Falling Down (1993)

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

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writer:

Ebbe Roe Smith

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	D-Fens
Robert Duvall	...	Prendergast
Barbara Hershey	...	Beth
Rachel Ticotin	...	Sandra
Tuesday Weld	...	Mrs. Prendergast
Frederic Forrest	...	Surplus Store Owner
Lois Smith	...	D-Fens' Mother
Joey Hope Singer	...	Adele (Beth's Child)
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

Storyline

On the day of his daughter's (Joey Hope Singer) birthday, William "D-Fens" Foster (Michael Douglas) is trying to get to his estranged ex-wife's (Barbara Hershey) house to see his daughter. He has a breakdown and leaves his car in a traffic jam in Los Angeles and decides to walk. Along the way he stops at a convenience store and tries to get some change for a phone call but the owner, Mister Lee (Michael Paul Chan), does not give him change. This destabilizes William who then breaks apart the shop with a baseball bat and goes to an isolated place to drink a coke. Two gangsters (Agustin Rodriguez & Eddie Frias) threaten him and he reacts by hitting them with the bat. D-FENS continues walking and stops at a phone booth. The gangsters hunt him down with their gang and shoot at him but crash their car. William goes nuts and takes their gym bag with weapons proceeding in his journey of rage against injustice. Meanwhile Sergeant Martin Prendergast (Robert Duvall), who is working on his last ...

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Plot Keywords:

destroying property | alienation | father daughter relationship | moral ambiguity | dysfunctional family | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and strong language

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English Spanish Korean

Release Date:

26 February 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un día de furia

Filming Locations:

MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,724,452, 26 February 1993

Gross USA:

$40,903,593

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcor Films,Canal+,Regency Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The man who is yelling about being "not economically viable" in front of the bank is wearing the same clothes as D-Fens. Even the tie pattern is the same.

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Goofs

When Bill's wife leads the lady police officer out of the house, she turns, closes, and maybe locks the gate to her front yard. When Bill finally arrives, when his wife leaves the house from the back door, he runs through an open gate up to the front door.

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Quotes

Sergeant Prendergast: She'd got it into her head that I'd been killed, so when I got home she thought I was a Ghost, and I had to chase her around the house!

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Crazy Credits

"London Bridge is Falling Down" plays briefly at the very end of the credits.

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Connections

References Red Dawn (1984)

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Soundtracks

THE STRIPPER
Written by David Rose
Performed by David Rose and His Orchestra
Courtesy of POLYGRAM SPECIAL MARKETS

User Reviews

Douglas has turned out to be my favorite action hero

This was one of the best movies in the 90's that all of us stress takers can relate to. He represented us who put up with people's crap all day long and people who spit and walk over his face not being afraid of who he is. Douglas has proved to the world that even the most quiet fellows can be dangerous. I love this movie every step of the way. After watching this movie it seemed as if Duvall and the others were the bad guys and Douglas was the good guy.