As a teen I thought: How could someone just snap like this? As a 40+ I think: I'm surprised more people dont snap like this.

God I love this movie. "Wait. I'm the bad guy?" You almost feel bad for him.

"People feel uncomfortable watching this movie" Yes, the movie shows the real ugly face of society, society is uncomfortable

I saw this as a college student. I remember thinking how unrealistic it was to just completely lose it because of your daily life, and then I became an adult and I can totally relate.

“And now you’re gonna die with that funny little hat on your head..” This movie is one of the pillars of my elder childhood.

Michael Douglas was robbed of an Oscar for this film!!!

As a black male,(23 at the time it was made), I thought this was a much needed movie for the "times". He never initiated any confrontation! He even made a lot of effort to defuse conflict. It's a brilliant example of a man torn down by life. If anything; he only prevented others from victimizing him. Boiling points are usually noticed by others when it's too late! MASTERPIECE!!!

I remember being told how violent and sadistic the movie was. It's very tame compared to shit today, but it's a heck of a lot smarter

As an adult now, I can understand the main character’s frustration.

Michael Douglas says Falling Down is the best film he ever made

There was one sleepless night I had back when I was like 15 , it was already like 2am and my alarm was set to go off at about 6:30. This movie started to play, and normally I'd just keep the tv on for background purposes, but this character in his suit, with the sick of the world look upon his face, i was immediately drawn in. I spent the rest of the night just fully mesmerized by his performance and the film in general. I absolutely love the pacing and how the story slowly unfolds. This film is truly a hidden gem.

The point of this film is always missed. It wasn't just Defens falling down, it was Prendergast too who was equally psychologically damaged but just in a different way.

I remember renting this as a kid in the video store and being overwhelmed with lots of feelings about the protagonist. I was young and some of it was "wish fulfillment" mainly the highway construction scene, fast food scene, and def nazi store owner scene but it still rattled me. I watched it again as a grown man and it hit on a whole other level. Something about middle age, when you realize that most of the dreams you cared about are never coming true, the things you believed in have let you down, and in those moments it's often hard to maintain a meaningful connection with those in your family, and in stressful moments frustration builds and you feel like you might someday explode. I saw that anger and disillusionment with life isn't quite so foreign anymore. "I'm the bad guy?" Ouch. But he WAS the bad guy bc he didn't process the stress from the world we are all trying to survive in a healthy way. He did explode. I certainly understand why surface dwelling folks would trip on this film but it's worth watching and has a valuable message.

The older I get the more I feel his pain

Even though he’s the villain and the victim, lets be honest We all cheered him on

Life broke him. He lost his job, then his wife left and took the kid. Think of how it feels not being able to see your kid and not having the resources to support her or provide for her. My heart breaks for him and so many men just like him. I pray I'll never be in his shoes.

"Never Saw" - pretty sure this movie is a classic and very well known

Actually, it's one of my all-time favorites. Love the scenes from him leaving his car to busting up the Korean guy's store. The heat is palpable. Great acting and cinematography.

I don't think of Michael Douglas' character as 'crazy'. It is a slow accumulation of frustration and rage. Like in the scene with the two Hispanic men, he offers to 'take his problems elsewhere' and leave their hilltop, but the men insist he pay a toll. Many people can relate to how he reacted when these same men attempt to shoot him down. By the end of the movie, he has fully melted down.

Considering I once had a mental breakdown which led me to do some pretty regrettable things I find myself sympathizing with the main character of this film more than most would. Foster was in a rough spot in his life, and he failed to handle it in a mature and reasonable fashion. He had traditional family values and a belief in the American dream, when he realized society lied to him and things were more complicated than that he lashed out violently largely due to unresolved anger issues. I can't help but feel bad for William by the end of the movie because he had the potential to be a fairly upstanding person had he been given the proper guidance, and he even somewhat comes to his senses by the end of the film, but he knew he was at the point of no return where his sins could never be forgiven and his chances of ever achieving a fulfilling life were long gone. It's depressing.

"the best movie you never saw"? I thought it was a classic that everyone watched at least ones

"We're having a territorial dispute, hm? I mean, um, I've wandered into your pissing ground or whatever the damn thing is and you've taken offence at my presence and I can understand that. I mean, I wouldn't want you people in my back yard either." LMFAO Great movie!

I remember watching this in like 7th grade and really liking it.... now that I'm 40 I can totally relate and I feel his pain and struggle... hahahaha. I just wanna go home!!

