Denzel Washington is John Hobbes, a highly decorated homicide detective who is present at the execution of Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas), a serial killer he apprehended. The murderer passes on to him a riddle and a curse delivered in some undecipherable language. When two new murders are committed in Reese's operating style, Hobbes finds himself caught up in feelings of paranoia. The key to the influx of chaos in his life hinges on his discoveries at the cabin of a cop who was found dead years ago. Just before he died, he wrote Azazel (the Aramaic word for evil) on the wall. The dead officer's daughter Gretta (Embeth Davidtz), a theology professor, helps Hobbes confront the demonic forces running amok in his life.
This tense and compelling supernatural thriller written by Nicholas Kazan and directed by Gregory Hoblit reminds us that evil often seems to be on the attack in the lives of those who are tenacious in their pursuit of justice and truth. Hobbes's willpower and his ethical stamina are further tested in relationships with his brother (Gabriel Casseus), his partner (John Goodman), and his superior (Donald Sutherland).
Fallen provides an eerie occasion to ponder the clash between good and evil. It vividly reveals that we can run from demons but not hide from them. Eventually, we have to take a stand against evil.