Customer Reviews

Fallen (Widescreen/Full Screen)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

"Fallen", is a film I enjoyed because of Denzel Washington and his partner in the film John Goodman. If these actors had not been the focus of the film I likely would have watched the entire piece but would have found it to be poor overall.

I am a hard sell on films involving the supernatural. I find the topic difficult to portray without appearing cliché. There have been some amazing exceptions, but this film is not one of them. The tale here is of a demon passing from one person to another via touch or the distance a single breath can travel in 500 cubits. The word cubit may be familiar if you recall biblical measurements and Noah's directions for building his Ark. In this case, it is said in the movie to be one sixth of a mile.

This is a film to watch if you either like the genre or you like the primary actors. If you are fortunate to be a fan of both, the film will be very enjoyable. And, as a bonus, there is a nice bit of twistery at the film's close.

If it weren't for the fact that this movie had been released 10 years prior (Shocker) and ten times (more like 100) better, The Excorcist, this could have been a decent film.

Instead we are treated to a bland narration and bland performances from some incredible actors. And don't get me started on the damn ending.

this is a genuinely creepy and mysterious movie,and it maintains that
atmosphere throughout,but stops just short of being oppressive.Denzel
Washington is the main attraction,and is very good,but the ensemble
supporting cast are also strong.John Goodman,Donald Sutherland Embeth
Davidtz(June Bug)James Gandolfini and Elias Koteas are the core group
of supporting players.Gregory Hoblit(Primal Fear)directed this
movie.he's directed at least three or four movies i have really
liked.the suspense is high in this one,and there are a few twists and
turns that you may or may not find predictable.there's also some good
action and intensity to keep you engaged in the proceedings.the ending
though,leaves more questions than answers,so some may find that
frustrating.in this case,it worked for me.though not a masterpiece,this
is still a very good movie.for me,Fallen is a 4/5

Denzel Washington is John Hobbes, a homicide cop who is called to investigate a killing that looks very like the work of recently executed Edgar Reese and is disturbed to find that whoever did it seems to attach real significance to the odd riddle Reese teased him with shortly before dying. The riddle's solution leads him to the case of another cop's mysterious death in a remote mountain cabin thirty years previously and to that cop's surviving daughter, now an academic expert on angels. And deciphering the words of Aramaic Reece spoke to Hobbes in the same pre-execution conversation thickens the plot still further...

It's natural to bracket this film with Rupert Wainwright's 1999 "Stigmata" as a pair of ambitious, quite expensively cast, mainstream Hollywood attempts from the late 90's to breathe a little new life into the old "Exorcist" theme of possession neither of which quite comes off. This one is pleasant enough to watch, taking the form of what at first seems a fairly conventional police procedural thriller until the supernatural elements start to crowd in. The first half is the best with its intriguing sense of mystery. Things get weaker when the mystery dispels and Hobbes is left in no doubt about the strange game of demonic tag he has stumbled upon. The problem here is that what Hobbes find out is intended to be truly disturbing and scary and, well, it isn't all that much. SO an OK mystery movie that turns into a rather ineffective horror movie that is well enough put together to sustain interest but won't linger in the memory.

This is such a gripping movie. You never know when or in whom the killer will appear next. What a thriller. Another wonderful performance by Denzel. Bouncing back and forth from the viewpoint of the killer to the mind of the detective, you will not want to miss a beat of this hold-your-breath-and-grit-your-teeth movie. Enjoy!

True evil is just as contagious as a cold. Fallen does what Jack Nicholson's The Pledge tried to do and failed. It was overlooked when it was out. It's better than it got credit for.

Fallen is a must have for my dvd collection. Denzel Washington should have won many awards for this performance. This movie is so good that I felt the need to upgrade my copy from the old vhs to the long lasting dvd format.

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

I just rented this movie and watched it for the first time. Denzel has always been a very good actor. My favorite part was the beginning, because I've always liked Elias Koteas, who is one of the best actors too. I give this flick 5 stars because it's enteratining, trippy, and original.

As this film began, I was certain it was a film by David Fincher. The titles, music and approach are quite similar. Well, Director Gregory Hoblit created an atmosphere that was not only weird, but incredibly compelling. Don't blink for a minute. (Hoblit later made the wonderful "Primal Fear") Denzel is his usual confident self, learning, along with the viewer, the strange develoments. Embeth Davitz is quite fine, and there's also the talents of James Gandolfini and John Goodman. Once again, Donald Sutherland gives a brilliant performance. (Why do the Oscars ignore him...?). Elias Koteas, sadly ignored by critics and award committees, is again flawless. (Remember "Some Kind of Wonderful", "Apt Pupil", "The Thin Red Line", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", etc. ?) "Fallen" is a very scary film, which gains momentum with every frame. Creepy movies don't get much better.