Once Fallen (2010)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Review: I'm usually a fan of Ed Harris's work, but I found this movie quite weak and the storyline pretty boring. It seemed like it was made for TV and you don't really get to see why Ed Harris is so feared in jail. You also don't get to see what happened to the corrupt cop after all of his evil doings and the ending was corny. I now know why I hadn't heard anything about the film before it came came because it's one of those low budget films that will be forgotten, even though there were some decent actors in it. The only watchable factor is that you want to see what happens to the main character whose trying to go straight, but apart from that, I didn't find it that interesting. Disappointing!Round-Up: At the age of 64, Ed Harris is still churning out movies with great performances. From Pain & Gain to a brief role in Gravity, he still makes some decent movies but a lot of them go straight to DVD. He has a unique, cool way of acting which is great to watch but he has made some bad choices of late. I was surprised to see Sharon Glees, who used to play Cagney in Cagney & Lacey, but she only had a small role without much lines. I think that everyone thought that she would have been a bigger star than she was. As for this movie, it started off well and the storyline looked promising, but it went downhill after the main character came out of prison. I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/crime movies about a guy who comes out of prison and tries to go straight, now that he has to look after his 5 year old boy, but he keeps on getting pulled in the wrong direction. 3/10

I am giving a rather low rating for a movie that is, shot for a low budget of $650000 in only a few weeks, surprisingly well made. I'll try my best to explain why, without spoiling any aspect of the story: the movie starts out strong as the main character Chance, a drug dealer released from prison after five years is trying hard to change his live for the better. what's not to like about this beginning? Chance is likable (and cute) enough, no surprise here: we want him to succeed but we almost instantly sense that chances for Chance are slim!the more the story evolves and presents its challenges to our "hero to be", the more all the characters are evolving into rather overdone caricatures, loaded with stereotypes ...Writer/Producer/Director/Actor Adams meant well but in the end only manages to deliver a well executed movie with an o.k. story but totally lacking convincing characters. This, however is only my personal opinion and should not keep anyone from watching the movie.

If you're a fan of independent film do yourself a favor and see Once Fallen. I've seen countless low budget films and this is one of the best I've seen. Writer/Director/Actor, Ash Adams should be applauded for putting together such a stellar cast with a budget of only $650,000. And his performance as a dirty cop is both captivating and terrifying. Once Fallen is a crime drama with a very touching theme about fathers and sons at the center. The strong performances of the cast adds to the raw emotion of the film. Watch the Blu-ray version so you can appreciate how good this film looks. This film deserves more attention!

Ash Adams, wrote, directed, produced and acted in this very raw story of a family challenged by a life of crime in San Pedro, California. While the film has some brittle edges, editing flaws that disturb the flow of the story, the acting is so fine that these flaws become minor. It is a small budget film populated with some of the finest actors in the business and the result makes for a film that deserves more attention than it received in the theater. Chance (Brian Presley, in a career changing role) has been released from five years in prison for a crime in which he took the blame for a number of his friends and family. Upon release he discovers that his ex-girlfriend Kat (Alison Eastwood) gave birth to their son August while Chance was in jail. Kat promptly walks out on Chance and August, leaving Chance to parent a child he didn't even know he fathered. Chance's friend Beat (Chad Lindberg) is a damaged man, having witnessed with Chance the brutal slaughter of a man by Chance's father Liam (Ed Harris), a man who has been in prison since and has become the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood. Beat has a debt that must be paid and pleads with Chance to do one more Cocaine sale for dirty cop Rath (Ash Adams) to free himself from that debt and get on with life. Chance wants to turn his life around, tries to pay off Beat's debt by participating in a knuckle fight for the operator Eddie (Peter Weller), but when he loses the fight all bets are off. Chance visits his blind aunt Rose (Amy Madigan) and her friend Sue (Sharon Gless) and Rose insists Chance visit his father Liam in the jail. Chance also becomes attached to a friend of Kat's named Pearl (Taraji P. Henson) and Pearl helps Chance to find fatherhood with August and a relationship with her. From all of these setups come encounters that alter the story with realistic views of the corruption of San Pedro as well as a coming together of Chance and his father whose turbulent family history is revealed at the end of the film. The cast is excellent: Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Taraji P. Henson, Peter Weller, Ash Adams, Chad Lindberg and especially Brian Presley give high quality performances as do the supporting cast members. This little film may be tough and raw, but the underlying importance of family is strong and well worth attention from a wider audience. Grady Harp