description: 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 f1i Primal Fear f0i0 ), 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 f1i film noir f0i0 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 f1i Seven f0i0 and f1i The Silence of the Lambs f0i0 with a cast that also includes Donald Sutherland and James Gandolfini. Included on the DVD is a full-length audio commentary by director Hoblit, screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, and producer Charles Roven. f1i --Jeff Shannon
uuid: C07A42B4-817A-11D9-A8AB-000A959D0BD2"
upc: 053939643428
title: Fallen
theatricalDate: 16-01-1998
stars: Denzel Washington John Goodman
purchase date: 17-02-2005
publisher: Turner Home Video
published: 14-09-2004
price: $14.96
net Rating: 3.88
MPAA Rating: R
last lookup time: 130402824
genre: Feature Film-drama
edition: DVD
director: Gregory Hoblit
currentValue: $12.99
created: 130402816
aspect: Color Closed-captioned Dolby Widescreen
asin: 0780622537