Me watching Falling Down as a child: 'what's wrong with this guy?' Me watching Falling Down as a 30 year old: 'This guys makes a lot of valid points'.

I'm not ashamed to say that I think Falling Down might be a near perfect film.

My favorite lines: “I’m the bad guy? How did that happen?” … he seems truly bewildered.

The older this film gets the more relevant it becomes and the more sense it makes.

The irony is that this movie has more realistic prevalence in this current day than in did at any time before.

*The older I get the more I Identify with William Foster.*

As a 17yr old introvert with a flat top & a short fuse back in 1993 when this released it struck a chord… As a 45yr old now in 2021 watching this in the modern world I can genuinely understand the character response. It would only take one step over the edge to see this sort of thing a reality. A truly underrated movie. Bravo! 👌🏼👍🏼🇦🇺😎

For a while, Falling Down was my favorite movie. After watching it several times, I finally realized that the movie is about the fall of the American Dream. The American Dream included a job, a family with children, a house, a car, and a dog. As we go through the movie, we learn that William Foster loses his job, his family, his house with a dog, and the last thing he loses is his car. Consequently, he has nothing to lose but his life. Throughout the movie, he lashes at the vicious world with the same viciousness, trying to gain what he lost. But, in the end, he loses the last thing he had - his life. The final scene at the pier has always squeezed my throat.

Falling Down has been on my top 10 movie list for a long time. It's just too damn good and deserves more praise.

Please, for the love of god, don’t ever remake this movie

I loved how he upgraded his weapon throughout the film. His weapon got more deadly as his temperament grew out of control.

Falling Down has always been one of my favorite movies. Growing up in California makes it easier to relate. So happy I left California in 94’

Hollywood stopped making good movies like this years ago.

AGREED. Falling Down is probably Michael Douglas's best work. It's a very under appreciated movie. Along those same line[: The Game

It’s not just about Michael Douglas having a bad day. It’s his reaction to The Fallen Society. And it really hits home for him…

My cousin and aunt are in this film. My aunt plays the stripper that comes out of Prendergast's cake and my cousin plays Bill Foster's daughter, Adele. I remember watching this film relatively young and thinking, "Wow, I don't understand how somebody snaps like that." But as I age, I can understand how Bill's character can resonate with the lost generation of a hollowed out American middle class. Here's a funny story about Kirk Douglas from right around the filming of this movie. Shortly after the filming of the movie wrapped my aunt, uncle and cousin saw Kirk Douglas at a restaurant out in the L.A. area and my uncle told my cousin, "Hey, remember the man who plays your daddy in the movie? HIS DADDY is sitting right over there! (pointing to Kirk) Why don't you go say hi?" my cousin (still about 6 1/2 years old) approached Kirk and said, "you're my daddy's daddy!" and Kirk looks completely shocked responding, "WAIT, WHAT?!?!" my aunt ran over to explain that Michael was PLAYING her daddy in a movie. 😂 my family teases Joey about this to this day.

Falling Down is literally my favorite movie of all time.

Joel Schumacher: "When we are asked if Michael Douglas' character is the good guy or the bad guy, the answer is 'yes'." That's what makes this movie so brilliant, in my opinion.

My dad always said to me "you won't really appreciate this movie till you're older" . I'm late 20's and I get it now.

I love this movie. It is all about resistance, which someone once called the secret of joy. It took me a while to realize that his weaponry advanced (upgraded) throughout the film, like in a video game. And then when he got to the boss battle he switched out his gun for the toy. It's a beautifully drawn stripping away of the illusion of civilization. Please tell Mr. Douglas his performance is appreciated.

This is a very underrated movie.

"Yeah!!! Now your gonna die wearing that stupid little hat" best line 😂😂

This film is a perfect example of how a good and effective story with stellar acting doesn't need to be a big special effects extravaganza in order to be a hit

He's a legend, Michael Douglas. Falling Down, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, The Game, Romancing the Stone, Chorus Line. Even American President.

Dude just wanted to go celebrate his little girl's birthday... 😞

A real life "Falling Down," Marvin Heemeyer and how he destroyed selected parts of his town with an armored bulldozer. TK

Also "the grenade" is an M72 Anti-tank Rocket. While not effective against modern tanks, the use has be switched to be used against light targets such as light armored vehicles, buildings, and bunkers. In Afghanistan it was frequently used to create a hole in a mud or morter brick wall.

This movie really stayed in my head. I understood the frustration. It remains as a cautionary tale for what happens when you hold emotions in too much.

Michael Douglas's best role and one of the greatest movies ever made

"Yeah...Now you're gonna Die wearing that Stupid hat!" 😆😆👍🏻 I liked Falling Down, Michael Douglass did a Great job with the Character, as did Robert Duvall.

