what the film does
detective john hobbes (washington) attends the execution of edgar reese (elias koteas), a serial killer he arrested. as reese dies, he sings “time is on my side.” after the execution, copycat killings begin. hobbes investigates and discovers that reese was possessed by azazel, a fallen angel who moves between human bodies by touch. azazel can inhabit anyone. the person next to you on the bus. the barista. your partner. hobbes cannot arrest a spirit. he cannot shoot it. the only defense is isolation, and azazel knows that.
why this one
three reasons. first, the premise. a killer who can be anyone is not new, but fallen’s execution is. azazel moves between bodies through a chain of touch, and the film shows this movement in a single continuous shot that tracks across shoulders and hands. you watch the evil pass from person to person like a current through water. the mechanics of possession are visual, not explained.
second, the cast. washington between devil’s advocate and the hurricane, playing a man whose certainty in the law dissolves when the law does not apply. john goodman as his partner, whose warmth makes the threat worse. donald sutherland as the police captain whose ambiguity is the film’s quiet tension. gandolfini in a supporting role as a corrupt officer, three years before the sopranos. koteas as reese, whose opening execution scene sets the tone for everything that follows.
third, tan dun’s score. dun had not yet done crouching tiger when fallen was released. his score uses a cello solo, percussion, and whispered voices to create a soundscape that is neither orchestral nor electronic. the music sounds like it is coming from inside the walls.
what stays with me
the ending. the film opens with washington’s voiceover telling us he is going to die, and the film keeps that promise in a way that is more disturbing than a twist ending. “time is on my side” plays one last time. you understand what reese meant when he sang it.
on hand
the dvd is the warner home video release in the canon.
image: tmdb poster (id 9411); genuine film poster. baked at factor 0.45, 1200x675