Fallen
Fallen
R | 16 January 1998 (USA)
Fallen Trailers

Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.

Reviews
Supelice Dreadfully Boring
Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Jackson Booth-Millard I remember hearing about this film in the past on DVD, and later I knew it better for the leading actor, then I saw it had more good names in the cast, and it sounded like an interesting plot, so I tried it, directed by Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear, Frequency, Hart's War, Fracture, Untraceable). Basically serial killer Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas) is on death row, Philadelphia Police Detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) who helped capture Reese visits him the day of his execution, Reese grabs his hand and says something in an unknown language, in the gas chamber he sings "Time is on My Side" by the Rolling Stones until he dies. A short time later, a string of copycat murders have been occurring, Hobbes and his partner Jonesy (John Goodman) investigate, Hobbes through a series of clues tracks down Gretta Milano (Embeth Davidtz), the connection is that her father was a detective and killed himself after being accused of demonic-themed murders. Hobbes goes to Milano's lake house, and finds a book about demonic possession, he also sees the name "Azazel" written on a wall, mentioning this name to Gretta, she gravely advises him to drop the case to save himself and his family. Meanwhile, the soul of Reese, or Azazel, was seen leaving his body after his death, then entering the body of a guard, his soul then transfers from body to body by touch, Gretta explains to Hobbes that that Azazel is a fallen angel with the power to possess human beings by touch. Azazel in a new body finds Hobbes at his precinct and taunts him, jumping from body to body singing ""Time is on My Side", it gets worse when Azazel is able to possess John's nephew Sam (Michael J. Pagan), and attacks his intellectually disabled brother Art (Bedazzled's Gabriel Casseus), before fleeing into other people on the street. Later Azazel boasts to Hobbes that even if his host body is killed, he can transfer into any host in the surrounding area, without the need of touch. It again gets worse when Lieutenant Stanton (Donald Sutherland) informs Hobbes that his fingerprints were found at one of the murder scenes, Azazel possesses many witnesses to give false information about what happened, throwing further suspicion on Hobbes. Hobbes takes Sam to Gretta's for safety, she tells him that Azazel can only travel in spirit form for the time one breath can sustain, he will die permanently if he does not possess another host in time. Hobbes goes to the Milano's cabin and calls Jonesy, knowing he will trace the call, Jonesy and Stanton arrive to arrest Hobbes, however Jonesy reveals himself to be possessed Azazel, he kills Stanton, Azazel prepares to shoot himself in order to possess Hobbes, the only body for miles. In a struggle, Hobbes manages to shoot Jonesy and mortally wound, but Hobbes tells Azazel he has poisoned himself, which will leave him without a host, Hobbes shoots and kills Jonesy, Azazel possesses Hobbes' body, but trying to flee he succumbs to the poison, his soul floats in the air to the point where he almost dies, but at the last minute a cat emerges from underneath the cabin, Azazel possessing it heads back to civilisation. Also starring The Sopranos' James Gandolfini as Lou and Robert Joy as Charles Olom. Washington is good as the homicide detective trying to catch the spiritual psycho, the supporting cast members do what they can, it is certainly a clever idea, a killer that can move from person to person by a simple touch, meaning paranoia and confusion for those trying to catch him, an evil ancient god being the cause is obvious, but the story is uneven and unresolved, the conclusion is memorable enough, overall it is daft, but a creepy and interesting enough supernatural thriller. Worth watching, at least once!
generationofswine OK, for those of us that remember the 80s and 90s Denzel Washington sorta kinda totally ruled. He was all that and a bag of chips...And now, for the most part, he is playing the smart clever cop...over and over and over and over and over and over again.What the heck happened Denzel? In "Training Day" you played a cop, but you played a villain cop that was so evil that you made us all hate you! You turned "Malcolm X" into a great movie despite Spike Lee's involvement! And now you play the same role over and over again. You are breaking our heart...But for those of you that love the type-casted Denzel, Fallen will work for you. Again he's the clever and wise detective, but this time the movie has a creepy and delightfully fun supernatural twist...Plus it was made when Denzel was still acting and not just phoning it in, so, you know, you have the REAL Denzel Washington, not the made-for-TV Denzel Washington.And on top of the fact that this was made when Denzel was great and still actually acting, you have a small but powerful Elias Koteas role.Elias Koteas the B-list actor that ALWAYS brings his A-game to every film no matter how small the role is. And in this movie, the role is tiny and so well done that you walk away remembering that tiny little role as powerful, as fantastic, as, well, A-game awesome.Koteas literally outshined Washington when Washington was at his finest. He introduced us to the film and set a bar so high that everyone was forced to deliver their best work.And then the plot, the creepy demon that can jump from body-to-body by a simple touch. You haven't seen that before and you won't see that again. Not only that, but it was done so well that you will never listen to that Rolling Stones song the same way again.The movie is start-to-finish clever. The acting is brilliant. It is a must-see.
areatw 'Fallen' is one of the more strange, creepy thrillers out there. It is smart, suspenseful and gripping throughout and keeps you guessing until the end. The plot is complex, but not overly complicated to the point where the viewer is struggling to keep up.The highlight of 'Fallen' is obviously Denzel Washington's superb performance as police detective John Hobbes. The movie becomes all about Washington and his character alone is engaging enough to keep the audience interested.'Fallen' isn't an ordinary thriller and is somewhat unique in its approach. The idea is a good one and it was executed well enough.
videorama-759-859391 To me Fallen was just a lot of puff. After the execution of a serial killer (Koteas-one of my favorite actors, a wild card, again making a meal out of his role) he leaves Detective John Hobbes (Washington) with a line of dire warning, and he's true to his words. After his passing, and a great killer line, a request if you will from Koteas, who was an avid admirer of Hobbs, though of course, not reciprocated, the same style of killings begin again. Now we venture into the world of the supernatural, and the why's as we look for a picture, then another big picture, another reason, then another reason, the story stringing us along successfully, in a want to know, why some New York city folk, strangers are acting creepy, towards Hobbes. And they're not just strangers, they're people in his unit. Hobbes is also seeing things, where the touch of one hand to another reaches Hobbes. Is it Koteas's spirit? The movie really puts too much into it, layer upon layer, as if to explain or keep the plot interesting while progressing the story more, ridiculously defending what we can't buy, every time, where in the end what ensues isn't earth shattering, but just ridiculous, more puff. The performances by all are good, James Gandofini for one, and Penelope Ann Miller, is it, who knows a lot about demons, and the church. She assists Hobbes to try and fight this spirit and properly rid Koteas of the universe for all. Fallen just joins those serial killer films of lower status or misfires, e.g, In Dreams, or the ridiculous Twisted, yet still the story does reel you in, having us wanting to know the truth behind's Hobbes's suffering. You won't suffer much during the film, but there will be some trying moments. Check out Mick Jagger's Time Is On Our Side song accompanied by a shouting and screaming Koteas, as he's led towards his doom.