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
Macon McCalman	...	Detective Graham
Richard Montoya	...	Detective Sanchez (as Richard james Montoya)
Bruce Beatty	...	Police Clerk
Matthew Saks	...	Officer at Station
Agustin Rodriguez	...	Gang Member #1
Eddie Frias	...	Gang Member #2
Pat Romano	...	Gang Member #3
Julian Scott Urena	...	Gang Member #4 (as Fabio Urena)
Karina Arroyave	...	Angie
Irene Olga López	...	Angie's Mother
James Morrison	...	Construction Sign Man by Bus Stop
Benjamin Mouton	...	Uniformed Officer at Beth's
Dean Hallo	...	Uniformed Officer's Partner
John Fleck	...	Seedy Guy in Park
Dedee Pfeiffer	...	Sheila at Whammyburger
Brent Hinkley	...	Rick at Whammyburger
Carole Androsky	...	Woman Who Throws Up
Margaret Medina	...	Lita the Waitress
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Not Economically Viable Man
Mark Frank	...	Man at Phone Booth
Peter Radon	...	Gay Man
Spencer Rochfort	...	Second Gay Man
Carole White	...	Second Officer at Beth's
Russell Curry	...	Second Officer's Partner
John Fink	...	Guy Behind Woman Driver
Jack Kehoe	...	Street Worker
Valentino D. Harrison	...	Kid with Bike
Jack Betts	...	Frank the Golfer
Al Mancini	...	Jim the Golfer
John Diehl	...	Dad at Back Yard
Amy Morton	...	Mom at Back Yard
Abbey Barthel	...	Trina at Back Yard
Susie Singer Carter	...	Suzie the Stripper
Wayne Duvall	...	Paramedic
Valisha Jean Malin	...	Prendergast's Daughter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeffrey Byron	...	CHP Officer (uncredited)
Marjorie J. Frazier	...	Motorist / Pedestrian (uncredited)
Thomas M. Harrigan	...	Construction Worker (uncredited)
Deron McBee	...	Man at pier (uncredited)

Directed by
Joel Schumacher

Writing credits (WGA)
Ebbe Roe Smith		(written by)

Produced by
William S. Beasley	....	associate producer
Stephen Brown	....	co-producer
Nana Greenwald	....	co-producer
Timothy Harris	....	producer
Dan Kolsrud	....	co-producer
Arnold Kopelson	....	producer
Arnon Milchan	....	executive producer
Ebbe Roe Smith	....	associate producer
John J. Tomko	....	associate producer
Herschel Weingrod	....	producer

Original Music by
James Newton Howard

Cinematography by
Andrzej Bartkowiak

Film Editing by
Paul Hirsch

Casting by
Marion Dougherty

Production Design by
Barbara Ling

Art Direction by
Larry Fulton

Set Decoration by
Cricket Rowland

Costume Design by
Marlene Stewart

Makeup Department
Stephen Abrums	....	makeup artist (as Steve Abrums)
Lynda Gurasich	....	hair stylist
Tom Lucas	....	makeup artist

Production Management
William S. Beasley	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dennis Capps	....	second assistant director
Stephen P. Dunn	....	first assistant director (as Stephen Dunn)
David Fudge	....	third assistant director
Stephen E. Hagen	....	dga trainee

Art Department
Mychael Bates	....	property assistant
Kinney Booker	....	swing gang
Francis N. 'Lucky' Costello	....	stand-by painter
Mark Cowley	....	swing gang
Scott Doran	....	swing gang
Jill DuDeck	....	art department staff assistant
Jann K. Engel	....	set designer
Tim Flattery	....	illustrator
Lauren Gabor	....	swing gang
Tom Kaltsas	....	swing gang
Glen Kennedy	....	swing gang
Jody Levine	....	art department staff assistant
Richard F. Mays	....	assistant art director
Mike McNeilly	....	artist
Chuck McSorley	....	lead man
Vic Petrotta Jr.	....	property assistant
William A. Petrotta	....	property master
Brad Ricker	....	set designer
Arthur Riddle	....	construction foreman
David Ronan	....	swing gang
John H. Samson	....	construction coordinator
Kinney Booker	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Doug Crawford	....	propmaker (uncredited)

