The movie Fallen (1998) stars a respectable cast of actors covering a story with a clever premise and a handful intriguing turns. Landing better audience reception than critical reception, this criminal drama combining elements of mystery and suspense, a host of stars mixes the genres of supernatural with police thriller. This movie carries a film rating of R.
(Denzel Washington as Detective John Hobbes in Fallen).
Denzel Washington stars as Detective John Hobbes, who we meet at the beginning of Fallen when serial killer Edgar Reese is about to be executed. Elias Koteas stars as Reese, who we see at the start of the meeting in the modern day of the film (think current day for approximately 1995). Singing, left-handedness, and a fondness for Rolling Stones music are Edgar Reese’s distinguishing characteristics beyond the crime for which he is convicted.
(Elias Koteas as serial killer Edgar Reese in Fallen).
The film introduces us to the last moments of Reese’s life, an interview with Hobbes for a documentary of Reese’s last moments of life, and the song Time is on My Side by The Rolling Stones. On either side of that interview and the aftermath of the execution, we meet three members of the police force whom play a large part in Hobbes’ tale. Hobbes’ partner (Jonesy as played by John Goodman) is perhaps the closest friend, though the mystery and suspense built into the realism of this movie makes us even doubt this relationship.
(John Goodman as Jonesy, left, and Denzel Washington as Detective John Hobbes in Fallen).
The introduction of the key members of the police force shortly after the execution day celebration leads to cements perceptions of the meaningful members of the police force while also introducing us to the meaningful members of Detective John Hobbes’ family. John Hobbes lives in an apartment with his intellectually disabled brother, Art Hobbes. Art is played by Gabriel Casseus. The role of Art’s son and John’s nephew Sam was played by Michael J. Pagan. Both of these characters serve to help develop our understanding of John Hobbes as a man while simultaneously bring about resolution to the dramatic resolution to the movie.
(Michael J. Pagan as nephew Sam Hobbes, left, and Gabriel Casseus as intellectually disabled brother Art Hobbes in Fallen).
As with most relationships of boss to employee, there is some ambivalence to the relationship between John Hobbes and his boss. Hobbes’ boss (Lieutenant Stanton) is played by Donald Sutherland. When the story starts leading to the past of a policeman of the year from the 1960s, Stanton indicates that he knows more than he’s going to say while giving Hobbes orders to keep any findings on the investigation into the mysterious death of Robert Milano to himself. This continues through the uncovering of weird parallels between Robert Milano and John Hobbes as Hobbes and his partner, Jonesy, investigate apparent copycat murders in style to those that convicted Edgar Reese.
(Donald Sutherland as Lieutentant Stanton, left, and Denzel Washington as Detective John Hobbes in Fallen).
From an early conversation between John Hobbes and fellow detective Lou (as played by James Gandolfini), there was a sense that Lou may be a corrupt cop that sees the world as gray rather than the black and white world of John Hobbes. Jonesy defends Hobbes to personality attacks from Lou and questions from Lieutenant Stanton as things begin to look strange given the murders that parallel those Hobbes had used with the prosecution to get Edgar Reese a death penalty sentence.
(James Gandolfini as possibly corrupt detective Lou in Fallen).
Within the context of increased doubt over the Edgar Reese execution, the story takes the interesting turn of allowing us John Hobbes to investigate Robert Milano in more detail. We learned earlier that the former Detective Milano had been long deceased. As Detective Milano’s wife had also passed by the current day of the movie, Hobbes begins taking his need for further information to Gretta Milano, the daughter of the former policeman. Gretta supports the telling of the story by revealing in pieces her work in religion at a university, her awareness of a demon named Azazel, and a clear withholding of information until circumstances, in Gretta’s reckoning, warrant further detailed revelation. Embeth Davidtz plays Gretta Milano in Fallen, and is perhaps better known for her role as Miss Honey in the movie Matilda (1996).
(Embeth Davidtz as Gretta Milano, left, and Denzel Washington as Detective John Hobbes in Fallen).
Much of the intrigue that the character background above offers must now indicate that the first half of the movie tells a well paced, realism based telling of a set of developing mysteries in real time rooted in the realism of cause and effect, fact based development that police thriller fans will absolutely enjoy. That the story turns to a more supernatural focus for the second half of the film with a notion of angels, Rolling Stones singing from people other than Edgar Reese, and explanations that defy conventional explanation loses many. Roger Ebert criticizes Fallen for falling into surprises that “become too mechanical and inevitable.” In other words, Ebert saw the end coming.
At first viewing many years ago, I hadn’t seen the turns coming. After maybe a half dozen viewings of the film, I do tend to see see the foreshadowing and turns much more clearly than I did the first time. The tension and suspense more than the mystery work for me with the film. The resolution scenes do pose an impact for me and reward my investment of time in the film. Perhaps the best suggestion I have would have been to reduce the execution of mystery within the film. The dialogue and logical connections did work. Overall, my film rating is 3.50-stars on a scale of one-to-five.
Matt – Saturday, March 9, 2019
(Andy Dufresne, left, and Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding)
(Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding, left, Warden Samuel Norton, center, and Captain Hadley)
Matt Lynn Digital 