Falling Down

I watched 'Falling Down' when it originally came out in 1993 here in Texas and also again when I recently visited Los Angeles to write a book about it last January. This is an incredible movie whereby it spins an allegory about one man's descent into hell and the society which represents this hell. There are no winners in this plot and I see occurrences similar to what I experienced in Los Angeles during 2006. I feel this could happen to any person regardless of race or gender. In this case, he was a white middle aged man with many issues. The movie seemed realistic is some instances but drifted away to Hollywood fantasy (the bazooka scene later in the movie). Do we see similar cases like this today? This could definitely happen in any community in the United States for any of the reasons defined in the movie. One should watch this and then understand many of the frustrations which many people don't assume affect different sectors of society. Because one dresses in a shirt and tie does not mean that a calm demeanor lies beneath the surface such as what the allegory of this movie is stating. I consider this one the best of '93 and well worth buying or watching. I will be watching this again in Lubbock, Texas and with my cousin and friend in Los Angeles.

This probably will not everybody's cup of tea, but if you're having a bad day it will be difficult not to relate to D Fens (Douglas). It's probably not an accident that there's quite a few similarities in the lives of D Fens and retiring police officer Prendergast (Duvall). As with most good films it also makes you think a bit. At what point does D Fens cross the line ? I'd suggest the Whammy Burger joint, but he does have a point with his flat burger and 2 minutes late for breakfast. The point of no return is a truly sinister scene.

Falling Down (1993)

Tagged as `the adventures of an ordinary man at war with the everyday world,' Joel Schumacher's `Falling Down' tells the tragic tale of William Foster aka D-FENS, a now unemployed defense worker who finds himself trapped on a hot summer day in bumper-to-bumper Los Angeles traffic. Having been pushed past the brink of sanity, Foster loses it and storms out of his car, walking around town and trying desperately to see his little daughter for her birthday, a daughter who is untouchable because of a court order against him by his estranged wife. Along the way, Foster will run across character types we've all come across: the 'war veteran' bum who is really just a lowlife looking to score some quick cash, an irate Korean grocery store owner, a homophobic neo-nazi army retail store owner, a crusty elitist country club golf player, super friendly fast food workers, young Hispanic thugs, and so forth. And each one will chip away at what remains of his patience and tolerance for stupidity, fueling a rampage.

Up against this anti-hero is Prendergast, a veteran cop who has felt many of the same pains as Foster, but who serves as sort of a foil to him. Foster has lost everything, and while Prendergast has lost quite a bit (his wife is a basketcase, his little daughter died years ago under mysterious circumstances), he still retains some optimism, calmness, and dignity. As Prendergast, who is on his last day on the job, begins to put together the pieces of the mysterious crime spree plaguing the city (he seems to be the only one smart enough to figure out it's all the doing of one man!), it pits him in an inevitable confrontation between him and Foster.

Michael Douglas, playing Foster / D-FENS plays an incredibly complex character. On the one hand, you know much of what he does is so wrong, but at the same time there's immense satisfaction at seeing him lash out at those deserving of it. And while he tries to stay calm, he finds himself constantly provoked by those who have 'wronged society.' In fact, many of the things he does could so easily have been avoided if the 'victims' were not so positively despicable. You can't help but feel at the end of the day, when Foster gets his due, that he's, in some small way, made Los Angeles a better place despite the carnage he's unleashed.

And this is perhaps what is so strange about the movie. There seems to be no clear message. Who was right? Who was wrong? It becomes a very blurry line over the approximately 2 hours of the movie's run. I've seen it now several times and I still can't give any definitive answer. Perhaps this is a strength, that different people will view this movie in different ways. Some will see this as the story of a noble, decent man who modern society has beaten down and crushed, and who desperately tries to struggle against the tyranny and betrayal. Others will see Foster as a lunatic who needed to be put down. No one, I think, will find that Foster doesn't warrant some sympathy.

Personally, I think Foster got the wrong end of the stick. His wife's anger and fear of him seems somewhat unwarranted, and though it is clear that Foster (and not just society itself) has brought many of his problems upon his own head, he is tired and angry and rightfully resentful at the course his life has taken. He feels he has nothing to live for, so he takes it out on anyone who crosses his path. I recommend this movie because the performances are all-around great, it delivers a solid cast, and as the portrayal of one man's journey down the path of madness, few have done better.

Grade: A-

It has been 26 years since this movie came out. I saw it finally yesterday after desiring to see it since it was first advertised on circuit all those years ago. And what's my synopsis of this semi-vintage movie?...brilliant! So worth it! So much better than I ever imagined it could be! And not outdated at all! I expected it would be a novel, fun, action-packed movie about a guy who's had enough; with something of a pointed statement/indictment against our modern urban society. And it is that...but also so much more! This film is a masterpiece; it is beautiful and poignant art. There is not a scene or a shot or an utterance that is not absolutely intentional, loaded with depth and/or intrinsic to both the unfolding narrative and to its poetic depiction of humanity and the state of the world. It's a film that makes me feel robbed for having watched dozens of mindless one-dimensional action movies over these years. The writer (Ebbe Roe Smith), the director (Joel Shumacher), the awesome actors Douglas and Duvall and everyone involved with this production do not deserve a tinselly Oscar...they deserve a medal! And this movie deserves a shelf at the Louvre! And it most certainly deserves to be watched! As for me, I will be grabbing my shovel and go tracing the seam of movies from these great artists in search for more undiscovered gold. Last words: know that the language is not toned down and the very hard, very real issues that it deals with are weighty, so it's not for every audience or every occasion. But it couldn't have been any other way for being a look on real life. Phenomenal though that there is such hopefulness, joy, inspiration, overflowing humour and clever wit in this story. It is not at all a dark or depressing or ugly movie while it deals with matter in our society that is just that. It is like a great red wine that has the sweet and the bitter and the dry just perfectly balanced ... you take a sip, savour it and sigh out, in deep satisfaction!

Joel Schumacher's career has gone down the drain since this movie, for now he is just trying to make stupid movies with no sense and style. However this proved to be one of his best films. Michael Douglas portrayed William Forster perfectly, giving us a character who is both sensible and psychotic at the same time. The whole scene with Douglas in the fast food restaurant was priceless, giving a voice to the typical angry consumer. So many messages in the film really brought out the stereotypical infuriated American, and gave us the reactionary nature of such an individual. While this film will most likely leak in to the annals of obscurity, this one will always remain in my video collection.