Sound Department
Wayne Artman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Bowerman	....	boom operator
Charles L. Campbell	....	supervising sound editor
Tom E. Dahl	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Tom Dahl)
Jerry Edemann	....	assistant sound editor
Louis L. Edemann	....	supervising sound editor
Richard C. Franklin	....	sound editor
Andrea Horta	....	adr editor
Doug Jackson	....	sound editor
Nils C. Jensen	....	sound editor
Angie Luckey	....	assistant sound editor
David MacMillan	....	production sound mixer
Chuck Neely	....	sound editor
Mel Neiman	....	processed sound effects
Kevin E. Patterson	....	cable person
John Roesch	....	foley artist
Rod Rogers	....	assistant adr editor
Robert Schaper	....	sound re-recording mixer
Larry Singer	....	supervising adr editor
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley artist
Mary Jo Lang	....	foley mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
James D. Schwalm	....	special effects
Bob Stoker	....	special effects
Lucinda Strub	....	special effects
Matt Sweeney	....	special effects coordinator

Stunts
Gregory J. Barnett	....	stunts
Bobby Bass	....	stunts
Steve Boyum	....	stunts
Gary Combs	....	stunts
Steve M. Davison	....	stunts
Mike De Luna	....	stunts
Scott Dockstader	....	stunts
Maria Doest	....	stunts
Danny Epper	....	stunts (as Danny Eppers)
Richie Gaona	....	stunts
Armando Guerrero	....	stunts
Norman Howell	....	stunts
Tommy J. Huff	....	stunts
Jeff Imada	....	stunts
Henry Kingi	....	stunts
Steven Lambert	....	stunts
Eric Mansker	....	stunts
Gary McLarty	....	stunts
John Meier	....	stunts
Manny Perry	....	stunts
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts
Gilbert Rosales	....	stunts
Thomas Rosales Jr.	....	stunts
Michael Runyard	....	stunt coordinator
Michael Runyard	....	stunts
Dick Ziker	....	stunts
Joey Box	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Chuck Brown	....	dolly grip (as Charles Brown)
Chris Centrella	....	key grip
Peter Davidian	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Michael Gershman	....	camera operator
Scott Gillis	....	best boy grip
Mikael Glattes	....	first assistant Steadicam
Stanley L. Gonsales	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Kim Guthrie	....	first assistant camera
Jeff Kluttz	....	best boy grip
Christine M. Loss	....	still photographer
Mark Mele	....	rigging gaffer
J. Michael Muro	....	Steadicam operator (as James Muro)
J. Michael Muro	....	camera operator (as James Muro)
Christopher C. Strong	....	chief lighting technician
Chuck Whelan	....	second assistant camera
Adam Glick	....	set lighting technician (uncredited)
Michael R. Marquette	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Stan McClain	....	camera operator: Wescam camera (uncredited)
Rex Anson Rhorer	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Ronna Kress	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Fran Allgood	....	costumer
Colby P. Bart	....	costumer (as Colby Bart)
Alan Martin	....	costumer
Linda L. Meltzer	....	costumer (as Linda Meltzer)
Silvio Scarano	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Mellissa Bretherton	....	first assistant editor
Rick Howe	....	assistant editor
Linda Shamest	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Chris Boardman	....	orchestrator
Brad Dechter	....	orchestrator
James Newton Howard	....	orchestrator
Shawn Murphy	....	score mixer
David Olson	....	assistant music editor
Jim Weidman	....	music editor
Michael Dittrick	....	music editor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Keith Dillin	....	transportation coordinator
Randy Luna	....	transportation co-captain (as Randall R. Luna)
Lee Willis	....	transportation captain
David Diaz	....	driver: Michael Douglas (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Barbosa	....	craft service
David M. Bernstein	....	staff assistant
Kim Bodner	....	assistant accountant
Jane Bovingdon	....	special photographies
Paul F. Brinkman Jr.	....	location manager
Bart Brown	....	staff assistant
Peter DePalma	....	assistant: Mr. Douglas
Craig Dietrich	....	staff assistant
Guy Ferland	....	assistant: Mr. Schumacher
Gavin Hitt	....	staff assistant
Nancy Hopton	....	script supervisor
Derek E. Johansen	....	staff assistant
Sheryl Johnson	....	production clerk
Christine A. Johnston	....	production associate
Michael J. Kase	....	staff assistant
Antoinette Levine	....	location manager
Darrin Lipscomb	....	assistant location manager
Susan Montgomery	....	accountant
Boone Narr	....	animal trainer
Maria Norman	....	executive assistant: Arnold Kopelson
Anne S. Reilly	....	unit publicist
Bettina Rose	....	assistant: Mr. Schumacher
Lisa W. Strout	....	assistant location manager
Lt. M.D. 'Doc' Warkentin	....	technical advisor
Richard Wicklund	....	teacher
Brad Wilson	....	assistant: Mr. Duvall
Thomas Bianco	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)
Ursula Brauner	....	animal trainer (uncredited)
Bill Daly	....	post-production accountant manager (uncredited)
Jack E. Herman	....	extras set coordinator (uncredited)
Robert Lamkin	....	caterer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Alcor Films
• Canal+
• Regency Enterprises
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1993) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1996) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Bros. (1993) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1993) (France) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (1994) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (Germany)
• Warner Bros. (Spain)
• Warner Home Vídeo (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2000) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2009) (Brazil) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Other Companies

