Fallen
As the film began, I immediately steadied myself for yet another retread of the ground covered by Shocker and The Horror Show, as a serial killer jovially heads towards his execution with the promise that he will return to take revenge on the cop who put him away. Certainly I was treated to a bone-chilling turn by Elias Koteas, making the most out of VERY little screen time. As the film continued and I found out more about the supremely evil being the hero was pitted against, I was relieved to see things go in a slightly different direction, even if the story still became a game of āhow many possessed extras can walk past Denzel and give him a dirty lookā. Possibly the filmās biggest flaw is the concept that this being can pass from body to body thru only a slight touch, and indeed thereās a bit much of what amounts to the extras playing tag with each other so they can get their little moment. In addition, the first half of the film has an extremely lethargic pace, as the villain seemed to be playing incessant mind games with Denzel with no real point to it, and I anxiously awaited the film to get going finally, which it did in the second hour. Washington himself is well-cast as the near-saintly cop who is above all sense of corruption (with a pussy for a brother who, along with his son, lives with Denzel but doesnāt even seem to have a job). Goodman as his partner gets a good scene talking about never knowing when your moment comes, and remains a strong presence throughout. Donald Sutherland as the police lieutenant is an offbeat piece of casting, and serves as a nice red herring during the final scenes. Embeth Davidtz as the theology professor with a connection to the case is smoking hot as usual, and helps the story move along with some much-needed exposition. They even bring in James Gandolfini (in a throwaway part) as another cop on the force with a bit of attitude. At times I wondered why the villain doesnāt just finish Denzel off when he has ample opportunity to do so, or even bother to pursue him in the later scenes when the chips are down. However, director Gregory Hoblit does a nice job of projecting a creepy urban atmosphere thatās suitable for the piece, and as for the ending, while some aspects of it were clearly telegraphed early on, itās still executed well enough to be very effective and cool, and the closing song on the end credits was like a cherry on top. Overall, a good supernatural police thriller thatās a bit more intelligent than your typical popcorn fareā¦
8/10