Falling Down Movie Review

Falling Down (1993)

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Written by: Ebbe Roe Smith
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey, Rachel Ticotin, Frederic Forrest, Tuesday Weld
Rated: R
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Plot
An ordinary man reaches his breaking point and starts lashing out against the various flaws he sees in society.

Verdict
Finally fed up with all of life's small injustices, Bill takes a stand. This focuses on the several, small annoyances that plague society. Why do road crews never seem to actually work? Why can't I order a ham and cheese biscuit if I'm only three minutes late for the breakfast menu? This buys into the fantasy of doing something about it, but part of that is Bill stuck on nostalgia without acknowledging his responsibility in life's outcomes. It's easy to blame society for all of your failures. The irony is that as a white man he has more privilege than most. He's an extremist, though he doesn't consider himself as such. He would decry the very actions he's taken, as he's directly contributing to the breakdown of society. That's no way to reclaim it.
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Review
This is famous for an every man melting down, mad at all of the small absurdities in the world. He reaches a point where it becomes too much. Why can't he order off the breakfast menu? It was a pivot for Michael Douglas who had played slick professional types.

Starting in the middle of a traffic jam is fitting if you know what this movie is going to be. Bill finally reaches a breaking point, leaving his car in the road when his air conditioning stops working and his window won't roll down. He uses his last quarter to call home, this was before cell phones, then he goes to a store for change. The clerk tells him he must buy something for change. Bill attempts to buy a canned drink that's overpriced. He won't have enough for a call if he purchases it. His frustrations manifest with veiled racism as he comments on the clerk's accent.

The first few scenes seem like an older generation yelling at the clouds, reminiscing about how things used to be better. It's mostly frustration that the world won't cater to him. I don't think Bill is racist outright despite the undertones. It's more of a commentary on how he doesn't understand the world anymore, literally unfamiliar with the language.

Michael Douglas plays Bill Foster

Bill sits down to rest on a stoop in an empty lot when he's accosted by two young men that eventually pull a knife on him, demanding his briefcase. Bill flips out and attacks them. As tough as they seemed and as outmatched as this button down, tie wearing, middle aged guy seemed, the two men end up running away. You don't mess with unhinged.

We learn that part of the stress is that he's divorced from his wife. That's increased his baseline stress, and now anything else sets him off. It's another case of him reacting to not getting what he wants. The two men from before attack him with guns, but he inextricably survives. He takes their guns and walks off to Whammyburger. Bill wants an egg and cheese biscuit, but he misses the breakfast by three minutes. We know he has a bag of automatic weapons. What we don't know is where this argument with the cashier will go. When he finally relents to a burger, he gets one that looks pathetic and nothing like the menu image.

Michael Douglas plays Bill Foster

Bill ends up in a military surplus store that becomes a wild experience. He gets help only to discover the shop owner thinks Bill is some kind of vigilante. It's an interesting comparison. Both of them hope for the 'good old days,' but their definitions are vastly different. Bill reviles the owner for his aversion to different ideas, but Bill has his own narrow viewpoint.

Prendergast (Robert Duvall) is a cop on his last day that begins to think all of these crimes are connected. he's chasing Bill before things escalate. That's just before Bill finds a construction worker that's not doing any work on the road. Why does road work always seem to take so long and do so little? Roads that seem fine always need work.

Robert Duvall plays Martin Prendergast

Bill feels he's suffered for too long, and that finally someone needs to stand up to the world's injustices. There's the irony of him being a white man with inherent privilege. While he's not calling out the trespasses against him, instead focusing on everyday annoyances like traffic jams, lack of civility, and the refusal to serve breakfast, this isn't the way you should react even if everyone understands the annoyances. You can't throw a fit and commit crimes because of it. He's become an extremist, though he wouldn't call himself that. When Prendergrast catches up to him, Bill is surprised to learn he's become the bad guy. He bemoans the fact he was left behind him. He did everything they told him to, but he lost his job. Prendergrast agrees that life isn't fair, but that doesn't give anyone the right to go on a rampage.