Falling Down

February. 26,1993      R
Rating:
7.6
Trailer Synopsis Cast

An ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.

Michael Douglas as  D-Fens
Robert Duvall as  Prendergast
Barbara Hershey as  Beth
Rachel Ticotin as  Sandra
Tuesday Weld as  Mrs. Prendergast
Frederic Forrest as  Surplus Store Owner
Lois Smith as  D-Fens' Mother
Ebbe Roe Smith as  Guy on Freeway
Michael Paul Chan as  Mr. Lee
Raymond J. Barry as  Captain Yardley

Similar titles

Two Small Bodies
Two Small Bodies
Eileen Maloney, a hostess at a strip joint, has woken up to find her two children are missing. Lieutenant Bramm suspects that she killed them herself. He questions her for days about her lifestyle, her children, her ex-husband, men and women, and life in general. He forces her to re-enact her last moments in the children's room hoping to shock her into giving more information. The lieutenant's infatuation is not merely professional, however, and soon they are reversing roles.
Two Small Bodies 1993
Borderline Normal
Borderline Normal
A family goes through a divorce.
Borderline Normal 2000
Trust Me
Trust Me
An art dealer murders one of his artists in the hopes of increasing the market value of his work.
Trust Me 1989
McCanick
Prime Video
McCanick
Over the course of one feverish day, a harried narcotics detective and his reluctant partner frantically track down a recently released convict who knows a secret from the past.
McCanick 2014
The Drag-Net
The Drag-Net
A playboy takes a job as an assistant district attorney, finds himself up against a tough crime boss and his gang.
The Drag-Net 1936
Coldfire
Prime Video
Coldfire
The "Coldfire" is a lethal new designer-drug with destructive capabilities. Its origins are unknown...and its effects are irreversible. This drug promises the "ultimate high." However, what does the user acquire instead? The ultimate way to die... The main purpose of the "Coldfire" drug is to help the enemy cripple the United States. An epidemic is imminent if the use of this drug spreads everywhere... Entering the scene are Nick and Jake Edwards two audacious police officers. They may lack age, but they certainly have attitude. These Generation-X cops hope to show some of the veteran members of the police force a trick or to. These two officers will be working with a company of experienced pros including the seasoned Lars and the short-tempered Dix. Their assignment is to track down who or what is responsible for the distribution of this virulent drug substance... Written by David Choi
Coldfire 1990
The City
The City
Matt and Scott are two detectives trying to catch a crazy guy who has a beef with a country singer. Banks' problem with country singer, Wes Collins, is that Wes punched him in the face when he was a baby. Banks is now intent on getting revenge for this by killing Wes. Only Matt and Scott can stop him. Written by Josh Pasnak
The City 1977
American History X
Max
American History X
Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.
American History X 1998
Memento
Prime Video
Memento
Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.
Memento 2001
Beverly Hills Cop
Paramount+
Beverly Hills Cop
Fast-talking, quick-thinking Detroit street cop Axel Foley has bent more than a few rules and regs in his time, but when his best friend is murdered, he heads to sunny Beverly Hills to work the case like only he can.
Beverly Hills Cop 1984

You May Also Like

The Shining
Paramount+
The Shining
Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.
The Shining 1980
Fatal Attraction
Prime Video
Fatal Attraction
For Dan Gallagher, life is good. He is on the rise at his New York law firm, is happily married to his wife, Beth, and has a loving daughter. But, after a casual fling with a sultry book editor named Alex, everything changes. Jilted by Dan, Alex becomes unstable, her behavior escalating from aggressive pursuit to obsessive stalking. Dan realizes that his main problem is not hiding his affair, but rather saving himself and his family.
Fatal Attraction 1987
The War of the Roses
Max
The War of the Roses
The Roses, Barbara and Oliver, live happily as a married couple. Then she starts to wonder what life would be like without Oliver, and likes what she sees. Both want to stay in the house, and so they begin a campaign to force each other to leave. In the middle of the fighting is D'Amato, the divorce lawyer. He gets to see how far both will go to get rid of the other, and boy do they go far.
The War of the Roses 1989
Basic Instinct
Prime Video
Basic Instinct
Catherine, a novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite, becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered -- a crime she had described in her latest story.
Basic Instinct 1992
Kalifornia
Prime Video
Kalifornia
A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.
Kalifornia 1993
The Lost Boys
Max
The Lost Boys
When an unsuspecting town newcomer is drawn to local blood fiends, the Frog brothers and other unlikely heroes gear up to rescue him.
The Lost Boys 1987
Dolores Claiborne
Max
Dolores Claiborne
Dolores Claiborne was accused of killing her abusive husband twenty years ago, but the court's findings were inconclusive and she was allowed to walk free. Now she has been accused of killing her employer, Vera Donovan, and this time there is a witness who can place her at the scene of the crime. Things look bad for Dolores when her daughter Selena, a successful Manhattan magazine writer, returns to cover the story.
Dolores Claiborne 1995
Romancing the Stone
Prime Video
Romancing the Stone
Though she can spin wild tales of passionate romance, novelist Joan Wilder has no life of her own. Then one day adventure comes her way in the form of a mysterious package. It turns out that the parcel is the ransom she'll need to free her abducted sister, so Joan flies to South America to hand it over. But she gets on the wrong bus and winds up hopelessly stranded in the jungle.
Romancing the Stone 1984
Traffic
Prime Video
Traffic
An exploration of the United States of America's war on drugs from multiple perspectives. For the new head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the war becomes personal when he discovers his well-educated daughter is abusing cocaine within their comfortable suburban home. In Mexico, a flawed, but noble policeman agrees to testify against a powerful general in league with a cartel, and in San Diego, a drug kingpin's sheltered trophy wife must learn her husband's ruthless business after he is arrested, endangering her luxurious lifestyle.
Traffic 2000
Wall Street
Prime Video
Wall Street
A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider whom takes the youth under his wing.
Wall Street 1987

