Fallen
Short description
Fallen is a crime thriller about John Hobbes, a homicide detective who attends the execution of Edgar Reese, the serial killer he helped put behind bars. Not long after, murders resume in the city, carried out in a manner closely resembling Reese's. As Hobbes investigates, he comes to suspect that something other than a human killer is at work. His inquiry leads him to Gretta Milano, a teacher who helps him understand what he is dealing with.
Gregory Hoblit directed the film, his second feature after Primal Fear, and Nicholas Kazan wrote the screenplay. Denzel Washington plays Hobbes, with John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, Embeth Davidtz, James Gandolfini and Elias Koteas in supporting roles. The production involved 62 credited cast members and 79 credited crew, and was made on a budget of 46 million dollars.
Released in January 1998, the film earned about 25 million dollars worldwide against that budget. On TMDB it holds a rating of 6.8 out of 10 from roughly 1,700 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 5.3 out of 10 from 57 reviews, so audiences have responded more favorably than critics did.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film was shot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the town of Pine Barrens, New Jersey.
- In one scene, the iconic film 'Freaks' (1932) by Tod Browning is shown on television.
- While preparing for his role, Elias Koteas traveled to Ohio to meet with a man who was fluent in Aramaic. The man was happy to help, but for religious reasons, he categorically refused to utter profanities, which were required for the role. The producers had to find someone else who knew Aramaic and could assist the actor.
- While working on his role, Denzel Washington accompanied police on calls. This is how he learned that some police officers carry a spare pair of shoes in their trunk, as the shoes they wear to a crime scene and while inspecting it are often soiled with blood.
- Police detective John Hobbes, played by Denzel Washington, owes his first and last name to philosophers Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704). The former believed that man is inherently evil and that society should keep him in check. The latter was convinced that people are rational thinking beings capable of peaceful coexistence. These opposing premises are the main themes of the film.
- The first day of filming was scheduled to shoot scenes of Denzel Washington's character arriving at the cabin for the first time. However, the entire area was hit by heavy rains those days. Producer Charles Roven decided to send a truck with equipment to the location much earlier than originally planned, so early that it was still dark. Due to the darkness and heavy rain, visibility was poor, and the truck crashed into a tree standing by the side of the road, completely blocking the road. The accident wasn't resolved until nightfall, when it was dark again and filming was impossible. As a result, the first day of filming fell behind schedule by one day. Later, Roven recounted that it was the worst first day of filming in his career.
- All the scenes with Elias Koteas' character were filmed at the beginning of the shooting period, and director Gregory Hoblit was so impressed with Koteas' performance that he insisted that everyone possessed by Azazel move the same way as Koteas. Actors Robert Joy, James Gandolfini (1961-2013), Bob Gunton, and Tara Carris specifically studied Koteas' acting style, as Azazel was supposed to inhabit all their characters.
- Throughout the film, the demon Azazel constantly hums two songs from The Rolling Stones' repertoire – "Time is on my side" and "Sympathy for the Devil".
- The scene of the beam falling when Denzel Washington's character is in the basement was neither in the script nor in the initial version of the film. During preview screenings, audiences simply saw Hobbes looking around, discovering a book, and leaving. During one such screening, someone went to the restroom, and the door to the auditorium closed so loudly behind them that the audience literally jumped. It was after this incident that the management of Warner Bros. decided to add something to the scene to further frighten the audience.
Similar movies
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
