Fallen (1998)

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.

Director:

Gregory Hoblit

Writer:

Nicholas Kazan

Stars:

Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	John Hobbes
John Goodman	...	Jonesy
Donald Sutherland	...	Lt. Stanton
Embeth Davidtz	...	Gretta Milano
James Gandolfini	...	Lou
Elias Koteas	...	Edgar Reese
Gabriel Casseus	...	Art
Michael J. Pagan	...	Sam
Robert Joy	...	Charles
Frank Medrano	...	Charles' Killer
Ronn Munro	...	Mini Golf Owner
Cynthia Hayden	...	Society Woman
Ray Xifo	...	Society Man
Tony Michael Donnelly	...	Toby
Tara Carnes	...	Teenage Girl

Storyline

Det. John Hobbes is convinced that when killer Edgar Reese is executed, all of his troubles are over. But when people he knows and people on the street start to sing the same tune that Reese sang in the gas chamber, and those same people taunt him, he is told that maybe the cursed fallen angel Azazel is behind it all. Azazel is cursed to roam the Earth without a form, and he can switch bodies by any contact, making him hard to track. When Hobbes is forced to kill a man possessed by Azazel, he must clear his name while protecting his family and others from the evil, vengeful Azazel.

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Plot Keywords:

azazel | fallen angel | demon | demonic possession | detective | 

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Taglines:

Time is on my side....

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Syriac Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Release Date:

16 January 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fallen

Filming Locations:

Holmesburg Prison - 8215 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,401,566, 16 January 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$25,188,006, 22 March 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Turner Pictures (I), Atlas Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of three movies that Nicholas Kazan wrote, that Embeth Davidtz appears in. First was Matilda (1996), second was this, third was Bicentennial Man (1999).

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Goofs

After shooting a man on the street, Hobbes walks over to the man lying in the street. The dead man is shown with a gun still in his hand, but when Hobbes reaches only the man's feet (nowhere near his hand), Hobbes is seen kicking the gun away.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Azazel: I wanna tell you about the time I almost died...

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Connections

References The First Power (1990)

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Soundtracks

Time Is On My Side
Written by Jerry Ragovoy (as Jerry Ragovoy)
Performed by The Rolling Stones
Produced by Andrew Loog Oldham (as Andrew Oldham)
Published by Unichappell Music, Inc.
Courtesy of Abkco Records

User Reviews

Legitimately Creepy

This gets good marks simply because it is such an interesting, involving story that hooks you right away and every time you watch it and doesn't overwhelm you with violence and gore.

Denzel Washington is appealing as always as the good guy and John Goodman is surprisingly low-key for most of the movie. All the characters are very interesting and the special effects are creepy.

The story is pure "Hollywood theology" mean also means the characters - include the heroes - in here have no clue about God or the purpose of life. Believability-aside, it film provides excellent entertainment. The visuals are decent and sound-effects are chilling in spots. As the demon sees through the eyes of people and passes by with these "whoosh" sounds, it's very effective. As mentioned, the film doesn't need a lot of violence to succeed with it's horror-type tale.

One note about the final scene. It isn't exactly clear on a couple of points so if you get confused, you aren't alone.