Falling Down (1993) ****
It's interesting how "hot button" films like this age—how you process and reevaluate them at certain points in your life, based on the zeitgeist and politics of the time. Falling Down (1993) is a film that I've seen numerous times and one that I've always liked a lot.
As a character study and a modern day odyssey, it's top notch. Michael Douglas' performance is perfect. As a tense piece of entertainment, it's really good. (James Newton Howard's propulsive score is also particularly great.) It feels realistic, for the most part, and seems to want to comment on mental illness, domestic/gun violence, capitalism, racism, and inequality ("not economically viable") in a broad sort of way. A key question, though, is how much are we supposed to sympathize with our protagonist—he who terrorizes innocent people due to his own breakdown? Just how bad should we feel for our white middle class hero who goes on a rampage in L.A.?
The film makes the effort to show us that Douglas' character's motivations (he just wants to get home to his (ex) wife and daughter, apparently) are not the same as the bigoted neo-Nazi army surplus store owner or the gang members that want to steal from him. It is wickedly funny when he causes a rich, smug, elderly golf course owner to have a heart attack and smiles down at him mockingly, delivering one of the film's best lines. And our “hero” does appear to feel remorse for his actions. He doesn't want to cause anyone harm, but—as his mind and his self control slowly unravel—he does. And so the film forces the viewer to hold a mirror to themself whenever they find themself relating to D-Fens.
FD can easily be compared to Breaking Bad (2008–2013)—wherein we have another educated but down-on-his-luck father who does terrible things, initially with good intentions, and turns out to be "the bad guy" in the end. Breaking Bad turned out to be a masterpiece. Falling Down isn't quite that, but it is still disturbingly relevant; prophetic, even.
As a character study and a modern day odyssey, it's top notch. Michael Douglas' performance is perfect. As a tense piece of entertainment, it's really good. (James Newton Howard's propulsive score is also particularly great.) It feels realistic, for the most part, and seems to want to comment on mental illness, domestic/gun violence, capitalism, racism, and inequality ("not economically viable") in a broad sort of way. A key question, though, is how much are we supposed to sympathize with our protagonist—he who terrorizes innocent people due to his own breakdown? Just how bad should we feel for our white middle class hero who goes on a rampage in L.A.?
The film makes the effort to show us that Douglas' character's motivations (he just wants to get home to his (ex) wife and daughter, apparently) are not the same as the bigoted neo-Nazi army surplus store owner or the gang members that want to steal from him. It is wickedly funny when he causes a rich, smug, elderly golf course owner to have a heart attack and smiles down at him mockingly, delivering one of the film's best lines. And our “hero” does appear to feel remorse for his actions. He doesn't want to cause anyone harm, but—as his mind and his self control slowly unravel—he does. And so the film forces the viewer to hold a mirror to themself whenever they find themself relating to D-Fens.
FD can easily be compared to Breaking Bad (2008–2013)—wherein we have another educated but down-on-his-luck father who does terrible things, initially with good intentions, and turns out to be "the bad guy" in the end. Breaking Bad turned out to be a masterpiece. Falling Down isn't quite that, but it is still disturbingly relevant; prophetic, even.
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