[.ca] Fallen (Widescreen/Full Screen) (ISBN 0780622537)

From Amazon.com:
Although it received mixed reactions from critics and audiences alike when released in 1998, this supernatural thriller benefits from a sustained atmosphere of anticipation and dread, and its combination of detective mystery and demonic mischief is handled with ample style and intelligence. Under the direction of Gregory Hoblit (who fared better with Primal Fear), Denzel Washington plays detective John Hobbes, who witnesses the gas-chamber execution of a serial killer (Elias Koteas). But when another series of murders begins, Hobbes suspects that the killer's evil spirit has survived and is possessing the bodies of others to do its evil bidding. Even Hobbes's trusted partner (John Goodman) thinks the detective is losing his grip on reality, but the dire warnings of a noted linguist (Embeth Davidtz) confirm Hobbes's far-out theory, and his case intensifies toward a fateful showdown. Although its idea is better than its execution, and the story's film noir ambitions are never fully accomplished, this slickly directed thriller has some genuinely effective moments in which evil forces are entwined into the fabric of everyday reality. Among the highlights is a memorable scene in which Detective Hobbes must track the killer as the evil spirit is transferred between many people via physical contact. Even if the film is ultimately less than the sum of its parts, it's an intriguing hybrid that resides in the same cinematic neighborhood as Seven and The Silence of the Lambs with a cast that also includes Donald Sutherland and James Gandolfini. Included on the DVD is a full-length audio commentary by director Hoblit, screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, and producer Charles Roven. --Jeff Shannon

evil:
True evil is just as contagious as a cold. Fallen does what Jack Nicholson's The Pledge tried to do and failed. It was overlooked when it was out. It's better than it got credit for.

authentically creepy and mysterious:
this is a genuinely creepy and mysterious movie,and it maintains that atmosphere throughout,but stops just short of being oppressive.Denzel Washington is the main attraction,and is very good,but the ensemble supporting cast are also strong.John Goodman,Donald Sutherland Embeth Davidtz(June Bug)James Gandolfini and Elias Koteas are the core group of supporting players.Gregory Hoblit(Primal Fear)directed this movie.he's directed at least three or four movies i have really liked.the suspense is high in this one,and there are a few twists and turns that you may or may not find predictable.there's also some good action and intensity to keep you engaged in the proceedings.the ending though,leaves more questions than answers,so some may find that frustrating.in this case,it worked for me.though not a masterpiece,this is still a very good movie.for me,Fallen is a 4/5

Not Good:
A good friend of mine told me this movie was really good and talked me into watching it with him. Let's just say we're no longer good friends. This movie is cheesy, cliche, and doesn't make sense, and the ending makes the whole movie pointless. It is one that Denzel should leave off his resume.

Ho hum:
Denzel Washington is John Hobbes, a homicide cop who is called to investigate a killing that looks very like the work of recently executed Edgar Reese and is disturbed to find that whoever did it seems to attach real significance to the odd riddle Reese teased him with shortly before dying. The riddle's solution leads him to the case of another cop's mysterious death in a remote mountain cabin thirty years previously and to that cop's surviving daughter, now an academic expert on angels. And deciphering the words of Aramaic Reece spoke to Hobbes in the same pre-execution conversation thickens the plot still further... It's natural to bracket this film with Rupert Wainwright's 1999 "Stigmata" as a pair of ambitious, quite expensively cast, mainstream Hollywood attempts from the late 90's to breathe a little new life into the old "Exorcist" theme of possession neither of which quite comes off. This one is pleasant enough to watch, taking the form of what at first seems a fairly conventional police procedural thriller until the supernatural elements start to crowd in. The first half is the best with its intriguing sense of mystery. Things get weaker when the mystery dispels and Hobbes is left in no doubt about the strange game of demonic tag he has stumbled upon. The problem here is that what Hobbes find out is intended to be truly disturbing and scary and, well, it isn't all that much. SO an OK mystery movie that turns into a rather ineffective horror movie that is well enough put together to sustain interest but won't linger in the memory.

Denzel does it again:
This is such a gripping movie. You never know when or in whom the killer will appear next. What a thriller. Another wonderful performance by Denzel. Bouncing back and forth from the viewpoint of the killer to the mind of the detective, you will not want to miss a beat of this hold-your-breath-and-grit-your-teeth movie. Enjoy!