Il tocco del male

This was actually a pretty clever supernatural thriller. When released it failed at the box office, but has deveolped a following since. It's quite fascinating, hardly ever boring, has a nice cast, and is pretty creepy. It probubly failed due to poor marketing, because if a piece of crapp like "Hollow Man"(2000) can be a hit, this film should definately have been a hit. If you like supernatural thrillers, this will be right up your alley. *** out of ****.

Philadelphia Homicide detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) witnesses the execution of a serial killer named Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas) who is sent to the electric chair . Before dieing Reese unleashes an evil spirit called Azabel . Having captured the murderous , Hobbes is convinced that cops are the chosen people and he turns up on television smiling and proud . Soon after the execution the killings start again , and they are very similar to Reese's style . Azabel's aggressive spirit is passed along with touch , as a fluid is taken into the bodies , in a crowed city of Philadelphia anyone can become villain . Things get worse , however , when Hobbes is drawn to the biblical injunction 'hide your works' and strange words on walls and corpses .

This thrilling film written by Nicholas Kazan packs intrigue , action , chills , suspense , twists and turns . Hybrid of cop-thriller and supernatural story contains solid interpretations and eerie atmosphere similarly to ¨Seven¨ including a surprising final . On a metaphorical level , this does sense AIDS and a fear of the city are central to the 90s . Very good Denzel Washington as an obstinate cop who becomes involved about cruel ominous copycat murders but slow to realize an explanation beyond the normal . Magnificent support from John Goodman , Donald Sutherland , James Gandolfini , Elias Koteas , Robert Joy , Gabriel Casseus and special mention to Embeth Davidtz . Colorful cinematography in Panavision by Newton Thomas Sigel, including the fidgety camera zooms in fascinating way . Thrilling musical score fitting to action by Tan Dumb who the next year would win Academy Award for ¨Crouching tiger , hidden dragon¨. The motion picture is well directed by Gregory Hoblit , a fine professional who works as TV , he's co-producer with Steven Bochco , as Cinema in successful pictures such as ¨Fracture¨, ¨Frecuency¨, ¨Hart's war¨; his greatest hit is ¨Primal fear¨ . Rating : 6,5 . Good film , but some moments doesn't pay off and takes much too long to get where it's going . Worthwhile watching .

The Good:

• Denzel Washington and John Goodman are as excellent as ever and create a believable on-screen friendship.
• I really enjoyed the neo-noir style voiceovers that happened throughout the film as well as the noir themed soundtrack.
• The creepy POV shots helped to elevate the horror aspect of the film.
• Throughout the movie, the plot was intriguing and had some great tense moments.
• I loved the idea of possession throughout the film. This created some really interesting dynamics and moral choices for the characters.
• The final act is absolutely exciting, tense, and thrilling and definitely made this film a lot better.

The Bad:

• The first 10 minutes of the film felt very convoluted and confusing to me. It hardly explained itself and left a lot for the viewer to decipher.
• There were a few awkward character interactions within the first hour of the film that kinda took me out of the film.
• Although the premise of the film was very intriguing, it didn't really engage me fully until the last 45 minutes.

Overall Fallen is a very well-made and entertaining 90s thriller with a unique premise and enthralling acting. The only thing that lets it down is its slightly slow pacing and lack of fully engaging scenes in the first half...

7/10

I have been reading with interest the comments made by others users of this film. So first, let me say that I loved the film. Interesting, well paced, excellent choice of music. The movie is unique, with a magnificent twist that almost annoys you (but I won't say anymore).

Second, some of the users making comments seemed to have missed the plot. Those people who are saying it doesn't have enough action clearly have a limited appreciation for film genres. Stick to your fast paced action movies, and don't bother writing your limited opinions about other movies genres. You don't have the mental capacity to take in anything other that brain numbing gun fights, explosions and car chases.

To say that," Goodman is smoking in the movie and I don't like smoking", OR they said "'Oh my God' in the movie and I don't like that", really has no relevance as to the validity of whether the movie was good or not. If people are so intolerant , then stick to watch lawm bowls. This is a brilliant movie that should not be missed.

All of which I like, but then, I like many different types of movies.

The great cast already hints at it, "Fallen" is a great movie.

Best way to watch this movie is to not know too much about it. Just pick up the movie and let it surprise you. It's like "Identity", the less you know about it, the better.

Director Gregory Hoblit is a great and underrated director. He knows how to get the maximum out of everything. He also directed the movies "Primal Fear" and "Frequency" and much acclaimed television series episodes for "Hill Street Blues", "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue".

Really great about the movie is the story by Nicholas Kazan (yes, indeed the son of...). It's supernatural but it still knows how to remain believable and realistic. The viewer never knows what he is going to get and what will happen next. This is why it is best not to know too much about this movie's story before viewing it for the first time. All of the story its surprises will work better this way.

A bit of an forgotten underrated movie.

8/10

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