FALLING DOWN
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Date Released: 2/26/93 Running Length: 1:53 Rated: R (Language, violence, mature themes)
Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey,
Rachel Ticotin, Tuesday Weld
Director: Joel Schumacher
Producer: Arnold Kopelson
Screenplay: Ebbe Roe Smith
Music: James Newton Howard
Released by Warner Brothers
Bill (Michael Douglas) is having a bad morning. He's stuck in his car in a traffic jam, his air conditioner isn't putting out any cold air, his windows won't work, and there's a fly buzzing around his head. All this is enough to make him snap. Just like that, he gets out of his car, leaving it behind in the middle of the road, and sets off for home on foot. His cross-town trek quickly turns violent when he feels his rights as a consumer and citizen are violated, and a number of potentially-lethal weapons fall into his hands. Meanwhile, police officer Martin Prendergast (Robert Duvall) is going through a life-crisis of his own. How he deals with it not only puts him squarely on the side of the law, but on a collision course with Bill.
Some of the appeal of FALLING DOWN is doubtless the idea that an average, middle-aged, white collar man can be empowered against the numerous annoyances that the world throws at him. Hopefully there aren't many people out there who will resort to the lengths that Bill goes to, but it gives a measure of vicarious enjoyment to watch him dole out punishment to the people that insult, snub, and otherwise aggravate him. These are things that, at one time or another, we've longed to say and do (a whole psychological treatise could be written on this subject). Until things get too violent, that is .... While it's easy to sympathize with punching a loud-mouthed, profane man in the mouth, shooting someone to death, no matter how despicable they might be, is another matter.
The premise and early execution of FALLING DOWN are tremendous. The idea is original and the filming of the scene where Bill snaps is imaginative and evocative. We can feel the heat, the tension, and the building rage. When he gets out of the car, it's as much a relief to us as it is to him. The movie's pacing, especially during the first half, is on-target.
Also, some of the early scenes with Bill are cathartic, but as the violence of his attacks builds and the "righteousness" of his purpose becomes fuzzy, the audience's sympathy for him erodes--even though he never directly harms anyone who could be described as "good" or "innocent." Another thing that dissociates us from the character is that we learn that he isn't as normal as we first thought. Bill has some deep problems that make it apparent that his snapping isn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. While we never lose our emotional attachment to Bill, it isn't the same toward the end as in the beginning.
As a counterpoint to Bill, we're given Robert Duvall's Prendergast, who is in many ways a similar character. He too feels the weight of life pressing down on him and yearns to let out a shout. But his rebellion takes a more normal, natural course. We understand Prendergast more than we feel for him, but that's the nature of his personality. Bill has all the emotional volatility; Prendergast has stability and sanity.
As a thriller, FALLING DOWN works most of the time because of the depth of its characters. The plot is not especially remarkable. In fact, on some occasions, it comes dangerously close to a descent into action/thriller cliches and formulas. Fortunately, the performances of Duvall and Douglas give this film greater strength than most movies of the genre.
The gallows humor also functions as a device to keep FALLING DOWN rolling along. The movie has such a slick sense of humor that it could almost be considered a black comedy. I think such a label would be a misnomer, however, because of the film's breadth. As FALLING DOWN unfolds, numerous social statements are made. Some are overt (such as an incident with the neo-Nazi), but others are more subtle. One of the most disturbing scenes occurs when a young child teaches Bill how to use a grenade launcher, claiming to have learned the lesson from television. FALLING DOWN is replete with moments such as this, many of which are uncomfortable because they strike a nerve.
Indeed, the depth of issues dealt with by FALLING DOWN elevates it above the normal shoot-'em-up film. In many cases, the violence isn't just for the sake of violence (although I'm sure the studio made no attempt to dilute it). There's more to this film than initially meets the eye. Sure, the viewer who wants to see a tightly-paced thriller with a lot of gun-play and emotionally-satisfying moments won't be disappointed, but the discerning, thinking movie-goer will find more here than simple escapism. FALLING DOWN has the power to disturb, and if it takes a few wrong turns along the way, it should still be applauded for the things it does--and tries to do--right.
Rating: 8.2 (B+, ***)
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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