These days, if a supernatural serial killer thriller with Denzel Washington in the lead role was announced, then a box office bonanza would be virtually guaranteed given both the ongoing popularity of both genre and the legendary actor, who remains one of the most bankable names in the business. However, nobody seemed to care when Fallen was released in 1998.
Backed by a substantial $46 million budget, director Gregory Hoblit’s fantastical tale of murder, malicious intent, and occultism cratered at the box office after only managing to scrape together $25 million in ticket sales, although tepid reviews certainly didn’t help its case. Even now, the film only holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 40 percent.
However, a 72 percent user rating has underlined its staying power as something of an unsung cult favorite, which has been reflected yet again by Fallen rising from the ashes on streaming. Per FlixPatrol, the commercial failure has been resurrected as one of the Top 10 moves among iTunes customers in the United Kingdom, a full 25 years on from its lackluster debut.
John Goodman, James Gandolfini, Donald Sutherland, Elias Koteas, and many other recognizable names and faces are along for the ride in the ambitious investigative tale, which finds Washington’s detective following up a string of killings eerily reminiscent of the atrocities carried out by a recently-executed death row inmate, leading to an increasing belief that a malevolent spirit could genuinely be the culprit behind them all.
It’s treated with the utmost seriousness despite the silliness of the concept, but it works to an extent.