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In the opening sequence of the fall, we see some sort of accident happening without understanding exactly what is going on, except that we see a man and his horse fall all the way down to the waters below a high bridge. The sequence is not in color, is in slow motion, and is set to some of the most beautiful music the world has ever known - the second movement of Beethoven's seventh symphony. How could I not be hooked? This movie starts out beautifully and sets out to continue as a visual piece of art for its entirety.

The fall that was witnessed in the beginning is actually that of a stuntman named Roy, who was seriously injured from the stunt and is staying at the hospital because he has lost use of his legs. There, he meets a young girl named Alexandria, who is there because of a broken arm. Alexandria is bored and comes to Roy's bed for entertainment. He decides to tell her a story about five heroes who have set out to kill the evil emperor Odious, who has wronged each of them in one way or another. The movie moves back and forth between the story and the hospital setting, not unlike The Princes Bride in the way the narration sometimes contains outside comments from Alexandria.

Roy is severely depressed, and so the movie is not quite as magical and fun as one might think for a man telling a sort of fairy tale to a little girl. In fact, Roy sees his friendship with the girl as an opportunity. He tells Alexandria that he can't sleep and asks her to find a bottle of pills for him in the room where all of the medicine is stored. He is so broken up by his loss of motion and also the loss of the woman that he loves that he simply wants to die. He uses the story to keep Alexandria connected enough to him that she might help him. It sounds dark, and in a sense it is, but while watching it, it doesn't come across as messed up as you'd think.

The direction of the story of the heroes changes often, depending on Alexandria's tastes and Roy's mood. I really liked that touch to it. One may think they know where everything is heading, but there are plenty of surprises, and even this story within a story takes some dark turns that I didn't expect.

Visually, The Fall is a movie to behold because its art direction really is beautiful. The wide panoramic shots, the awesome landscapes, the intricate costumes, the saturated colors in general, and even the staging all come together to make it a treat for the eyes. There is a slight overuse of slow motion to emphasize these aspects of the film, and sometimes I thought it was completely unnecessary because the shot itself already looked good without having to be slowed down for me to appreciate it. After a while, I did think that some of the slow motion could have been avoided to make it an even better movie.

But that's a small complaint in a movie that's otherwise very good. I'm glad that the emphasis on looks wasn't the only focus. The relationship between Roy and Alexandria, each of their back-stories, and the story of the heroes all layer together to create a whole, which is really, really good. I had heard about this movie when it was in the theater but decided against driving out to Irvine to see it, and now a part of me wishes I had instead of just watching it on DVD. Oh well. It was worth checking out, and it's definitely one of my favorites from last year.