Fallen (1998)

Director: Gregory Hoblit

Starring: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, Embeth Davidtz, James Gandolfini, Elias Koteas, Gabriel Casseus, Michael J. Pagan

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Don't trust a soul.

Plot: 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.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again? Nah.

I was diggin' on this until an hour in (halfway through) when we find out that the 'angel' can only survive outside a human body for one breath and not able to go farther than 500 cubits (finger lengths) or something like that. That's when my eyes began to roll and they started to lose me. But for some reason I kept watching it and I was still diggin' it. It's actually a pretty good horror/thriller with a reasonably satisfying final act. The performances are good and the story, not without a few holes, is different and good as well. Besides from crazy stipulations like how this angel can survive and die (and how exactly do the characters know this? Unless I stopped paying attention for the two minutes they may have explained this, it's a weak plot device) the only thing that bothered me was the use of the Rolling Stones tune, Time Is On My Side. It's annoying the first time you hear it (I dig the Stones but not that song) and really annoying the 257th time. Surely an angel that's lived thousands of years knew a better tune or at least several other 'time'-themed songs...but then that would have cost too much money in copyright fees and we all know that angels are usually strapped for cash. Degenerate gambling winged fucks.