Movies You Have Not Seen But Should: Fallen

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Time is on your side; check out this week’s Movies You Have Not Seen But Should, starring Denzel Washington, John Goodman, and Donald Sutherland.

Fallen 1998

The late 90’s was, what seems to be now, a ridiculously great time for movies. Rounding out the decade were some of the most popular, and profitable, movies that most 30-somethings will remember going to see in theaters: Con Air, Armageddon, Saving Private Ryan, The Truman Show, and The Big Lebowski just to name a few, and that’s just 1998.

Denzel Washington is one of the greatest actors of all time, and his awards and accolades speak for themselves. I wouldn’t necessarily say this movie is an unknown, but when you look at the box office at the time, as well as Washington’s resume, this movie can easily be missed.

What do you need to know about this film?

This 1998 suspense-filled thriller stars Denzel Washington (Detective John Hobbes), John Goodman (his pal Jonsey), and Donald Sutherland (Lt. Stanton). James Gandolfini and Elias Koteas make great supporting appearances. The director of this film is Gregory Hoblit, who also directed Primal Fear, Frequency, Fracture, and Hart’s War. If you’ve seen any of these films, it is well worth seeing Fallen.

The plot of this film is full of suspense, and Washington’s ability on-camera sells the story. While Denzel is fantastic in this film, to me, Goodman’s performance is incredible, and why I always remember this film. This IMDB Plot Summary provides a little more detail:

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. – Written by Ben Borg

Why did I miss this film?

In my opinion, there’s probably lots of great movies you missed between 1996 and 2000; this happens to be a very good one. You probably spent your money on the larger action movies during the time. My guess is that if you’ve seen this film it was a rental, and maybe you picked it up for Denzel. There were lots of factors working against the film in it’s release, and because of the overwhelming success of Washington’s career, this gem is easy to overlook.

Why should I see this film?

Lots of reasons: Denzel does what he does best in the film as a cop looking for answers. It also features a very heavy buddy cop feel to it, a la John Goodman, and of course there’s always the supernatural element of the film. Who is Azazel, how can it be stopped, and why that popular tune? (See what I did there? You’ll have to watch the film to get these answers.)

Also, this movie makes you think a little, and the ending will leave you wanting more.

Need a little more convincing?

Fallen is available on Amazon Instant Video and Netflix Home DVD.

 

About author

Josh Steen

Josh Steen is the founder of the JustUs Geeks, and is the host of the JustUs Geeks Podcast. Josh is also a dad, husband, and graphic designer. He geeks out over sports, video games, music, and Transformers. Have an idea for a story or podcast topic? Let him know via social media or email!

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