Fallen

September 4, 2005 - You'll find a good cast in this suspense thriller from 1998. Denzel Washington stars along with John Goodman and Donald Sutherland.

Washington plays police detective John Hobbes. A serial killer he helped nab has just been executed. Goodman plays Hobbes' partner; Sutherland is their lieutenant. Everyone's happy until more murders start happening. The killer seems to have the same M.O. as the guy who just got gassed.

Fortunately, the killer is leaving clues for Hobbes. They lead him to the daughter of a cop who died 30 years ago. They also lead him into a trap that makes him look like the killer. Hobbes tries to set his own trap in, where else, the woods. Who wins this battle of good vs. evil? It'll take you about 125 minutes to find out.

Overall review: *** The film has an interesting premise and Washington is intense enough to pull it off. However, I was bothered by a few production points. For example, visual clues lead you to believe that the movie is set in Philadelphia. If so, why was the execution at the start of the film carried out in a gas chamber? And, why is Hobbes driving across bridges and along the New Jersey side of the river to get to a cabin in the mountains? Just askin’.