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Movie:		9.0
Picture:		7.0
Sound:		8.0
Extras:		5.0
Score:		7.0

Director(s):	Joel Schumacher
Writer(s):	Ebbe Roe Smith
Starring:	Frederic Forrest • Michael Douglas • Rachel Ticotin • Robert Duvall
Genre:	Thriller
Release Date:	May 26, 2009
Rated:

List Price:	DVD - $14.99 ; Blu-ray - $23.99
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Somewhat lazily dismissed at the time of its release as merely a “white collar Taxi Driver” this taut, tidy, intelligent thriller has stood the test of time and slowly ascended to something approaching cult status. It’s a career best performance for Michael Douglas, whose career has largely defined itself through unflattering turns in risky projects. Wall Street might be more showy and Fatal Attraction more accessible, but it’s the jaw-clenching resentment and white knuckle intensity of this ordinary man pushed past the brink that stands as Douglas’ finest hour. It’s also by far and away Joel Schumacher’s best film; also, it's further testament to the performance of his leading man and Ebbe Roe Smith’s layered script that a director who can, in all honesty, f--k up a cup of coffee could deliver such a complex and compelling picture.

It’s 1993, and the Cold War has ended. With it comes the collapse of the defense industry on the back of the Reagan-Bush era, which saw an unprecedented increase in the wealth gap in the United States and the rise of outsourcing. Out of this field of broken promises steps Douglas as William Foster (known as D-Fens on account of his license plate), a defense industry worker recently handed his pink slip after being politely informed that he was “not economically viable.” Stuck in gridlock with no a/c, staring down the barrel of another day of fruitless job searching, Foster snaps, abandons his car, and begins a weary trek home to give his estranged wife a piece of his mind that quickly descends into a crusade of violent indignation directed at the everyday world.

It’s a masterful opening sequence that in just a couple of mostly silent minutes perfectly encapsulates the spirit of modern, urban alienation through a barrage of leering faces and jarring wild sounds. It also serves to set up the film's central contrast as just a few cars behind him is Detective Prendergast (Robert Duvall), the man who will have to bring Foster in and who, on his last day before early retirement, is content to merely sit and chuckle at some amusing graffiti on a billboard.

A doormat to his wife, a joke to his colleagues, and despised by his captain, it’s Prendergast’s good humor set against Foster’s unraveling menace that makes the audience ponder. Life sucks! What are you going to do about it? As Foster’s rants increase in fervor and his singular brand of justice (via the baseball bat and later the machine gun) is meted out to grotesque gang-bangers, belligerent beggars and yuppie pricks on the street, it’s hard not to get swept away by the storm of his white hot irritation. A lot of credit has to go to the score and James Newton Howard for his catchy blend of pounding tribal beats and harsh industrial noise that gives the action a wild sense of urgency. For sure this is the urban jungle (emphasis on jungle), where predators both vicious and opportunistic roam the streets and you project strength to avoid conflict.

What works so well about Falling Down is that the nature of Foster’s action makes him impossible to dismiss with the simple application of a label. He handily declares that he is not a vigilante. The gleeful execution of a cartoonish Nazi (the only time the film veers close to parody) shows that he’s not a racist, homophobe, or a fascist. His assault on gutter trash one minute and golfing grandpas the next tells us this isn’t class warfare. Rather Foster is plain and simple a disenfranchised man overflowing with impotent rage and we’re left with no option but to confront his behavior head on.

Amidst the large and more complex issues is a simple study in duality between the principles. Foster’s actions are ultimately indefensible, but it’s with him that we find ourselves siding for so much of the story. Prendergast’s answer to his situation is seemingly to turn the other cheek, but it's ultimately shown that the key to his prison of passivity is for him to essentially grow a pair. But as the film progresses and his larger back-story is slowly brought into play, Foster gradually morphs from hero to self-destructive villain, and the man we initially cheered on is revealed to be one who is abusive, controlling, and more than a little delusional. Beached beyond sympathy, he ponders his fate: “I’m the bad guy?” he asks with air of quiet realization, “How’d that happen?”

Frankly it’s unbelievable that this was a big studio picture. It’s a film that could not, and would not be green lit today. With Hollywood seemingly content to banish any shade of gray from its color palate, this film is a testament to artistic bravery, and one that handily illustrates how Foster’s problems run much deeper than a shitty day at the office, so to speak, and how this country’s are greater than one guy who just couldn’t take it anymore.

DVD Bonus Features

The fact that Joel Schumacher managed to stand on the shoulders of a great actor and an excellent script to create a superior thriller does nothing to alter the reality that he is in fact a terrible filmmaker, and, if this commentary is anything to go by, something of a blithering idiot. Rather than addressing anything of the powerful imagery, Schumacher spends the entire opening sequence deconstructing the nature of vehicle ownership.

Also, given that this is allegedly the deluxe edition of Falling Down, it’s a travesty that what should be at least three separate commentary tracks have been hacked to pieces to create a single jumble. With Schumacher, Douglas, Smith, and editor Paul Hirsch all distributed somewhat unevenly across a single track, the result is an unfocused slew of opinion that’s ultimately very hard to listen to. Far more interesting is the "Deconstructing D-Fens" featurette whereby Michael Douglas breaks down the psychology of his character and details his interest in the project. Also included is the original theatrical trailer.