FRIGHT FEST REVIEW: FALLEN

"Hey, howdy folks! Ladies, gents, cocksuckers, pederasts. I hope you all enjoy the show. Yes I do!"

Fallen is the story of Detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington). After the death of a brutish felon he helped to convict, a string of copycat murders start to pop up around the town and slowly Hobbes life begins to fall apart when his prints appear at the murder scenes. What would have been your fairly typical who-dun-it is elevated to something a bit greater by the fact that the dead felon was possessed by a demon named Azazel, who is now out for revenge against the man who caught him.

There are great performances all around. Elias Koteas is memorable as the first person we see possessed by the demon, Edgar Reese. John Goodman plays the typically good natured and loveably chubby good cop partner of Hobbes, Jonesy, and Denzel Washington puts on a driven performance as the hero of the story John Hobbes, who sets out to put a stop to Azazel's madness once and for all.

While the billed star of the story is John Hobbes, make no mistake that this is Azezel's film, a fact that is made fairly obvious once the opening credits roll. Azazel makes for a truly memorable villain in the film. He can switch bodies by touching a person or just by sheer force of will. Throughout the film he can be seen singing exercpts from the Rolling Stones hit "Time Is On My Side" (a welcome if not unfortunate consequence is that now that song is eternally stuck in my noggin). The torment he unleashes on Hobbes and family is pretty barbaric, but fun nontheless. It is a joy to see each new incarnation of Azazel taunt and tease Hobbes. Azazel could enter or kill Hobbes anytime he wants, but he likes Hobbes and thus decides to "play" with his new prey before doing the dirty deed. That's what makes the film so much fun, the ensuing chaos erupts like some kind of sadistic game.

In the end, while there are a few coincidences that occur at just the right moment for Hobbes (When Hobbes is trying to figure out the meaning of a cryptic clue on a train, there just so happens to be a nun sitting nearby that provides some help...these help to bring the film down a few notches)), Fallen is still a perfectly enjoyable supernatural thriller that is recomended viewing for anyone who has an interest in religion, mysteries, or the supernatural.

3.5/5 Stars