Falling Down
1993 · Directed by Joel Schumacher
Original language: English
- crime
- drama
- thriller
The story
An ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.
What it’s like
Hot, hazy Los Angeles rendered in washed-out, sun-bleached daylight: freeways choked with glare, chain-store strip malls under a flat white sky, and the metal and asphalt of the city radiating heat. Schumacher shoots in restless handheld, pushing in tight on a sweating face and then pulling back to wide, cluttered street frames, with the camera moving to keep pace with a man on foot. The score is a sparse, tense synth-and-strings pulse that drops out for stretches of traffic noise, sirens and car horns, which keeps the city's ambient racket pressing in. The vibe is sweltering, cynical unease with flashes of dark grim humour, best suited to a late-night watch alone or a hot afternoon when you want something that feels confrontational and unsettled. Pacing is brisk and escalating, and the emotional arc follows a worn-down, divorced everyman whose simmering rage turns into something frightening, while a weary older detective shadows him in a quieter, more reflective register. Violence is frequent and sudden, including gun fire, a few brutal confrontations and a rocket-launcher moment, with some bloody injury; language is harsh and there is no sexual content. It is for viewers who enjoy angry, morally slippery urban thrillers and are comfortable with an uncomfortable, unresolved picture of American frustration.
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