Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»3217. Falling Down (1993)

    3217. Falling Down (1993)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on January 12, 2021 110-119 mins, 1993, 6 - 7.9, Action, Crime, Drama, Jan 21, Movies Of 2021, Review, Thriller, United States
    7.6 Very unnerving
    • Acting 7.8
    • Directing 7.6
    • Story 7.4
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey

    Director: Joel Schumacher

    Running Time: 112 mins


    Falling Down is an American film about a frustrated businessman who, one day, gets out of his car in heavy traffic and heads off across Los Angeles, committing increasingly more serious crimes throughout the day.

    Perhaps not the powerful cautionary tale of stress and disillusionment with society that it wants to be, Falling Down still impresses with gripping drama, strong performances, and a genuinely unnerving atmosphere that sets it apart from just another crime thriller.

    After all, it’s easy to look at Falling Down for what it is on the surface: a story following a cop chasing a madman. Deeper down, however, you’ll realise that there’s a lot more to its story than just that, with a blend of social themes, dark, dark comedy and terrifyingly gritty violence.

    As I mentioned, I don’t think that the film’s main themes of a man lashing out against society are quite as resonant as the movie aims them to be. While the way he begins to dramatically unravel over the course of a day is certainly striking, it’s arguably too much even for the story at hand.

    For me, films like God Bless America or even (on a lighter note) Office Space have tackled these ideas in more effective fashion, whereas Falling Down feels more like a crime-centric drama than one which really gets to grips with the themes it’s focusing on.

    Saying that, however, you can’t deny the staggeringly unnerving story that this film tells about just how easily a normal person can crack, and the devastating consequences that can have. In the lead role, Michael Douglas is enormously unsettling, expertly turning himself from a mild-mannered businessman into a genuinely terrifying and seemingly unstoppable villain on a violent rampage.

    Again, where Falling Down perhaps misses the mark is in the fact that you never really feel great sympathy for Douglas’ character, something compounded further by his contrast with the more standard ‘good guy’ police detective played by Robert Duvall. The film certainly tries to bring a more nuanced and thought-provoking view of good vs. evil to the table, but it doesn’t work perfectly.

    However, as a pure crime thriller, Falling Down is absolutely enthralling. Along with Douglas’ menacing presence throughout, Duvall is a hugely likable cop with an expert eye that leads him to all of the details and clues that his younger colleagues miss so often.

    Couple that with the film’s unrelenting use of violence, some darkly hilarious scenes in the middle act and a sobering conclusion, and there’s a lot that makes Falling Down a particularly striking watch, especially as a deeply unsettling thriller.

    Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with Falling Down. It might not be the thought-provoking thematic masterpiece that it aims to be, but with great performances, strikingly dark humour, intense violence and a deeply unnerving atmosphere throughout, it’s a gripping watch from start to finish, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.6.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.4
    Review
    October 28, 20180

    2328. The Perfect Crime (2004)

    8.2
    Review
    September 16, 20180

    2281. Land Of Mine (2015)

    8.0
    Review
    February 24, 20190

    2466. From Here To Eternity (1953)

    8.0
    Review
    March 12, 20190

    2485. Captain Marvel (2019)

    8.3
    Review
    November 26, 20150

    1163. Bridge Of Spies (2015)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.