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66 out of 80 people found the following review useful: Chilling yet intriguing, 18 December 1998 Author: Jedidiah Smith from Kansas City, Missouri
Fallen is not your typical suspense film. There is very little gore, a clever plot, gorgeous cinematography...but it all adds up to the scariest movie I've ever seen. Why? It plays with your mind. The horror is confined to your brain and not shown onscreen. Some people will (and do) hate this film; it eschews graphic storytelling for a visual, intellectual approach. The ending, which has been criticized for many reasons, is actually the only plausible way it could end. Yes we like to see the human spirit triumph, but more often than not things do not work out the way we like them to. It's refreshing to see a movie which ends on a real level, giving the film a true-to-life credibility which enhances the terror even more. Highly recommended for the intellectual person. Those easily bored stay away.
66 out of 81 people found the following review useful: Clever, 8 March 2004 Author: mjw2305 from England
A chilling psychological thriller, that is cleverly written and superbly portrayed.This film is not for everyone, you'll need patience and a real thirst for a good thriller. This film will play with your mind, it won't cover the screen with visuals and gore; that's why it works.Sit back and be absorbed by the story, be amazed by the cast, and be shocked by the climax.Warning, if you bore easily stay away, if you love a mind bending thriller; you won't find many better.Fantastic and clever 9/10
60 out of 72 people found the following review useful: More Than Your Average Supernatural Suspense Thriller!, 6 February 2005 Author: BigHardcore from California
After my initial viewing of the movie, Fallen, I knew that I had just seen a brilliant film. However, I did have a few questions, mostly concerning plot holes and things of that nature, so I immediately watched the parts in question again and found that everything ties in nicely with very few, if any, plot holes. If there are, I can not find them.John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) is a homicide detective who apprehended a killer named Reese, who is put to death for his crimes. Upon witnessing his execution, Hobbes continues on with his life until similar murders happen to catch his attention. It turns out that Reese was possessed by the demon, Azazel. Azazel is able to transfer himself from human to human simply by touching them, in most cases. So Azazel eventually finds himself a human host and begins another murder trail, confusing detectives by killing someone and leaving his hosts fingerprints and other evidence, then switching bodies and killing his previous host. As you can see, this can wreak havoc on a detective trying to solve these murders. Luckily, Azazel is more interested in exacting revenge on Hobbes than keeping his game a secret and lets Hobbes in on it, which is where the movie really takes off.The directing and camera work in this movie was superb. It was done in such a way where you can see Azazel's spirit go from person to person simply by following the camera up and down the crowd and watching the subtle touches one makes in a normal walk about town.Although this movie does require your full attention, it does not go unrewarded and you are not left at the end scratching your head wondering what had happened for the past 2 hours. All the answers to your questions are in there and that is why I think this movie is way above average. Why I have not heard of this movie before is beyond me. I think maybe the title came across as a bit generic, which the film is anything but. It comes highly recommended by me. 9.5/10
28 out of 32 people found the following review useful: Overlooked movie, 11 July 2005 Author: groohl from Norway
This is a psychological thriller with every ingredient you could ever want for a great movie-experience in that genre. Denzel Washington acts brilliantly as the highly renowned detective Hobbes who's in for quite an experience. Co-actors, including John Goodman, Donald Sutherland and James Gandolfini also shine in this movie. Great acting, a story full of suspense and surprises, great score and some nerve-rattling scenes makes this a perfect movie worth buying for your collection. It's not only a great murder-mystery detective movie, but it probes deeper into the realms of faith, religion, philosophy and imagination and thus stands out as a movie more memorable than most. If you like "Seven" and "The Ninth Gate", you're certainly gonna like this one. I've seen it at least 6 times.
30 out of 37 people found the following review useful: Chilling yet intriguing, 18 December 1998 Author: Jedidiah Smith from Kansas City, Missouri
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Fallen is not your typical suspense film. There is very little gore, a clever plot, gorgeous cinematography...but it all adds up to the scariest movie I've ever seen. Why? It plays with your mind. The horror is confined to your brain and not shown on-screen. Some people will (and do) hate this film; it eschews graphic storytelling for a visual, intellectual approach. The ending, which has been criticized for many reasons, is actually the only plausible way it could end. Yes we like to see the human spirit triumph, but more often than not things do not work out the way we like them to. It's refreshing to see a movie which ends on a real level, giving the film a true-to-life credibility which enhances the terror even more. Highly recommended for the intellectual person. Those easily bored stay away.
34 out of 45 people found the following review useful: Legitimately Creepy, 27 February 2006 Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
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.
29 out of 39 people found the following review useful: A supernatural thriller with a great story!, 29 January 2005 Author: Boba_Fett1138 from Groningen, The Netherlands
The great cast already hints at it, "Fallen" is a great movie.Best way to watch this movie is to not know too much about it. Just pick up the movie and let it surprise you. It's like "Identity", the less you know about it, the better.Director Gregory Hoblit is a great and underrated director. He knows how to get the maximum out of everything. He also directed the movies "Primal Fear" and "Frequency" and much acclaimed television series episodes for "Hill Street Blues", "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue".Really great about the movie is the story by Nicholas Kazan (yes, indeed the son of...). It's supernatural but it still knows how to remain believable and realistic. The viewer never knows what he is going to get and what will happen next. This is why it is best not to know too much about this movie's story before viewing it for the first time. All of the story its surprises will work better this way.A bit of an forgotten underrated movie.8/10
20 out of 28 people found the following review useful: Wonderful Ride, 21 June 2006 Author: wilsontanya from United States
This movie is one of the best I have seen in a very long time! With the excellence of actors such as; John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, and Denzel Washington, how could this movie go wrong? All three of these actors give the best performance I have seen from them. The story line is fast-paced and exciting, with enough twists and turns that even the most seasoned movie-goer will be surprised at what will come next. I was awed by the imaginative way that the catch phrase, "Time is on my side" was used. Anytime I hear it now, I remember that movie. I believe, if it can make a moviegoer remember it like that, it is a great movie! I am anxiously awaiting the sequel!
31 out of 51 people found the following review useful: little recognised classic, 25 August 2001 Author: robbik from Nottingham Uk
Denzel Washington gives a strong performance in this surprisingly little known gem from director Gregory Hoblit. A classic detective thriller with a demonic edge, this film managers to keep the suspense running until the very end. With one of the most dramatic and scary personal chase sequences ever brought to the big or small screen, this film has it all, including a strong cast (Donald Sutherland and John Goodman in a surprisingly convincing non-comedy role as Hobbes partner to name but a few.)Now reduced to a cheap video rental, if you have a spare evening, watch this film. Some great lines, truly chilling storyline, and believable characters played by a superb cast, all add up to make this a movie well worth a look.
8 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Better than you would expect, 15 August 2003 Author: Idocamstuf from Greenville, NY
This was actually a pretty clever supernatural thriller. When released it failed at the box office, but has deveolped a following since. It's quite fascinating, hardly ever boring, has a nice cast, and is pretty creepy. It probubly failed due to poor marketing, because if a piece of crapp like "Hollow Man"(2000) can be a hit, this film should definately have been a hit. If you like supernatural thrillers, this will be right up your alley. *** out of ****.
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