Great story, well told. Foster had been pushed past his breaking point, and unleashed his id in order to protect himself from everything hostile to him. Top-notch!

The line about rick getting his food after all they had been through together was pure gold.

Time traveler? No. The Foster character seemed like someone who spent his life in a work bubble, defending the country. In the military, then as an aerospace engineer. Then due to being laid off and his car breaking down, he saw what he spent his life defending. The reality of what he sacrificed his life for was too much. His sacrifice was unappreciated and he could have focused on getting rich. Walter White is a modern version of Foster. A smart man who snapped.

This was such a misunderstood masterpiece of a film back in the day. I'm glad that it's now getting the recognition that it deserves

I just watched this movie for the first time this past weekend. I saw a clip and noticed Douglas and thought the scene was very interesting. I actually thought this was going to be a lawyer type movie from watching a small clip on youtube. I had no clue about the synopsis but was blown away by the interesting thoughts and feeling the score and dialogue had in just a small 20 second clip. After watching the movie, I think this is a masterpiece. I want to learn more about Michael Douglas because of this film. I could've cared less about the man, but the commentary and execution of the character was so well done. So many interesting ideas and feelings expressed. As you have said, this film offers an amazing amount of creative inspiration. Great film and thanks for researching this more.

It's a great film concept altogether. I was 20 when this first came out and loved this movie for the entertainment purposes. Great writing, great acting and a great story. The older I got when I watched it again and again, i realize it's meant to hit the crowds going through a generation crisis. We're all told to adapt or die as we get older. Michael Douglas character chose the latter. Sadly a lot of people have chosen that path in real life and that's why I think this movie ages really well. It has it's comedic parts, but the overall story is a cross between drama and horror. Definitely Michael Douglas' best work ever 👍

One note, when you describe him as terrifying his ex-wife, there's an important line in the movie. When the cop asks her if he had ever attacked her, she stops and mumbles, "well, no". He has a temper, but was never a violent man. His wife's decision to file a restraining order despite him not having ever used violence before, likely meaning she lied in court, is written as a major part of his decline. Blame lies on his wife to a signifcant extent, because she exploited her power as a woman to destroy his family life with no personal repurcussions.

The older I get, the more I feel like Michael Douglas gets me

I love that I found your channel Minty. Been rewatching a lot of the old classics because of it. The one thing that caught my attention in this one is all the symbolism. A lot of it is in the background grafitti and posters (i love you daddy), but some are more in the center of things. Like "Defense". It gives the movie a depth I totally missed back when it was released.

I totally LOVE this movie. This is my absolute favorite movie of all times. The layers it has, the acting, the cast, the story, the characters, their personality and construction... It's a masterpiece (for me).

The thing i always LOVED about this movie is that you take the journey with Douglas' chatacter ALL THE WAY through to the climax at the pier - you get to feel WITH HIM the sudden realization that he has actually been rather unreasonable in his actions/reactions throughout the course of the film, even THOUGH his sense of outrage at the behavior of the people around him (and society's influence upon them - AND himself) seemed justified up to that point.

RIP Joel Schumacher. Left behind an impressive filmography.

I work In retail for nearly 12 years, every day I feel push of becoming this character. Thank you.

For the life of me, I can't still fathom why my parents allowed me to watch such dense movies as a kid: Platoon, Alien, The Elephant Man, Falling Down... Thanks to them my love of movies flourished (and no trauma by those themes at early age) and Falling Down has been since then one of my fondest memories about cinema. Falling Down is a masterpiece on its own. I do agree that this is Michael Douglas's best role!

He was the original Frank Grimes, or Grimey as he liked to be called.

At 40 years old, I have come to appreciate this movie.

The best part of this movie is how he interacts with kids. He truly loves kids/families cause all he wants is his….the scene with the law bazooka, he’s super nice to the kid teaching him how to use it and he even protects him shielding him from the blast when he accidentally shoots it the wrong way…..

That scene where the " Not Economically Viable" protester yells out to William Foster: " Dont forget me!" Always hit me even as a kid. You see two guys who at first glance, seem world's apart but quickly you understand they are one in the same as far as being spit on, just trying to do your job and being a good person.

A commentary on the world we live in today. "I'm the bad guy?"

I can totally relate to the Michael Douglas character.

Falling down is my favorite Micheal douglas film, so underrated.

Falling down is one of the best movies of the 90’s, hell, of all time

Even as a kid when I first saw this I understood Douglas. Understood him completely

The worst part about Falling Down is the way it portrays social interactions and economics of the age and how accurate it seems and how things only seems to have gotten worse.

