Plot
Philadelphia detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) visits convicted serial killer Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas) on death row shortly before his execution. Reese appears strangely cheerful, grips Hobbes' hand, and delivers what seems to be gibberish in an unknown language later identified as Syrian Aramaic. As he is executed, Reese mocks the witnesses and sings the Rolling Stones song "Time Is on My Side".
Soon after, a series of murders occurs resembling Reese's crimes. Hobbes and his partner Jonesy (John Goodman) initially assume a copycat killer is responsible. Following clues, Hobbes seeks out Gretta Milano (Embeth Davidtz), whose late father, a detective, committed suicide after being accused of similar occult-related killings. At the abandoned Milano family cabin, Hobbes discovers books on demonic possession and the name "Azazel" hidden beneath layers of paint in the basement.
Gretta warns Hobbes to abandon the investigation but later explains that Azazel is a fallen angel who can possess humans through touch. She reveals that the demon will attempt to ruin Hobbes' life, as he cannot be possessed directly. Hobbes soon notices people around him suddenly singing "Time Is on My Side," realizing Azazel is taunting him by moving from host to host, including fellow officers and civilians.
Azazel escalates by possessing Hobbes' nephew Sam and attacking his intellectually disabled brother Art. The demon then engineers a confrontation that forces Hobbes to shoot a possessed schoolteacher in front of witnesses. Testimonies, influenced by Azazel, implicate Hobbes in the killing. Soon after, Azazel murders Art and marks Sam, prompting Hobbes to hide his nephew with Gretta. She tells him that if expelled from a host body, Azazel can only survive for the length of a single breath before dying.
Determined to end the demon, Hobbes lures Azazel to the Milano cabin. Jonesy and Lieutenant Stanton (Donald Sutherland) arrive, but Jonesy—possessed by Azazel—kills Stanton. Planning to shoot himself so that Azazel will then inhabit Hobbes, Jonesy is mortally wounded in a struggle. Hobbes reveals he has poisoned himself with the same toxin Azazel once used, ensuring that if possessed, the demon will die stranded in the wilderness without another host nearby. After killing Jonesy, Azazel enters Hobbes but quickly succumbs to the poison.
In a closing voiceover, Azazel ridicules the audience for believing he has been defeated. As he speaks, a cat emerges from beneath the cabin and wanders away, the demon has survived by transferring into the animal and lives on. The film ends with the song "Sympathy for the Devil" playing over the credits.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes Fallen has an approval rating of 41% based on reviews from 58 critics. The site's consensus reads: "Has an interesting premise. Unfortunately it's just a recycling of old materials, and not all that thrilling." [6] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [7]
Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it "A stylish if seriously far-fetched nightmare", [8] but Variety wrote that "Washington has the almost impossible task of holding together a convoluted picture that's only intermittently suspenseful and not very engaging emotionally or intellectually". [2] Roger Ebert gave the film a mixed review, writing "the idea is better than the execution, and by the end, the surprises become too mechanical and inevitable.” [9] The Chicago Reader praised Washington's performance, but referring to the film's continual use of The Rolling Stones song "Time Is on My Side", wrote "The first half of this movie holds some promise, but time is not on its side." [10]
Fallen has since gained a cult following and is considered one of Washington's more underrated performances. [11] [12] [13] [14]
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