Cloned
Begging for Bega
- Aug 25, 2003
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Movies: Falling Down
- Thread starter Cloned
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LeafalCrusader
Registered User
Douglas and Duvall were just perfect in this movie. One of my favourite films from the 90's
sr edler
gold is not reality
- Mar 20, 2010
- 11,915
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Imagine if cell phones were around at the time. Duvall's wife would have sent him 350 text messages and destroyed the whole film.
Bubba Thudd
is getting banned
Ozz
Registered User
Hockey Outsider
Registered User
- Jan 16, 2005
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One of my all-time favourite films - very near the top of my list.
I like the film because it's relatively balanced in the portrayal of Douglas's character. By that, I mean they show why his character has legitimate reasons for his anger and frustration - while at the same time showing that how he acted was still unjustified. I thought it was a fairly balanced, nuanced portrayal.
Iron Maiden's song "Man on the Edge" is based upon the film - the lyrics make little sense otherwise.
I like the film because it's relatively balanced in the portrayal of Douglas's character. By that, I mean they show why his character has legitimate reasons for his anger and frustration - while at the same time showing that how he acted was still unjustified. I thought it was a fairly balanced, nuanced portrayal.
Iron Maiden's song "Man on the Edge" is based upon the film - the lyrics make little sense otherwise.
koyvoo
Registered User
- Nov 8, 2014
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I'll have to watch it later, but I didn't know that the Foo Fighters did an homage to the movie in one of their music videos.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
After doing more reading into the movie, perhaps it was fortunate/unfortunate timing that the LA riots happened in the midst of filming. I had always assumed that some of the scenes (notably the Korean convenience store confrontation) were a reference to the riots but it seems like that was coincidental. The movie was boycotted by a few groups because of the scene and apparently wasn't released in South Korea as a result.
Things were still a bit raw in Los Angeles with the riots happening less than a year before the release of the movie.
Things were still a bit raw in Los Angeles with the riots happening less than a year before the release of the movie.
ItsFineImFine
Registered User
- Aug 11, 2019
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It was a good movie but I feel like it was also a bit on the misleading side in a way. It wasn't about a guy who cracked because of traffic and the weather and the stress of work which is what the film portrays for the first 80% of its runtime. It's a guy who was already unhinged who decided to act on it because of the weather/traffic on that day. Some of it was a bit over the top Hollywood-ism but a good solid watch anyways, I enjoyed the Duvall detective more than Douglas tbh.
Supermassive
HISS, HISS
I’ve had this movie on my iTunes wish list for years, had to pull the trigger today. My old DVD copy has seen better days.
I love that the story makes it clear that he’s An antihero, yet still gives him these small victories, until the stakes are raised to the level where he is unworthy of his ultimate goal. In a sense it’s similar to Joker. A society without compassion breeds monsters.
I love that the story makes it clear that he’s An antihero, yet still gives him these small victories, until the stakes are raised to the level where he is unworthy of his ultimate goal. In a sense it’s similar to Joker. A society without compassion breeds monsters.
I hadn't seen it since maybe the 90s and this thread inspired me to watch it again last night. It was mostly what I remembered, except that I was pleasantly surprised with how darkly funny it is. I had forgotten that. I wouldn't really say that the subject matter was ahead of its time, since it fit the time quite well. It's not a great film, IMO, but it's a pretty good, above average film. I'm glad that I re-watched it.
While watching it, it occurred to me that it has a few of the things that I hated about Uncut Gems: mostly that the protagonist does bad things and is generally unlikable and the movie has a general stressful mood. What I think made me it a lot easier to watch and more enjoyable for me, though, is the humor that took much of the edge off of the seriousness of situations. Uncut Gems really could've used some levity, IMO. Anyways, that's just an tangential observation that I made while watching.
While watching it, it occurred to me that it has a few of the things that I hated about Uncut Gems: mostly that the protagonist does bad things and is generally unlikable and the movie has a general stressful mood. What I think made me it a lot easier to watch and more enjoyable for me, though, is the humor that took much of the edge off of the seriousness of situations. Uncut Gems really could've used some levity, IMO. Anyways, that's just an tangential observation that I made while watching.
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Supermassive
HISS, HISS
Actually, that’s kind of the point. D-FENS is an Everyman, just trying to go home and see his family... until the layers are peeled back and we discover that he’s a psychopath in bloom. We lose all sympathy for him, and Prendergast the hero, the aw shucks cop who takes everyone’s crap, is forced into taking him out, yet undoubtedly becomes the hero.
I was scouring the Internet looking for a commentary track to listen to alongside the film, but only found some truly awful articles condemning the movie and suggesting the movie was a laughable farce about the “White man struggling in a multicultural mess”, and that the movie was straight-up racist. Yet Douglas’ character isn’t racist. He’s many bad things, but not that. Very strange how people pick and choose and create to support their narrative.
End on a Hinote
Registered Abuser
Safe to say this flick falls into "wouldn't work if made today" category, unless it starred Kristen Stweart.
Newsworthy
Registered User
Falling Down was always a really good movie even though it got mixed reviews by the critics upon initial release. It's more of a cult classic.
The audience were much more receptive to this film. My favorite part of the film is actually the first scene.
The audience were much more receptive to this film. My favorite part of the film is actually the first scene.
Supermassive
HISS, HISS
She does have the same haircut now... Just add some glasses and make every person she interacts with look like Harvey Weinstein. Instant hit!
Supermassive
HISS, HISS
The almost-dizzying camerawork in the first scene is amazing. Also the audio mixing, where the sounds build up into a cacophony of noise. So good.
Roo Returns
Skjeikspeare No More
This movie was a classic. Right place, right time. Michael Douglas almost did a 180 with where his career was in terms of roles. Great casting with Duvall, Ticotin, Hershey, and Weld.
Joel Schumacher who EVERYONE trashes for his take on the Batman films was a quality director. People forget he did this and The Lost Boys among many other great films. That often gets overlooked as it's easy to just be like "oh he's awful he ruined Batman"
When I say right place right time, this movie was about anarchy, sticking it to the man, anti conformity....all of those themes were huge in the 90s. And as @Brodeur said it came out about a year after the LA riots.
Joel Schumacher who EVERYONE trashes for his take on the Batman films was a quality director. People forget he did this and The Lost Boys among many other great films. That often gets overlooked as it's easy to just be like "oh he's awful he ruined Batman"
When I say right place right time, this movie was about anarchy, sticking it to the man, anti conformity....all of those themes were huge in the 90s. And as @Brodeur said it came out about a year after the LA riots.
Legionnaire
Help On The Way
Right place, right time? I guess.
Now the Ds of the world are using automatic weapons.
Thank you media for making them heroes.
Now the Ds of the world are using automatic weapons.
Thank you media for making them heroes.
The comments I read with regards to it being ahead of its time, I feel I don't agree so much. It has a quality that resounds today but the film is more of an epilogue to Dr. Strangelove that captures the mood of LA after the defense spending boom in the 1980s had come to an end. The man has always been a psychopath building missiles that were never meant to be used as purpose and is now reacting to the bluff being called. The reason why it resonates today is because there are folks who lived a life of cruelty and had what had sheltered their cruelty lifted from them. And now those who remain sheltered tell those who aren't to assert their shelter by purchasing the goods produced by the still-sheltered.
