Falling Down (1993)

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writer (WGA):

Ebbe Roe Smith (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

An unemployed defense worker frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society, begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.

Plot Keywords:

Birthday | Gang | Baseball Bat | Convenience Store | Traffic Jam

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	William 'D-Fens' Foster
Robert Duvall	...	Detective Prendergast
Barbara Hershey	...	Elizabeth 'Beth' Travino
Tuesday Weld	...	Amanda Prendergast
Rachel Ticotin	...	Detective Sandra Torrez
Frederic Forrest	...	Nick, The Nazi Surplus Store Owner
Lois Smith	...	Mrs. Foster / William's Mother
Joey Hope Singer	...	Adele Foster-Travino
Ebbe Roe Smith	...	Guy on Freeway
Michael Paul Chan	...	Mr. Lee
Raymond J. Barry	...	Captain Yardley
D.W. Moffett	...	Detective Lydecker
Steve Park	...	Detective Brian
Kimberly Scott	...	Detective Jones
James Keane	...	Detective Keene

Also Known As:

Chute libre (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and strong language.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

France | USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 (re-rating: 1997) (uncut) | South Korea:18 (original rating: 1994) (cut) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:16+ | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Peru:14 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

1000 N. Crescent Drive, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alcor Films

Trivia:

Every studio in Hollywood turned down Ebbe Roe Smith's script. Producer Arnold Kopelson was getting to the stage of considering cable TV when Michael Douglas came across the script and pronounced it one of the best he'd ever read.

Goofs:

Continuity: The window in D-fens' car at the beginning can't roll down, but he steers the car off the road by pushing the car and putting his hand through the window onto the wheel.

Quotes:

Bill Foster: You're Korean? Do you have any idea how much money my country has given your country?
Mr. Lee: How much?
Bill Foster: I don't know. But, it's gotta be a lot.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The DiCaprio Code (2006)

Soundtrack:

I DIDN'T SLIP, I WASN'T PUSHED, I FELL

Michael Douglas: voice of the average consumer

Joel Schumacher's career has gone down the drain since this movie, for now he is just trying to make stupid movies with no sense and style. However this proved to be one of his best films. Michael Douglas portrayed William Forster perfectly, giving us a character who is both sensible and psychotic at the same time. The whole scene with Douglas in the fast food restaurant was priceless, giving a voice to the typical angry consumer. So many messages in the film really brought out the stereotypical infuriated American, and gave us the reactionary nature of such an individual. While this film will most likely leak in to the annals of obscurity, this one will always remain in my video collection.