Fallen ---- **1/2 (out of 5) (1998)
Cast: Denzel Washington, Embeth Davidtz, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, James Gandolfini
Director(s): Gregory Hoblit
Screenwriter(s): Nicholas Kazan
Released on: January 16, 1998
Reviewed on: May 24, 2004
Rated: R - for violence and profanity
Detective John Hobbes, an honorable officer on the Philadelphia police force, witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese by the electric chair. Just before he meets his doom, Reese begins singing "Time Is On My Side" and sends Hobbes a prophetic message in a little-known foreign language. Unbeknownst to anyone in the room during the time of the execution, a spirit of some kind exits Reese's body as he dies and begins floating through the air, giving us an oddly distorted perspective, which makes us wonder what could be watching over these men. Not long after, the spirit that we've been given clues begins hopping through innocent peoples' bodies, taking them under its control and murdering others as it pleases. Hobbes, who soon arises some suspicion about the new murders, has no idea that the spirit is a horrific, body-snatching demon named Azazel who plans to use its seemingly endless power to allow Hell to take over the earth. With none of Hobbes's closest friends and family members even close to having a clue as to what evil is brewing in the city, the detective himself must find aid in deciphering this ancient mystery and putting a stop to Azazel's reign.
FALLEN starts us out with a premise that any director could have great fun toying with. The opening segments are seamlessly weaved and scarily ominous. Alongside a revealing and prophetic sequence showing Azazel's neverending stretch of possibilities, he hops from one body to the next just by making slight physical contact with someone. A similar scene much later on occurs when a woman is chased, and Azazel pursues her by "sprinting" from one host body to the next just by a quick touch.
Scenes like this are what FALLEN lacks in. These are the moments when the film sparkles with ingenuity and coats us in edgy suspense. Once Hobbes discovers the true Azazel is when it begins to submerge the viewer in boredom, methodically (but quite leisurely) building towards a promising climax. I warn that many will be offended by the violent content in the ending. Some of the tragic moments during the final 15 minutes fail to give off any real sense of purpose or progressional meaning. Instead, the climax unwillingly falls out of our favor and leaves an open-ended but not a totally "feel good" wrap-up.
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