Falling Down

A few times every year, Hollywood makes a mistake, violates formula and actually makes a great picture. Falling Down is one of the great mistakes of 1993, a film too good and too original to win any Oscars but one bound to be remembered in years to come as a true and ironic statement about life in our time. [26 Feb 1993, p.D1]

These adventures would be offensive if you could take them seriously, so it's probably good that you can't. Despite a nicely understated performance from Robert Duvall as a cop on Douglas's trail, Falling Down fails to convince on any level.

It's hard to know how to respond to Falling Down: deplore its crudeness or admire its shrewdness. But it is occasionally the movies' job to plunge into the national psyche, root around in its chaotic darkness and return to the surface with some arresting fantasy that helps bring our uglier imaginings into focus. In that sense, this often vulgar and exploitative movie has some value. [1 March 1993, p63]

Sure, the viewer who wants to see a tightly-paced thriller with gun-play and emotionally-satisfying moments won't be disappointed, but there is a little more here than simple escapism. Although it takes a number of wrong turns, Falling Down still has the power to disturb.

Slickly directed by Joel Schumacher, who sees that each and every button in this unabashedly manipulative film is pushed hard, Falling Down could have been deeply disturbing if it weren't so cartoony, so determined to glibly escape the moral consequences of the vicarious white-rampage fantasies to which it caters. [26 Feb 1993, p.25]

Falling Down is an intellectually sloppy, rebellious working-man adventure film that is little more than a set piece for Michael Douglas playing out a revenge-of-the-nerds fantasy. [26 Feb 1993, p.C]

Hopped-up Falling Down is a technically proficient grabber that exploits white-male angst while adeptly juggling two stories filmed in contrasting styles. Slick, maybe facile, and with a nasty streak, it is nonetheless 1993's first consistently engrossing movie. [26 Feb 1993, p.1D]

I recommend watching this movie, this makes me go through a rollercoaster of emotions and preferably watch it alone since it is usually more quiet.

Surprisingly astute social commentary randomly mixed into an action thriller film. The cast is superb with Douglas stealing the movie with his excellent character acting. There isn't much in the way of a plotline just the loose concept of an above average working man unhinged by his urban lifestyle decides to rampage. Sadly the pacing is awful and the leaps of logic for some of the characters decisions are pretty extreme. Despite its flaws something about it just worked for me. Imperfect but highly watchable.

Falling Down is an interesting and holding experience through convincing angry played by Michael Douglas, but the focus in boring subplots and random moments blows it.

While the movie has a very over the top premise and they played it a little more serious than they should've, it's still a very entertaining and fun movie. Supported by the outrageous premise, the great stand off at the end and the excellent performance by Michael Douglas, Falling Down is an early 90's classic.

one of the most offensive and unintentionally hilarious films ever made, this reactionary fantasy is equal parts absurd and deranged.