The Rolling Stones' "Time is on my side" is sung by a convicted murderer as he is being led to the gas chamber. That's basically how this movie starts.
Elias Koteas plays a great psycho - Edgar Reese. He's the one who's singing as he's being led to the gas chamber.
The storyline in a nutshell is the evil spirit of a "fallen angel" passes from person to person by touch.
James Gandolfi ("Sopranos"), John Goodman ("Roseanne"), Denzel Washington ("Philadelphia") and Donald Sutherland ("Klute") are all Philadelphia cops.
Denzel's wife has left him and he lives with his brother and the brother's son. "A cop knows, a cop sees. Even the most casual thing." Denzel says.
Found written on the wall of a murdered man's home is something that Reese said to Hobbes (Denzel) right before he was executed - "What is the space between Lyons and Spakowski?"
Come to find out, Lyons and Spakowksi were cops of the year for 1964 and 1966. Robert Milano was the cop of the year for 1965, but there is a space where Milano's name used to be on the Cop of the Year award plaque.
Sutherland tells Denzel whatever he finds out about Milano to keep to himself.
Milan's daughter tells Denzel the story of why Milano killed himself - that he was framed as a killer and after he killed himself, the Department rescinded his Cop of the Year award.
About this time, copycat killings of Reese start, right down to the late night phone calls that Denzel receives.
Denzel goes to the cabin where Milano killed himself, cleans a mirror in the basement and sees the word "Azazel". Milano's daughter explains to Denzel that Azazel is an evil spirit that can move by touch.
So now Denzel's got to stop Azazel who's moving by touch through people. Some people Azazel stays in long enough to make them commit murders and some people Azazel passes through in seconds.
Denzel's character is a nice person - evidenced by the fact that he lets his brother and nephew live with him, he gives money to homeless people and he plays basketball with the local kids. I truly believed Denzel in this part, however, the whole plot was a bit "out there".
The most annoying thing in this film to me was Denzel chewing gum with his mouth open.
So, do I recommend this movie? Yes. I have a soft spot for any movie made in Pennsylvania, specifically Philadelphia and Denzel plays his part well. However, my favorite Denzel-Philadelphia movie is "Philadelphia."
A homicide cop, Denzel Washington, hunts a satanic force that shifts from one human host to another in this taut, terrific supernatural thriller.More at HotMovieSale.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.