Falling Down (1993)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writer (WGA):

Ebbe Roe Smith (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

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 | Traffic Jam | Baseball Bat | Convenience Store

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	William 'D-Fens' Foster
Robert Duvall	...	Detective Martin Prendergast
Barbara Hershey	...	Elizabeth 'Beth' Travino
Tuesday Weld	...	Amanda Prendergast
Rachel Ticotin	...	Detective Sandra Torres
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)
Falling Down - Ein ganz normaler Tag (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Un día de furia (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Összeomlás (Hungary) [hu]
L'enragé (Canada: French title) [fr]
Mia xehoristi mera (Greece) (TV title) [el]
Pad (Serbia) [sr]
Prosti pad (Slovenia) [sl]
Rankka päivä (Finland) [fi]
Um Dia de Fúria (Brazil) [pt]
Um Dia de Raiva (Portugal) [pt]
Un giorno di ordinaria follia (Italy) [it]
Upadek (Poland) [pl]
Volný pád (Czech Republic) [cs]
Xehoristi mera (Greece) [el]

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:

Prendergast sings "London Bridge" with his wife on the telephone. The same tune is played by the snow globe that D-Fens buys on Wilshire. The lyrics to the song are "London Bridge is falling down, falling down", a reference to the movie's title. Prendergast also planned to retire to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where the old London Bridge was moved to in 1971.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Asking for Prendergast's signature the delivery man says, "put your John Doe right here". A signature is often called a John Hancock, but never a John Doe, which is law-enforcement lingo for a male suspect whose name is not known.

Quotes:

[William "D-FENS" Foster picks up the flat hamburger he just ordered, comparing it to the picture behind the counter]
Bill Foster: Can anybody tell me what's wrong with this picture?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in American Wasteland (2005) (VG)

Soundtrack:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

We have all felt like this at some time!

Only a few hours before watching Falling Down i was in a local branch of McDonalds trying to order my usual Filet'o'Fish only to be told by the gormless spotty member of staff that it would take 8 minutes because they had none ready. When asked why they had none ready at the height of lunch time the moron proceded to tell me "it's because they arent very popular"!. When i tried to explain that they were not popular because every time someone tries to order one they have to wait an eternity for you to cook it, i was presented with a face of immense puzzlement and confusion! I'm not saying i would ever go as far as Michael Douglas does when he cant get his breakfast 2 minutes after the cut off time in this film but i understand EXACTLY how he feels.!. Falling Down is a very good interpretation on how if someone not quite the full package, comes up against the day to day greedyness ,rudeness and descrimination of todays western society and how he feels he needs to get his point across in his own way. This is a very good film and is superbly acted,especially from Duvall and Douglas. 8 out of 10.