The Heavy Metal Band, Iron Maiden, the lead singer Blaze Bailey who replaced the old singer Bruce Dickinson between 93- 94 wrote a song about this movie, Falling Down! It was called.Man on the Edge! If anybody has never listened to Maiden Before I suggest you start & listen to this song??? Iron Maiden usually writes song about. Movies, Political Dogma, History, like the Spanish Inquisition, WW I, WWII, Religion, Science Fiction like DUNE, Poems & the list goes on............

I was 43 when I first saw this movie. I had been married to the love of my life, Marie for about 4 years. She was 13 years younger than me and looked like Princess Diane's sister. My entire life had been very hard for me starting back when I was 9. This became my favorite movie and it was scary because I could see myself playing the role in real life with just the right push. But the thing that really creeped me out was his wife saying that his daughter and her were doing just fine without him. This was too close to home because towards the end of our 22-year marriage I found myself trying to tell Marie that I think her and our son would be better off without me. This was a reference to suicide but she never picked up on it. Then on Valentine's Day 2011 I got served with divorce papers and a restraining order. She had discarded me like so much refuse. I had done very well owning a small car dealership. We wanted for nothing and lived in a half million dollar home back when that kind of money really bought something nice. But she lied in court about me and I lost everything in the divorce and went from well off to poverty stricken and have lived that way for 11 years now. When I first watched this movie back in 93, I almost became physically ill from what his wife said to him. I couldn't imagine the kind of pain that character would have felt by that until I was discarded. But I never felt a desire for violence towards her. But I could sure understand why the character in the movie might. Losing my marriage to the love of my life after 22 years left me with a couple burgers short of a Happy meal. I would never have hurt my wife but I'm very thankful to God that I didn't take my pain out on others like in the movie cuz it would have been a lot easier than I think. But for 7 years after being served, I was able to forgive and my head was getting screwed on right. I can tell you I'm lucky to be alive and I mean that literally. I was no longer angry with God whom I actually cursed. The God of the Bible truly saved my body, my life and my soul. I had forgotten all about this movie until I started watching some of these clips on KZfaq. I guess I had forgotten about how close I came to ending up in jail or losing my soul. I still live in poverty but I want for nothing because God is my provider. I once was worth a million dollars now I live on less than $1,000 a month. But I'm thankful for a roof over my head and a warm bed, flush toilets and hot water, every meal and a voice to sing praises to my Lord and Savior. I once had it all and just wanted more. But today I'm thankful for every little thing. I'm 71 years old now and almost died from covid. I guess God is not done with me yet. So, the movie? There for the grace of God go I.

There's a William Foster just dying to show himself in all of us

"I'm just standing up for my rights as a consumer"

Unhinged with Russell Crowe is badass. Reminded me of this,movie!

Great job Minty! Parts of FD were filmed in my neighborhood while the riots were happening, it was pretty surreal. Love your work, keep on keeping on - AZC from LA

One of the best movies ever made that almost nobody ever heard of.

such an underrated movie, or underwatched, movie. the line "i'm the bad guy?" is just amazing.

Nice sunglasses, Hoss! I loved your backdrop of frivilobilia. This was a fresh insight into this movie, Falling Down, an American classic that hits nerve. It always takes a foreigner to access the American culture properly, just like De Toqueville did for the early United States. Nice work!

Kicksass!!!!!!! Lv the film bro..love your account Minty😁

Robin Williams did his Falling Down. It was called One Hour Photo.

A society that pokes fun at people down on their luck, police who try to provoke you for a reaction, different Justice systems for rich and poor, I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often. I have been on the edge of snapping and it's a scary feeling, cuz you know there is no return. I just know to avoid the situations, but you still have to deal with the DMV every year LOL

Your videos are so enjoyable! Many thanks for the education!👏 As with many comments here, I agree that this is a masterpiece. Always great to revisit.

I couldn't imagine any other actor than Douglas playing that role.

Never mess with a man who just wanted breakfast!

Had Ford taken this role, it would feel more like an action film then a drama. Douglas was the best actor for this role.

Well done overview with interesting side notes. I agree that this film did not receive all the attention that it deserved, but I think that fact alone makes this movie that much more appreciated...sometimes the hidden gems in life are so valued due to not being as obvious and "in your face" as what everyone else believes to be known greatness...

One of my top ten favorite movies. No one ever mentions him wearing A pen pocket protector.

I think about this movie when I pay $4 for a coke from a convenience store.