Reviews

CrawlerChunky
1993/02/26

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

... more
ThedevilChoose
1993/02/27

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

... more
Hattie
1993/02/28

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

... more
Darin
1993/03/01

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

... more
adonis98-743-186503
1993/03/02

An unemployed defense worker frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society, begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them. Falling Down benefits from a very good perfomance by Michael Douglas unfortunately for him the film doesn't have the impact it might have hoped it was going to have (at least to me it didn't) plus i found Duvall and the rest of the cast more of wax dolls not doing pretty much anything for the entire film and the ending was definitely awful to say the least and despite Douglas perfomance this was weak. (5/10)

... more
Sean Lamberger
1993/03/03

Michael Douglas plays a working-class man, pushed over the edge by the stress of modern life, family problems, work difficulties and a whole slew of mental issues. He's basically on the warpath from the beginning, storming away from a traffic standstill to find (or instigate) a frothy, furious conflict with every step. Douglas's unnamed vigilante might play as somewhat sympathetic at first, or perhaps that was the intention, but as the climax approaches and more details are filled in, he's among the last to realize that he isn't this story's hero. Robert Duvall works a parallel route as the desk-bound former police detective, trying to get through his last day, who almost unconsciously cracks the case and throws himself into harm's way. There's a lot of subtlety and context here, which seems lost in Joel Schumacher's hammy, literal direction. Duvall's coworkers tease him relentlessly about dying before retirement, an obvious crack at the well-worn cinematic trope, but it plays as dumb and blunt rather than witty and clever. The rampaging madman is treated with strange admiration, marching through a hail of bullets like a superhero where he should have seemed detached and unhinged. I don't think Schumacher completely understood the story he was telling. With an excellent leading performance from Douglas and a sharp, surprisingly relevant script, it's a shame this didn't turn out better than it did.

... more
Worldstone
1993/03/04

Whether you enjoyed this movie or not, you can't deny that at some point in your life, you will or you've already related to our anti- hero protagonist. You will face problems everyday, problems of all sizes, minor or major, and they will absolutely annoy you to the brink of losing your sanity.Of course, every person will take it differently. Falling Down showed us how even a simple and decent human being could get frustrated by the obvious, gaping flaws of society.I think it's safe to say that there is no coherent story, it's just about our main protagonist "D-Fens" (Michael Douglas) who's trying to get home for his daughter's birthday who was taken from him by his divorced wife. And he faces a plethora of obnoxious problems on the way which slow him down. Sounds pretty horrible and boring when you put it on paper, but this is a perfect example of a movie that's driven by dialogue and characters rather than an exciting plot.You will feel all sorts of emotions while watching this due to the actions done and words spoken by our main character. At times you will feel this movie was a black satirical comedy, and at other times you will feel that this is almost like a fictional documentary about how foul our society is becoming.I've seen this movie many times, and it feels like it gets better every time I watch it. 10/10