• For Stars Catering  catering
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals

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:

Crew or equipment visible: During opening scene the Steadicam operator is reflected in a car

Quotes:

Bill Foster: [to The Golfer that is having a heart attack] Yeah. And now you're gonna die, wearing that stupid little hat. How does it feel?

Movie Connections:

Featured in ... A Father... A Son... Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

THE STRIPPER

An important look at the decay of society

Falling Down is the kind of film that has much more more happening than many of us want to know about. It is disguised simply as a film about an apparent nut who goes out and tries to right the wrongs that have been done to him and in his trek across Los Angeles he becomes an anti-hero.

While that may be true to an extent, read more into it and you can see a film that tries to show us that there is something terribly wrong with how we live. I wasn't alive in the 50's, in fact, I was born in the 70's. So I can't honestly tell you if life was easier back then. But what I can tell you is that times were a bit more simple then. For the most part, you had one income in the household. You had T.V and radio as your entertainment and kids went outside to play. Now you must have both parents working so you can have that double income. Kids are obsessed with the internet and videogames and so on. What does all of this have to with the film? Everything!

Falling Down is about the decay in one man's life and how it affects not only him but those around him. There is one very powerful scene in the film that can sum up everything.

There is a key moment in Falling Down that is sad in it's reality, but true in it's opinion. Douglas is in a surplus store and the guy running it is a Nazi sympathizer. When Douglass doesn't share his opinions, they get into a confrontation. The guy snaps and tells Douglas to spread against the wall. He obliges and then the Nazi guy wants to handcuff him. He tells Douglas to give him his hand, he does. Then he tells Douglas to give him his other hand. Douglas is supporting himself on the wall in a 30 degree angle and if he gives the guy his other hand " he'll fall down. " Which is precisely what he tells the Nazi guy. This is a microcosm of the film and a microcosm of what may be wrong with not only society but people in general. There is a theory in wrestling that your arms and legs are like a table, if you take out any two of the legs or arms, your opponent falls down and is vulnerable. Same thing with a human being. Take away so many of his limbs ( job, wife, dignity, credit rating, kids, etc. ) and it may be only a matter of time before that person does snap. This movie shows us what happens to one individual that does snap. He wasn't all that bad to begin with, but as time went on and he was " lied " to, he can't handle it and finally one day, he has had enough. I think this film is more important than people realize and if you have only seen it once, see it again. You may see something that you didn't see before. Hats off to Schumacher and Douglas who had the guts to make this film.