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 Director
: Gregory Hoblit
Starring
: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, Embeth
Davidtz, James Gandolfini, Elias Koteas.
Picture
2.35:1, DD 5.1, Single-Side Dual-Layer, Snap Case
Running
Time : 119 mins
The
story:
Detective
John Hobbes is searching for a criminal he's already met...
already caught... and already killed.
When
Homicide detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) sees
serial killer Edgar Reese (Elias
Koteas) given the death penalty
and executed, he could be forgiven for thinking the case
was closed. But when the murders startup again with the
same pattern as Edgar's, Hobbes is suspicious of a copycat
killer. But there's too much detail here. And who is the
killer? Is it a man? Is it a child? Or is it his partner?
Hobbes doesn't want to believe the truth - Edgars spirit
has survived and he wants revenge..
The
summary:
With
Denzel Washington's Oscar win fresh in mind, we turned our
thoughts to some of his earlier films and 'Fallen' was the
first that sprung to mind. This is a strange film in that
it's your usual cop action film but with a supernatural
twist to it (that'll be the cop chasing a dead killer bit
then..). It's actually very clever and very underrated in
my opinion. Like many, I missed this on the big screen and
only watched it by chance when I was hunting through the
rental store. Worth a try I thought and I was never in danger
of being disappointed. Although it's really not comparable
to 'Seven', it does share certain elements, for instance
the story of a detective hunting a serial killer. It also
has the same dark and sinister feel about it and really
builds up the suspense, which for me makes compulsive viewing.
Washington's
character is the typical likable detective-type and Washington
plays the role with ease and style. Goodman also puts in
a positive performance, although as the sidekick he's never
really on a par with his partner. Good performances aside,
the story stands on it's own merits, but you have to keep
a close eye on the proceedings so as not to lose track of
events. The killer's spirit can travel from person to person
by touch, so in a crowded room you don't know who to trust!
But the real treat here is the terrific ending, which I'd
love to go into more detail about but it's impossible without
giving too much away! So there you have it, it is possible
for a good film to pass you by unnoticed as I found out.
Give it a try, you may like what you find..
A
pretty basic disc from Warner but don't let the lack of
extras or the cheap cardboard case distract you from an
otherwise excellent purchase. The transfer is good, the
audio is actually very good and there's also an audio commentary
to keep you entertained once the film is over. It's just
a shame there wasn't a whole lot more..
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