‘I wanna tell you about the time I almost died…‘
Of the many consequences of the Marvelification of cinema, risk averse studios is probably the most damaging. Before the rise of franchises, reboots and sequels, Hollywood would take a chance on anything and everything to see what would stick. Fallen takes a prestige cast, and asks them to indulge a patently ridiculous premise, and while it doesn’t always work, it’s unique enough and just plain weird enough to be entertaining…
When an infamous mass murderer is executed, Det. John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) must contend with the fact that the murders have started again. But who is pulling the strings? Helping Hobbes search for answers are fellow cops Lou (James Gandolfini), Jonesy (John Goodman) and Lt. Stanton (Donald Sutherland). There’s always a Lou…
I will say early doors that while this sounds like an open and shut police procedural, yet another 90s thriller following in the wake of Seven, there is actually a lot more going in here. Director Gregory Hoblit introduces a supernatural element early doors and runs with it all the way to the end. The decision to dispense with the whodunit element of the plot in the first act grants the rest of the story a rare freedom within this genre, and while we don’t really need two hours to get to the conclusion, the ending is compelling enough to ensure that the journey isn’t a waste. The cast fully commit to the wacky premise, with Denzel professional as ever, and Hoblit’s decision to shoot large sections as if this were a horror movie adds a welcome extra dimension to a genre that is so often samey and one dimensional.
Fallen seems to have been pretty much forgotten upon release back in 1998, but of the many neo noir crime thrillers to drop in the 90s, this one is genuinely interesting. A throwback sure, but a throwback worth revisiting.