a5c7b9f00b Det. John Hobbes is convinced that when killer Edgar Reese is executed, all of his troubles are over. But when people he knows and people on the street start to sing the same tune that Reese sang in the gas chamber, and those same people taunt him, he is told that maybe the cursed fallen angel Azazel is behind it all. Azazel is cursed to roam the Earth without a form, and he can switch bodies by any contact, making him hard to track. When Hobbes is forced to kill a man possessed by Azazel, he must clear his name while protecting his family and others from the evil, vengeful Azazel. Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style. The critics are wrong. When Fallen was released, it was brutally panned. This is a grave injustice to an excellent and suspenseful detective film. Denzel Washington will always be the taciturn hero, but the character he portrays here would more appropriately fit the literary definition of a tragic hero. The voice-over narration tends to get groggy and unneeded, but it is the clever climax that will leave the viewer completely stunned. A mystery film that takes some unexpected twists. And you'll never be able to shake that Rolling Stones tune from your head after the final fade out. "Fallen" is a thriller that combines crime with the occult. Director Gregory Hobllit has produced a movie that is entertaining as well as good to watch. The screen play by Nicholas Kazan shows a lot of imagination in the way it plays.<br/><br/>The real achievement though is in the great casting for the film. Denzel Washington makes "Fallen" his movie and runs away with it. As John Hobbs, the police detective, he is seen at the beginning attending the execution of the criminal Edgar Reese. This is a monster who is put to death for crimes he committed. Hobbs is only happy to see this evil man get his due, but in the process he makes a serious mistake. When Reese offers his hand to Hobbs to shake, he passes some of his repulsive self to Hobbs, and thus the chain in the killings of innocents will continue. While this seems to be an improbable fact, it gives the director and his writer a great premise to explore.<br/><br/>John Goodman, as Jonesy, is particularly good. Donald Sutherland, Embeth Davidtz, James Gandolfini and Elias Koteas do excellent work under Mr. Hoblit's able direction. ..upreared/His mighty standard. That proud honor claimed/Azazel as his right, a Cherub tall,/Who forthwith from the glittering staff unfurled/The imperial ensign, which, full high advanced,/Shone like a meteor streaming to the wind [I; 533-537] Yes; according to writer <a href="/name/nm0443582/">Nicholas Kazan</a> on his DVD commentary, Art (<a href="/name/nm0144133/">Gabriel Casseus</a>) is supposed to be slightly mentally impaired, although exactly what is wrong with him is never specified. It is also worth noting that during the film, Sam (<a href="/name/nm0656003/">Michael J. Pagan</a>) refers to Art as a "spaz" when he is forced to team with him during a basketball match, prompting Hobbes to reprimand him and tell not to disrespect his father. Throughout the course of the film, Hobbes finds several messages from Azazel, which he has to try to piece together. The first one is on the body of Mucovich; 18. The second is found on the body of Charles Olom (<a href="/name/nm0431451/">Robert Joy</a>); 2. The next is found on the schoolteacher (<a href="/name/nm0750142/">Bob Rumnock</a>); APO, followed by the letters on Hobbes' mirror; CAL, then on Sam's chest; Y, and finally on Art's chest; PSE.<br/><br/>The letters spell out APO-CAL-Y-PSE; ie. apocalypse. As the nun (<a href="/name/nm0791938/">Ellen Sheppard</a>) explains to Hobbes, the Apocalypse is the main subject of the Book of Revelation in the Bible, and as such, 18:2 Apocalypse thus becomes Revelation 18:2; He called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul bird, a haunt of every foul and hateful beast." "He" is an unnamed angel, although most commentators usually take it to be referring to Christ. God has decreed that the city of Babylon has strayed so far from His teachings, that it has become a bastion of inequity where the people worship false idols, and the men there have become spiritually vacuous. It is also a place of lust and greed, and has become so corrupt that it must be destroyed. Obviously, this is an ironic commentary on the part of Azazel insofar as it is he who is continuing the ways of Babylon, and Hobbes who is trying to do God's righteous work. Azazel could also be suggesting to Hobbes that the modern world is beyond redemption; that it is just another Babylon and it too will be destroyed no matter what people like Hobbes try to do to prevent it. A number of fans have asked how can a reasonably-intelligent man who goes to church every now and then, not know what apocalypse means (as Hobbes has to ask the nun to help him with it). However, Hobbes never says he doesn't know what the word means, he simply doesn't understand the relevance of the message "18, 2, Apocalypse". He hasn't thought of the Book of Revelation, and it is only when the nun makes the connection for him that he realizes Apocalypse is a veiled biblical reference. The answer to this question is to be found in the translation of Reese's (<a href="/name/nm0000480/">Elias Koteas</a>) Syrian-Aramaic speech to Hobbes in the scene in the jail near the start of the movie. The complete translation is as follows: I can't enter you by touch, but even when I can get inside you when I'm spirit, I won't. No, better I get you for real. I'll fuck you up and down, left and right, coming, going. I'll get so close to you, so close it breaks you. And if that doesn't work, I have other ways. I have so many, many ways. Azazel has no desire to enter into Hobbes just yet, he wants to destroy Hobbes' life from the outside, he wants to break Hobbes and see him suffer and collapse. The reason for Azazel's desire to destroy Hobbes is provided by an extract from one of Milano's books, which explains that the demons tend to focus on people who attempt to bring them down; If you can, do not let them notice you, or your life will be filled with regret. They stalk those who prey upon them, therefore, hide your good works. Only those who are quiet and modest will avoid their attention altogether.