thriller is great. I don't think Washington could ever make a bad movie.

This turned out to be a real sleeper of a film, one that came in for criticism because of it's uncharacteristic approach, and the very subtle acting of Denzel Washington, who plays Detective John Hobbes in an understated, almost self-effacing manner. But the truth is that it is unusually good, and manages to build that dark uneasiness which marks the best in the occult genre without any use of the gruesome or overly dramatic scenes. This is an actor's film and one that deserves more recognition.

John Hobbes is an honest cop with a knack for bringing in killers, and the film opens with Hobbes attending the execution of Edgar Reese, a serial killer with a poisoner's MO. But Reese dies unrepentant, challenging Hobbes in ancient Aramaic. And shortly thereafter, Hobbes and his partner Jonesy (John Goodman) find that the killings have started up again, almost as if Reese had never gone to prison.

Gradually Hobbes realizes that this is far more than a copycat. One killer is killed by another, there is writing on walls and victims, and a series of clues lead to another cop's suicide, 30 years earlier. That cop's daughter, Gretta Milano (Embeth Davidtz) is a theologian, and bit by bit Hobbes realizes that there is something supernatural in the crimes. A fallen angel, Azazel, is shifting from body to body, wreaking havoc as he goes, and he has Hobbes firmly in his sights.

Azazel wants to bring Hobbes down, ruin his reputation as a policeman, and destroy his life. Hobbes must find a way to destroy Azazel, but the angel seems unstoppable and unafraid. Eventually from information garnered from Milano and her father's books, he forms a plan, and the film starts down its path to an unexpected and unnerving conclusion.

Directory Gregory Hoblit manages to keep the acting balances so that everyone from Washington as detective to David Sutherland's character acting as his lieutenant seems at their best. John Goodman, who has the job of playing to different personalities does almost steal the show. But the entire cast has to manage Azazel's shifting persona, and they manage to do this without every making the switches seem artificial. The viewer will come to feel that there is an unembodied persona out there whose intent is utterly maleficent. This is a surprisingly compelling film for one that avoids the splash of Exorcist or Seven.

I'm a big denzel fan and this is one of my favorites. It follows the life of a police man who is trying to drag down the spirit of a demon. I know it seems like a sort of odd themed film but it is absolutely amazing

This movie is so absolutely incredible. It is a supernatural thriller that happens to be very creepy and exciting. The acting is spot on, notably by Denzel Washington and John Goodman but also by the actor that played the man that got gassed at the beginning.
The movie starts off with a man getting executed in the gas chamber after a cop played by Denzel Washington arrested him. But, when some similiar murders occur, the cop thinks that the man's spirit is still alive and is controlling/posessing people. Everyone thinks he is nuts, even himself, but everything points to him being right.
The scene where the spirit possesses numerous people and says "time is on my side" is EXCELLENT. Everytime I hear that phrase, I get chills and get freaked out. I won't tell you why so that you can find out on your own. Buy this movie if you enjoy thrillers like I do because this is almost as good as the silence of the lambs. This is Denzel's best movie! John Goodman is awesome as usual! What an amazing movie!

This film took me by surprised. It didn't receive the greatest reviews and seemed to have come and gone pretty quickly at the theaters but this turned out to be a very well-made, stylish, and chilling film. The always good Denzel Washington plays Detective John Hobbes. Hobbes apprehends a serial killer named Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas) and attends his eventual execution. Not long after, a new series of murders begins with the same M.O. as Reese's.

Hobbes gets on the trail of this new killer and comes into contact with a theology professor Gretta Milano whose father was a homicide detective and committed suicide some thirty years ago. This all leads into a lot of religious clues and signs regarding a demon named Azreal who roams the world without a form of his own and can take over any body by touch. Needless to say with a demon inhabiting the body of anyone it wants, committing murder and then moving on, it soon becomes a nightmare of an investigation for Hobbes and his partner Jonesy, played by John Goodman. Director Gregory Hoblit really does a great job in keeping this film fast-paced and the viewers guessing. There's a great sequence where Azrael is literally jumping from body to body, at once avoiding Hobbes but also taunting him and daring Hobbes to cacth him.

The Film is a good thiller mixed with elements of horror that work very well together. Washington is fantastic as the unrelenting Hobbes who may be in over his head. Joining the cast is the always fun to watch Donald Sutherland as police Lt. Stanton and James Gandolfini. It's a sylishly filmed movie and even a bit haunting with its climax and surprise twist ending, bolstered by a great soundtrack. While not loaded with extras the DVD does provide a very good commentary by the director and screenwriter.

There are some minor problems with logic in the plot but nothing to make the movie fall apart. Quite and enjoyable and underrated thriller.

This movie is without a doubt my foavorite movie of all time. I first saw it at a dollar theatre, and was hooked immediately. It boasts a perfect sonata of a cast, with Goodman and Washington complementing each other wonderfully. Washington's performance is amazingly realistic...the smallest things he does are the most impressive. The plot is unbeatable, and the ending is a masterpiece. One of the few movies with a rebelliously unethical end. Sports the most effectively used "credits" song in history. Not to be missed for any reason...ignore the "professional" critics, trust your own reactions.