Overview
A man pushed to his breaking point takes a violent stand against a world of injustice.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- sardonic
- paranoid
- bleak
- late night viewing
- social satire marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film bleakly entertaining and resonant in its depiction of an angry break with reality, while remaining divided over its shallow or troubling treatment of complex social issues.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
William Foster transforms traffic, consumer disputes, gang threats, and social indignities into an escalating campaign of rage.
Foster feels betrayed by the promise that education, work, marriage, and conformity should produce security.
Foster claims to oppose injustice while using weapons and intimidation to impose his own rules.
Foster’s walk across Los Angeles is interwoven with Sergeant Prendergast’s effort to connect the crimes before retirement.
Films like Falling Down, and why
Taxi Driver
shared vigilante thriller framework, urban alienation, and morally unstable protagonist
After Hours
shared crime drama intensity, escalating violence, and critique of social decay
American Beauty
shared blackly comic anger, suburban disillusionment, and anti-american dream themes
God Bless America
shared working-class frustration, criminal escalation, and bleak social satire
Movie Details
- Director
- Joel Schumacher
- Release Date
- 1993-02-26
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (4278)
Cast
- Michael Douglas
- Robert Duvall
- Barbara Hershey
- Rachel Ticotin
- Tuesday Weld
- Frederic Forrest
- Lois Smith
- Joey Singer
- Ebbe Roe Smith
- Michael Paul Chan
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Falling Down about?
- A ruptured everyman turns a sweltering Los Angeles walk into a violent indictment of consumer frustration, social decay, and the failed American Dream.
- What is Falling Down like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Falling Down as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Falling Down violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Falling Down as brutal.
- What did critics think of Falling Down?
- Critics broadly found the film bleakly entertaining and resonant in its depiction of an angry break with reality, while remaining divided over its shallow or troubling treatment of complex social issues.
- Which films are like Falling Down?
- Films with a similar feel include Taxi Driver, After Hours, American Beauty, and God Bless America.
- How long is Falling Down?
- Falling Down runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Falling Down?
- In United States, Falling Down is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
