Rating: 
Summary: America: What's happened?
Review: I found this movie absolutely fascinating and overall quite entertaining. Although the frequent acts of random violence are somewhat comical, the rest of the film is a biosphere of our "American" culture. Douglas treks a path through L.A. and encounters various problems in society - sort of a modernized Greek "Odyssey". Douglas, our tragic hero, is the only character who isn't asleep . . . asleep to all the hate and injustice that is occurring in our lives. And therefore, like any hero, is doomed to die by his convictions.Michael Douglas portrays your typical patriotic citizen who becomes "obsolete" in a constantly changing world. I think perhaps all viewers can relate with this character because we all have been rubbed the wrong way by the exact same people Douglas encounters in the film. And sometimes we'd like to flip out too. The end of the film is particularly symbolic in the climactic resolution. There is a sense of sadness when Douglas' character is killed, but at the same time their is a liberation. A liberation from the hell he was living . . . so perhaps the death is not sad at all. If you can't move with society, than you are doomed to fall prey to it. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who has at times felt betrayed by life or our "American" ideals.
Rating: 
Summary: Take another look...
Review: A lot of you people, and most of the critics, miss the point. D-Fens was on the way to commit a great evil. He was going to murder his family. Prendergrast saw it and prevented it. Both agreed that the world can be an awful place: "Hell is other people", according to Sartre. What makes the ultimate difference is how they react to it. The movie is asking "What is strength and what is weakness?" Is lashing out, venting your frustration strength? Are we not taught to express ourselves? Prendergrast is initially portrayed as weak. He's picked on, chewed out by the captain (who represents the corruption of power). What we initially judge as weakness eventually we see as tolerance, insight, patience and honor. He too, has his limits: when his wife is insulted he lashes out but WITHIN REASON. He doesn't pull out a gun and shoot the guy. When his wife neurotically harangues him he deals with it and calms her down. She needed a strong hand. The Nazi represents what D-Fens could become: alienated, frustrated, scared, lonely, and feeding off the anger and displacement of others. The irony is that D-Fens ends up worse than him--a killer. The stabbing was enough for self-defence; he didn't have to shoot him. Someone mentioned sadness: the wife has sadness, but I thing D-Fens has loneliness, the loneliness that comes from thinking you're the only reasonable person in an unreasonable world. D-Fens gives in to the philosophy "Curse God and die", a powerful edict explored in the Book of Job. Prendergrast fights that philosophy and wins. This is one of the great movies of the Nineties.
Rating:
Summary: A man against a broken society...
Review: I recently saw this film on T.V. and really liked it. Michael Douglas' character is not so much psychotic but more like a man on the edge who gradually breaks down. An original and watchable thriller with decent acting.
Rating: 
Summary: Misses the mark
Review: Now, this should have been a great film about the (seemingly) futility of the White mans rage in a increasingly non-White society and how this frustration can be unleashed in fits of brutality, both domestic and sociopathic. But the movie NEVER displays any faith in this conviction. Its primary offense in this regard is making Douglas' character less of a typical White man than he is a typical psycho. It's not just the bad haircut and pocket protector; we eventually learn that Douglas was a man who would get extremely upset if anything did not happen precisely as he wanted it to, who had been fired from his job a month ago, and who still left his mother every morning pretending to leave for a job which he no longer held. If Douglas had played a more normal person, than his acts of rage might have been more challenging (and understandable). And after the ridiculous scene with the Nazi-survivalist surplus store owner, you realize that the script has lost it totally, and the rest of the movie simply winds down into the generic and typical social statement that we've all seen and hated before. A weak and total cop-out of a film - Forget it.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Douglas Vehicle
Review: If nothing else, this movie shows the versatility of Michael Douglas' acting ability. Best known for straight dramatic roles, he has demonstrated his ability to branch out and do something that not just any actor could pull off. The movie is a look at modern day LA as it really is and Douglas' dark mood blends well with the background. Watch this movie and you will catch yourself thinking, "man, I've wanted to do that myself." FALLING DOWN will leave you emotionally drained and sad. It accomplishes what it set out to do.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent social commentary.
Review: This is one of my all time favorite movie about urban vigilatism. It rivals "Taxi Driver" in my opinion. Michael Douglas is Bill Foster, an unemployed defense worker who snaps one day on a hot Los Angeles freeway traffic jam. He goes on a quest to get to his estranged wife and daughter. The assorted characters he meets all convey a message and show a different aspect of Los Angeles. Together, they form a microcosm of our society. Robert Duval is affecting as Prendergast, a retiring detctive who follows Bill Foster's violent past of self-destruction across the city. He realises his similarities to Foster as he does so. It's sad because you realize that Foster's just an ordinary guy who couldn't take society's pressure and injustice anymore. I think Michael Douglas was cheated out of an Academy Award nomination. The explosive ending is great and makes you think.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites... a dark comedy, great acting
Review: Michael Douglas is great here. Although it doesn't appear to consciously make an effort to be funny, I find this movie hilarious. This is one of those great movies that no one really heard of, so if you are going through your library, you can pull it out (the movie, not your well, nevermind...) and your friends (well guys, not sure a/b chicks) will definitely appreciate it. Watch this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Falling Down
Review: Defense Worker Michael Douglas Is Mad As Hell, And He Is Not Going To Take It Any More...He Goes Into A Nervous Breakdown And Begins An Inpromptu Reign Of Terror In East Los Angeles...Police Detective Robert Duvall Is The Only One Who Has A Clue As To What's Going On... Falling Down Has Been Misinterpreted As Endorsing Violence, But Director Joel Schumacher And Screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith Have Indeed Created A Thoughtful And Beleivable Character Study...
Rating: 
Summary: An Intriguing Idea
Review: Michael Douglas Gives Another standout performance in this dark thriller about a former defense worker pushed to the limit with the stress of urban life and goes on a walking rampage throuhout the mean streets of Los Angeles. As he travels his way to see his estranged wife he encounters a whole assorment of shady people who make his journey a difficult one. He encounters viscoius Latino gang members, a rasict army surplus owner, a korean store owner who refuses to give him change in probabbly the most memorable scene of the entire film when Douglas destroys his store with the owner's baseball bat. A very good idea about a man who's worked all his life then all of a sudden he's no longer in demand in the workforce and to himself he feels useless. ... Duvall plays this role certain effciency as a man who too feels the same stress as Douglas but has maintained his sanity and never going over the edge. Great Performaces all the around, it certainty is a film worth talking about.
Rating:
Summary: FALLING DOWN DVD - beautiful quality print
Review: Excellent quality color and sharpness on DVD played on large screen TV. Great movie all around, another great Douglas film.
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