Fallen (Snap Case)
Detectives investigate copycat murders.
Although it received mixed reactions from critics and audiences alike when released in 1998, this supernatural thriller benefits from a sustained atmosphere of anticipation and dread, and its combination of detective mystery and demonic mischief is handled with ample style and intelligence. Under the direction of Gregory Hoblit (who fared better with Primal Fear), Denzel Washington plays detective John Hobbes, who witnesses the gas-chamber execution of a serial killer (Elias Koteas). But when another series of murders begins, Hobbes suspects that the killer's evil spirit has survived and is possessing the bodies of others to do its evil bidding. Even Hobbes's trusted partner (John Goodman) thinks the detective is losing his grip on reality, but the dire warnings of a noted linguist (Embeth Davidtz) confirm Hobbes's far-out theory, and his case intensifies toward a fateful showdown. Although its idea is better than its execution, and the story's film noir ambitions are never fully accomplished, this slickly directed thriller has some genuinely effective moments in which evil forces are entwined into the fabric of everyday reality. Among the highlights is a memorable scene in which Detective Hobbes must track the killer as the evil spirit is transferred between many people via physical contact. Even if the film is ultimately less than the sum of its parts, it's an intriguing hybrid that resides in the same cinematic neighborhood as Seven and The Silence of the Lambs with a cast that also includes Donald Sutherland and James Gandolfini. --Jeff Shannon
Fallen (Snap Case) Accessories
Fallen (Snap Case) Reviews
As a fan of the passionate acting of Denzel Washington, I recently stumbled upon this film (I was surprised to find a Denzel performance I had not seen yet!) at the local video store. Though Mr. Washington usually enthralls me in his various film efforts, "Fallen" just fell flat and never seemed to get off the ground or lead anywhere.
The basic plot involves Washington (playing a cop) being haunted by the spirit of a former inmate whom he sentenced to the death penalty years before. This spirit (which is supposed to be a sort of "devil incarnate") can move from person to person in the slightest of body contact, making it incredibly difficult to track down.
As I began watching and the plot unfolded, I kept expecting to see one of two (or, best case scenario, both!) things transpire: First, I wanted to know more about the origins of this devil-spirit. Second, I wanted to really see how the spirit would throw Denzel's character for a loop and make him re-evaluate his faith and priorities in life. Sadly, neither of those tangents were even partially realized.
The spirit isn't treated any differently than a real-life murderer in any number of cop dramas, and Washington's character is so "by the book" that his personal life really isn't touched on at all. Also, because of those two deficiencies, Washington is not able to do what (at least I feel) he does best as an actor: emote wildly and with passion. His character in this film is written as much too serious to do such a thing.
Thus, upon the film's conclusion, I was left feeling disappointed, with the thought that this film was potentially heading towards something much greater but never really realized that potential. You may better enjoy the movie if you are a fan of strict, by-the-book cop flicks, but otherwise avoid at the risk of feeling let-down.
I knew almost nothing about this movie before watching it, but I decided to give it a try since Denzel Washington is a first-rate actor who's work I've always enjoyed. In this movie, once again, he delivers, and the other actors are good too.
The plot involves an evil spirit which moves from body to body, killing people along the way. A police detective played by DW eventually figures out what's happening, and he comes up with a plan to kill the evil spirit itself. You can watch the movie to see how it turns out ...
As far as deeper meaning, the main message I discerned is that maybe reality is stranger than we realize or can even imagine, and maybe that's why no one can explain why there's so much evil in the world.
But overall, this movie is meant to entertain rather than teach anything, and the entertainment is in the genre of what I would call 'scary suspense'. Though I found this movie gripping, with plenty of unexpected twists, this isn't a genre I care for, so my personal rating is only 3 stars. But if you like this genre, you'll probably like this movie too.
The direction in which this movie is played out is painstakingly clever. There is not one moment in the midst of watching Fallen where you will become bored; it'll keep you on the edge of your seat all throught. The acting is as good as it gets too, and John Goodman taking a step aside from his Comedy-Orientated norm films does a surprising performance and fits the part perfect. The atmosphere and mood is superb. This movie may also give some of you the chills.
Denzel does a great job playing a police detective trying to solve a string of murders. I liked how the script mixed a supernatural thriller with a classic serial killer police film. I thought the cast did a good job of acting their roles. One of the best things I liked about the film was the end and that it's a bit of a shock
I don't have a ton of bad things to say about this film,but here is a few. I love Denzel,but he seems to play the same character in all his film,the smart,intelligent,heroic black man. I'd love to see him act a bit different in some of these films or at least play an extremely different type of character. Also all the actors did a good job,but none of them really stood out to me. There is nothing you haven't seen a hundred times before in films like this where a killer has the ability to jump bodies even though it's done well. Also I would have liked the main villain to have had more motivation rather than I'm a evil dude that likes killing. I kind of like my main bad guys to have some kind of motivations or plan for why they are doing what they are doing.
All in all I did enjoy the film and will watch it again,but it could have been better. A good film worth buying if not a great film.
This movie was another Denzel great, and to try and rent it to watch was impossible from Hollywood to Blockbuster and the Library. So to see a few available to own was fantastic. Now I own this movie.. Thank You!
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