CrimeDramaThriller

Falling Down

- The adventures of an ordinary man at war with the everyday world.

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

Release Date : 1993-02-26

Language :EnglishSpanishKorean

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Warner Bros. PicturesArnold Kopelson ProductionsLe Studio Canal+Regency EnterprisesAlcor Films

Production Country : FranceUnited States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : D-Fens

Original Name : Michael Douglas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prendergast

Original Name : Robert Duvall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Beth

Original Name : Barbara Hershey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sandra

Original Name : Rachel Ticotin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Prendergast

Original Name : Tuesday Weld

Gender : Female

Character Name : Surplus Store Owner

Original Name : Frederic Forrest

Gender : Male

Character Name : D-Fens' Mother

Original Name : Lois Smith

Gender : Female

Character Name : Adele (Beth's Child)

Original Name : Joey Singer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guy on Freeway

Original Name : Ebbe Roe Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Lee

Original Name : Michael Paul Chan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Captain Yardley

Original Name : Raymond J. Barry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective Lydecker

Original Name : D.W. Moffett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective Brian

Original Name : Steve Park

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective Jones

Original Name : Kimberly Scott

Gender : Female

Character Name : Detective Keene

Original Name : James Keane

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective Graham

Original Name : Macon McCalman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective Sanchez

Original Name : Richard Montoya

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Clerk

Original Name : Bruce Beatty

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer at Station

Original Name : Matthew Saks

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gang Member One

Original Name : Agustin Rodriguez

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gang Member Two

Original Name : Eddie Frias

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gang Member Three

Original Name : Pat Romano

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gang Member Four

Original Name : Julian Scott Urena

Gender : Male

Character Name : Angie

Original Name : Karina Arroyave

Gender : Female

Character Name : Angie's Mother

Original Name : Irene Olga López

Gender : Female

Character Name : Uniformed Officer at Beth's

Original Name : Benjamin Mouton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Uniformed Officer's Partner

Original Name : Dean Hallo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Construction Sign Man by Bus Stop

Original Name : James Morrison

Gender : Male

Character Name : Steady Guy in Park

Original Name : John Fleck

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rick (Whammyburger)

Original Name : Brent Hinkley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sheila (Whammyburger)

Original Name : Dedee Pfeiffer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Woman Who Throws Up (Whammyburger)

Original Name : Carole Androsky

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lita the Waitress

Original Name : Margaret Medina

Gender : Female

Character Name : Not Economically Viable Man

Original Name : Vondie Curtis-Hall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Annoying Man at Phone Booth

Original Name : Mark Frank

Gender : Male

Character Name : First Gay Man

Original Name : Peter Radon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Second Gay Man

Original Name : Spencer Rochfort

Gender : Male

Character Name : Second Officer at Beth's

Original Name : Carole Ita White

Gender : Female

Character Name : Second Officer's Partner

Original Name : Russell Curry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guy Behind Woman Driver

Original Name : John Fink

Gender : Male

Character Name : Street Worker

Original Name : Jack Kehoe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kid (with Missile Launcher)

Original Name : Valentino D. Harrison

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frank (Golfer)

Original Name : Jack Betts

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jim (Golfer)

Original Name : Al Mancini

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dad (Back Yard Party)

Original Name : John Diehl

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mom (Back Yard Party)

Original Name : Amy Morton

Gender : Female

Character Name : Trina (Back Yard Party)

Original Name : Abbey Barthel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Suzie the Stripper

Original Name : Susie Singer Carter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paramedic

Original Name : Wayne Duvall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prendergast's Daughter

Original Name : Valisha Jean Malin

Gender : Male

Reviews

Rob

@BinaryCrunch

2021-06-23

Having just watched this movie I can say that I enjoyed it, not overly so. Its not really a tale of urban reality more that the everyday annoyances that we do nothing about and this guy turns them into a personal insult. Its starts normally enough, stuck in traffic, beep noises and drilling on a hot day, his AC is broken, the window is broken. Instead of just shrugging it off with that Monday feeling he just abandons his car and goes for a walk, to start with its a shop owner with overpriced drinks that gets his shop smashed up a bit, later only when threatened with violence himself does he defend himself against 2 gang members. This is where things start to suddenly go weird, the gang members drive round and stumble across him somehow, (I'm British but I think LA is a little too big for that) then spray bullets in a drive by 20ft away and miss him completely but hit everyone around him and then they promptly crash. He walks over to the car, collects a bag of guns from it then goes and shoots up a burger bar because they are not serving breakfast, which he then changes his mind to lunch anyway and it continues from there. I don't know if this was meant to show some sort of mental brakedown due to his previous life choices but his empathy just disappears. At the start you could relate to the character but the more you watch the more you begin to distance yourself from that notion until you realise you just watched a movie where a guy went round killing people for no reason other than anger at himself for destroying his family life. It leaves me wondering if that was the directors intention or a happy coincidence to push that prospective on the viewer.

vylmen

@vylmen

2024-12-30

## Not about the guy This movie isn't about the main character, William 'D-Fens' Foster. He does some crazy things and I guess that what some people remember, but if you really watch the movie you see that it puts society's erosion of the U.S. "normal guy" on display. People who "do everything right": get a degree, marry, make babies, work for a corporation. They feel disillusioned, cheated out of the promise of the American dream. Class divides, racism, toxic masculinity, coroporate greed, urban decay, breakdown of interpersonal connections and flat, sloppy hamburgers that look nothing like the picture on the menu. They are all present in Joel Schumacher's chronicle of the late 80's and early 90's. Even the inaction of police under the strain of declining budgets. His ex-wife that dodged a bullet by getting out before D-Fens got violent, is almost ridiculed for being oversensitve, instead of rewarded for her insight and protective instincts. There are so many things we can see through D-Fens' interactions, but also his wife and the excellent portrail of Prendergast by Robert Duval. In essence, Falling Down is less about D-Fens as an individual and more about the society that shaped him and countless others like him, not coming to terms with the weight of systemic failures. It’s a film that leaves viewers with questions rather than answers. Even decades later people will recognise themselves in the characters, the neighbourhoods and the way they navigate life in the shadow of the American dream.