The son of Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas has been an actor for over forty years. An Oscar winner both as a producer (1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and an actor (1987’s Wall Street), he proven himself to be a versatile performer both in films and on television. Though he has worked steadily in films since the mid-eighties, Michael Douglas seemed to be at the height of his acting prowess between 1984-1994. During that time he had a string of box office successes, including: Romancing the Stone (1984), Wall Street (1987) Fatal Attraction (1987), Basic Instinct (1992) and Falling Down (1993) among others.
In Falling Down, Douglas gives one of his most emotionally riveting portrayals to date. As William “DEFENS” Foster, the actor is a study in the mounting frustration that can lead someone to the breaking point. A recently laid off defense worker, William finds himself stuck in snarled Los Angeles traffic on a very hot day. His anxiety leads him to abandon his car in the middle of the freeway and begin a journey on foot across downtown Los Angeles, to his ex-wife (Barbara Hershey) and daughter Adele’s home, so he can attend the youngster’s birthday party. He is obsessed with reaching the party even though a restraining order taken out by his ex-wife forbids the visit. Douglas’ character is not identified as William Foster until about two-thirds of the way into the film; until then, he is simply referred to as “DEFENS” the vanity plates on the car recognized as being abandon by a man fitting his description. His identity becomes paramount as he moves through several Los Angeles neighborhoods, creating more and more destruction as his frustration increases. Eventually, he acquires a small but powerful cache of weapons from a group of unsuspecting gang-bangers who harassed him. The trail of seemingly inexplicable violence eventually attracts the attention of a veteran police detective on the eve of his retirement named Prendergast (Duvall), who pegs the odd and seemingly unrelated incidents as the workings of a single man.
Directed by Joel Schumacher (Batman & Robin) from a screenplay by Ebbe Roe Smith (Car 54, Where are You?), the success of the film lies in its simplicity. The plot could have been lifted from any number of westerns and you could certainly argue the character was influenced by such famous film characters as Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle or Network’s Howard Beale. The only difference is, the setting has shifted to the early nineties, with its unique technologies and concerns. However, even with that, many of the frustrations remain the same: the economy and political and moral decay.
symbolism in the film is writ large, with various objects and signs encountered along D-Fens’ journey offering commentary on his mental state and a wardrobe change that occurs when his character reaches a point of no return that is further illustrated when D-Fens calls his ex-wife and explicitly states he’s reached a point of no return. While this open approach wouldn’t work in all films, it’s effective here because we know from the beginning that D-Fens is not a complex man; he sees the world in simple black and white terms. From the moment he begins his downward spiral in the film’s opening minutes, his worldview seems to become progressively more myopic.
Douglas gives a performance that is simultaneously ruthless and restrained. He plays D-Fens as an almost robotic character; yes, his violence comes in outbursts but you get the feeling that this is not where the character wants to be–the loss of his job, wife, child and the values he held so dear have truly pushed him to this point. Another words, he did everything he was supposed to do in this world as he saw it and when that was suddenly taken away, he didn’t know what to do.
Robert Duvall is a steady and determined foil for D-Fens as another man on the verge of being “forgotten” by society. His innate empathy keeps him on the right side of sanity and helps him to understand D-Fens well enough to identify and pursue him. In an episodic film like this where momentum comes from a series of quick encounters between D-Fens, his pursuers and a series of diverse characters, the supporting cast is very important. Schumacher fills out his film with strong actors in small roles including: Michael Paul Chan as a Korean grocery store clerk who is unwittingly responsible for tipping the first domino of violence, Tuesday Weld as Prendergast’s needy wife, Lois Smith as D-Fens’ fearful mother and Vondie Curtis-Hall as an irate man denied a bank loan. Barbara Hershey makes the most of the role of D-Fens’ex-wife, striking an interesting balance between a woman who possibly drove her ex-husband towards his breaking point and one who was perceptive enough to recognize his potential for violence. Frederic Forrest stops just short of over the top as the repugnant neo-Nazi owner of a military surplus outlet.
Schumacher did an excellent job of representing the ethnic diversity of Los Angeles, which only adds to the strength of the film. While the collapse of the defense industry may date the film a bit in that sense, the issues at the films core, social, economic and political disenfranchisement is still as potent today as it was in 1993. As tough as Falling Down can be to watch at times, Michael Douglas, Joel Schumacher and the others involved in the production did an excellent job of showing what feeling disconnected from society has the ability to do to some people.
The 16:9 enhanced 2.35:1 transfer is very good with excellent detail. Color and contrast are often artificially manipulated to create an oppressive atmosphere consistent with the psychology of the film’s lead character. Film grain is light and natural in appearance.
There are a few instances of aliasing/shimmering and a couple of compression artifacts during some of the most detailed shots with a moving camera; however, these issues shouldn’t affect the viewing experience. High contrast edge-ringing was minimal to non-existent.
The soundtrack is presented via a Dolby Digital 2.0 Pro-Logic surround track. The film’s densely layered sound mix is effective and does not really require a 5.1 remix to work but the fidelity of this track encoded at 192 kbps does not do it justice. It’s serviceable as-is but could have been better. An alternate French Dolby Digital 2.0 Pro-Logic dub track is also available.
The special features are presented in 16:9 enhanced video with Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound:
• Commentary by Michael Douglas and Joel Schumacher: This is really an oral essay with an anonymous host who introduces various participants including, in addition to Douglas and Schumacher, Writer Ebbe Roe Smith, Editor Paul Hirsch, Actor Michael Paul Chan, Actor Vondie Curtis-Hall, Actor Frederick Forrest, and LA Times writer Shawn Hubler. The Michael Douglas comments are from a 1993 interview. When the commentators talk about the behind the scenes process of making the film and the particulars of LA in the early 90s, the track is at its best. When they talk about the character motivations, things get a bit obvious.
• Deconstructing D-Fens: A Conversation with Michael Douglas (10:11) is a more recent video interview with the actor where he dissects his character and sets the film in the context of when it was made.
• The Theatrical Trailer (2:30)
