FALLEN

Director: Gregory Hoblit

Starring: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland

Police detective hunts for a serial killer with supernatural powers.

Washington plays a hotshot police detective pitted against the spirit of a serial killer he sent to the gas chamber, who’s able to pass from host to host simply by touch. First-class production values and the personable Washington elevate this entertaining supernatural thriller a notch above its tired premise, which is really no better than your average episode of Tales From The Crypt.

Warners’ disc presents the film in its original anamorphic (2.35:1) ratio, with a facility for 16:9 playback. The film looks stunning, a combination of some excellent cinematography and a sparkling transfer. The 5.1 soundtrack is rarely showy, but maintains a nice ambiance throughout. A trailer, production notes and a commentary track by director Hoiblit (a veteran of Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue), the writer and one of the producers, enhance the offering considerably. Author Nicholas Kazan, incidentally, would next adapt another Twilight Zone-style movie, Bicentennial Man.