... more
ironhorse_iv
1993/03/05

We've all had bad days. And oftentimes, a day that starts out horrible just keeps getting worse, snowballing into a really awful day. This is how 1993's crime thriller, 'Falling Down' begins. Directed by Joel Schumacher & taken place on, one of the hottest days in Los Angeles, California's history; the film written by Ebbe Roe Smith, the film tells the story of an defense worker, William Foster (Michael Douglas) trying to get home for his daughter's birthday party, only to get frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society, which starts to unravel him, until he suffer from a major to psychotically and violently unstable mental breakdown. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, that, the English Hard Rock Band, Iron Maiden got it right with this man. He was truly on the edge, with each step gets closer to losing his head. Even if, we can't condone his extreme actions, as least, some of us, can relate to the issues, he had to deal with. Everybody, at least, had one of these days. If you can't relate to his struggles, as least, you can understand, the frustrations that Det. Martin Prendergast (Robert Duvall), had to deal with on his last day on the force on figuring out the mystery, who is this madman, is all about. Both of these character's stories, make 'Falling Down', a very intriguing, yet challenging movie, worth watching. Added to that, is the wonderful use of music by James Newton Howard that set the mood, and powerful visual cinematography from Andrzej Bartkowiak under Schumacher's direction. Sunny LA has never look, so bleak and hopeless, before. Great use of desaturated and low tech camera-work and shooting at rundown locations. Also great use of symbolism and metaphors throughout the film, like the running use of the lyrics of 'London Bridge' & others. However, I do have to say, the film isn't with some faults & I'm not talking about the minor nitpicking goofs. I'm talking about how the film was notorious criticize by critics at the time, for its treatment of minorities; mostly with how they show Korean and Latino Americans as thugs. It got so bad, that Warner Brothers canceled the release of 'Falling Down' in South Korea & certain Latin America countries following boycott threats. In my opinion, while I can understand the reasons, why minorities groups like Korean & Latino American Coalition got anger. After all, the film was made, during and released just after the 1992 Los Angeles Riot where Koreans and Latinos were targeted by police and looters. In truth, there was plenty of positive, Hispanic & Asian Americans characters in the film, like Detective Brian (Steve Park) & Detective Sandra Torres (Rachel Ticotin). Both characters were played by Korean and Latina performers. If anything, if you look at the majority of negatively characters, throughout the film. Most of them, were portray with white actors. Plus, as a minority, the portrayal weren't as bad, as people back then, make it out to be. Compare to other films back then, it's pretty tame. I just think, these groups are just missing the point. The film is trying to tackle the struggles, of trying to get along, despite cultural differences, language as well, as the economic conditions, in which, many of us, Americans, lived under. Honestly, if there is any real faults for this film, it wouldn't be their use of harsh-language & violence; if anything, it would be, due to the fact, that the film couldn't stop itself, being label as the negative 'angry white racism man' movie. While, on the surface, the film might look like the stereotypically disproportionally portrayal of an older White Americans, having animosity toward minorities; in truth, the film is nothing like that. We sees, throughout the film, William Foster getting along with a number of minorities. Some good examples are the 'Under Construction' scene, where a young unnamed black kid (Valentino Harrison) teach him, how to use a bazooka and the scene with the not economically viable man (Vondie Curtis-Hall). There is even, a scene where Foster disagree with a Neo-Nazi Surplus Store Owner (Frederic Forrest) about race. Because of that, I can't say, Foster is a racism character, nor can I say the movie glorifies lawbreaking. Of course, we see many elements of our society that contributed to his madness. However, the movie never condones his actions as the right thing to do. He's never the hero. If anything, Robert Duvall's character, is. Despite that, I do have to say, portrayal Foster is probably the best role, Michael Douglas has done, since 1987's 'Wall Street'. You really do see, the unbalance nature of his character, trying to figure out, what is right and what is wrong in a world that he views is upside down. You see his alienation, disgust and mounting rage against what he perceives to be an increasingly unfair and depersonalized world. However, I can't say, the same with Robert Duvall's character. His performance was a bit, too similar to the role, he played in 1988's 'Colors'; still interesting, but in the end, he really didn't stand out as much as Douglas does. After all, Douglas's character inspired the creation of the one-episode character Frank Grimes from The Simpsons 23th episode "Homer's Enemy," on Season 8 and received a parodic homage song in Foo Fighters' video for "Walk". In the end, the dark comedy of this movie really does payoff; both tragedy and humorous. Either way, it's a film that inspires quite a bit of discussion and debate. That's one thing, I love about this movie. It makes you think. Depending on who you ask, this film is either social commentary on the dangers of capitalism, and the ignorance of the citizen under it or the call to arms for conservatism against the dangers of liberalism. All these arguments have merit and it could be any of this. That's why, this is one movie that is worth seeing.

... more