I know that he's unstable but it's hard not to feel sorry for him at the end. He just wanted to get home to see his daughter,

Trivia bit about the fast food restaurant scene. Rick the manager (Brent Hinkley) and Sheila the cashier (Deedee Pfeiffer) both made appearances on Seinfeld. Brent played Lou "the sidler", a co-worker of Elaine's at the J. Peterman catalog. Deedee played Victoria, a girl George picked up by following the "opposite" of his instincts, who ended up getting him an interview with the Yankees.

"I'd like some breakfast" "You're in luck, sir! It's no longer 1993, and McDonald's has been serving all-day breakfast for almost a decade!" "...Neat."

Falling down is really the decline of society as we see it today as customer service and products are not what they are suppose to be and people have become more selfish and cynical than before.

I grew up in the 90s in LA and when I see this movie it was like taking a time machine, the people the locations all perfectly captured. Just the cinematography alone is great, you go to ANY of the same parts nowadays in LA and its almost unrecognizable.

The Jesus mural with the yellow Chevy truck during the drive by shooting scene is also in the movie "Colors" which ALSO stars Robert Duvall.

One of my favorite movies. Foster is a hero. A man the got sick of being a victim.

This movie is definitely a hidden gem. Glad to see you giving it some love :D

At the time this movie came out I was going through some bad times so when we saw the movie it REALLY disturbed me since I was quietly cheering him on. After the movie, I talked to a lot of people who said that they felt the same way and that was kind of the point of the story. I think that is why the GTA games resonate so well with me and so many others are that it's a way to just get wholesale destruction out of your system without bringing it into reality. I honestly thought most people have forgotten this movie so I very much appreciate your insightful review.

Foster's wife was TOLD to be terrified of him. A societal problem.

Paul Newman would’ve given that role a landmark rendition imho. And Dennis Hopper would’ve directed it straight into filmmaking lore.

Good stuff. Thanks. There are so many terrific scenes in the movie, but the "not economically viable" scene struck a particular chord for me. Especially when I realized the man was dressed exactly the same. The white shirt, pants, pen in the pocket and even the tie and haircut. It's like Dfens first saw the guy and was like 'now that's a guy having a nervous breakdown', then slowly realizing that he was the same. The other guy recognized it immediately.

This movie was a foretelling of the things we were going to end up having to deal with really well done from top to bottom very underrated

I definitely need to see a certain Foo Fighters music video now. PS Thanks for showing us what Laserdiscs actually looked like in your The Stand review!

Minty, I think you should do Ten Things you didn’t know about Chronicle that is directed by Josh Trank, written by Max Landis from a story from Josh Trank and Max Landis because it got positive reviews, but sadly a hidden gem.

Probably overlooked and underrated because great movies were coming out frequently in the 90s.In 1993 we Had Jurrassic Park,Schindlers List,The Piano,A Bronx Tale,Carlitos Way,The Age of Innocence,In the Name of the Father,Sleepless in Seattle,Philedelphia,The fugitive,Groundhog Day. Now you might get 2 or 3 ok movies a year

His rant and steve martins rant in planes, trains, and automobiles is one of the best

Spot on man. Love your videos. Rock n Roll. I live here in Los Angeles and I'm reminded of this movie at least 10 times/week while I'm out and about 😂

See the natural progression of weapons also, first shirt and tie, then bat, knife, guns, bazooka, shootout finish. And the symbolism of the other non-ecenomically viable man is also wearing the white shirt and tie, And when he commits his first murder, Nazi Nick, he then shoots an image of himself in the mirror. Bill dies, DFENS takes over, and goes down a dark path, without ever really realizing it, as he asks Robert Duval's character, "How did I become the bad guy?" He is NOT just the bad guy but the Hero, villain, AND victim all in one. Absolutely Great.

Most people today forget that Joel Schumacher made some good movies like this.

I loved this film. But the scary thing is I have that exact haircut, glasses, and I’m 48. Lol

Excellent information, and great background music !! (btw, I love that Iron Maiden song but never bothered listening to the lyrics and its relation with the movie). Also I love the image of D-Fens Michael Douglas with the cracked lens in his glasses. Regards from Argentina.

This movie has many memorable scenes that my buddies and I still mimic today!! Great stuff!

I'm not economically viable, don't forget me

Michael Douglas nailed it, absolutely. If I had to pick from that A list, I'd say Robbin Williams would have been amazing too. He can play creepy and scary very well. Good video.

I love this movie but a real sadness hangs over the entirety of the film. Some films don't age well but this film kind of stands up to the current world we live in

Falling Down is one of my personal favorites. Michael Douglas's performance in that movie is flawless, as well as mesmerizing. I know how other people feel about Batman and Robin, but I love it. I think it's a lot of fun.