A better statement honestly is to say: "He was sick but then again so is the system he's a product of." Here is my problem with why Foster being called a villain doesn't make sense. He doesn't proactively try to do evil, all of his reactions are exactly that REACTIONS. If the Korean store owner made the change, there would have been no incident, if the gangbangers just left him alone, no incident. If the burger store made the burgers as advertized, NO INCIDENT. The whole point was that society is presenting itself as it operating by a set of rules or guidelines, that it expects everyone to follow, which then it turns right around and doesn't follow it's own rules. THAT'S when Foster reacts, pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of a system that expects him to follow rules it has no intention of following on its own. Foster is at best an Anti-hero, purely from the fact that a lot of what he did was reactive rather then proactive. Where the film has him veer into villain territory is regards to his wife, because now he's not following his own standards of decency. Which cements him as a product of the system that birthed him and that he's currently fighting again. He is both a victim of the system and a product of the system contending with one another. He's a sick man, in need of help and the system would rather dispose of him than actually help him. But he is in NO way like the Nazi store owner. Foster is judging the system and people in by the rules THEY have set and fail to follow. and the Nazi judges people by characteristics people have no control over, IE Race, Gender, Sexual Orientation. More over the Nazi proactively wants to seek out people, regardless of guilt and kill them. Foster simply just wants people to follow the rules and treat people fairly. There was a CSI episode that punctuates my point, where a man on board a flight is killed after apparently "going nuts", At first they think it's a murder, and this is normal "catch a murder" type story, but it quickly turns around where the dead man was the one that seemingly precipitated his dimise and you think this is a twist "the victim is the villain" type story but it again twists around and you ultimately find out, that the man had an undiagnosed condition that was triggered by high altitudes and Grissom's closing line in the episode punctuates my whole point "If someone, anyone would have taken a minute and asked what was wrong and tried to help him rather then assume he was just being rude, none of this would have happened." And so the episode closes on a tragic note, pointing out that there was no villain, no criminal but a sick man who needed help and no one had the decency to think outside of themselves and their assumptions to save his life.

The whole movie is legendary, but that restaurant scene takes the trophy.

I also love how an affair is implied between Duvall and his partner but never acknowledged, and how they explain why his wife's looney only later on in the film (deceased child); like he doesn't really want to retire and live a seditary life but

I was 13 when this came out. I watched it then and somehow related to him or felt empathy for him. I'm well into my 30s now and I still feel the same about this character. Great acting and a huge snub at the academy.

"I'm just disagreeing with you! In America, we have freedom of speech, the right to disagree!" Not anymore it seems.

Watch "Falling Down" And "Fight Club"- same theme, different approaches due to time and age.

This movie should definitely be seen

Before “Pulp Fiction” there was “Falling Down”.

I accidentally saw this movie in 1993, because the movie we wre going to see was sold out. WOW, what a happy accident. This is one of the best low budget movies and certainly *the* best Michael Douglas movie of all time. "It sure was hot today, wasn't it?"

One of my favorite movies. The more time goes on, you would think that it would become dated... eerily, it’s becoming more relevant.

I've known about this movie all my life. My old man and I use to watch it all the time.

I tend to see this film for it's duality. I see it as a man who feels he has been victimized by society, and is absolutely right, but who in the process lost his ability to see the same in others, and the ability to deal with the fact that he is falling down.

Panhandler: I'm a vet. MD: You're an animal doctor? Panhandler: No man! Vietnam! MD: What were you? A drummer boy?

This movie is probably the most accurate pychogical template for every person that went "postal".

I saw it and it is fantastic. I don't want lunch I want breakfast!!

Many commentators here on KZfaq have called this movie near perfection. I have to agree. The movie is absolutely flawless. The script is brillant, the acting is superb. The older you get, the more you can relate.

This movie is a work of art! I saw it in the theater when it first came out and I have watched it at least once a year since then,along with Pulp Fiction,A Clockwork Orange,The Good,The Bad and The Ugly, Scarface and a few others!

Great movie indeed!Michael Douglas said that this is his favorite movie and role he ever played.Still keep my VHS copy from back in the day on my shelf.

IMHO, this is one of the best movies of the '90s and in the Top 100 of all time.

So, because Kirk Douglas died today I believe, I've seen searching for any movie with him or his family in it. Never knew the actor of this movie was Micheal Douglas, thank you for telling me.

I went to see this movie at the time and thought it was brilliant, it really did tell a tale of the times and that unfortunately that hasn’t changed that much.

One of the best movies ever done. And soooooo underrated.

Me and my dad really liked this movie when I was a kid and still do. Fyi, I am half Thai and Mexican and didn't find this movie racist.

The main character in Falling Down reminds me so much of Duckman. He's sort of a bad guy, but his rants are completely spot on. He sees how awful everything is and he can't help but lash out.

Watched this for the first time today and i'm so surprised that you're the first person to compare this movie with Joker. People talked about taxi driver but nobody mentions this movie. It's a hidden gem.

Great Movie - "IM. . the bad guy?"

I've seen this movie at least 30 times. Even as a teen, it was then (and in a way, still is) one of my favorite movies. I'm thankful that I completely missed that it was controversial--but probably wouldn't have cared. Defense!!!!

I've been seeing clips of this in my recommended and I watched them. Oml this movie is brilliant.

when I saw the joker movie it kinda reminded me of this. you follow the main character as a protagonist and it’s not until the end when you fully grasp that he’s been the “bad guy” all along

"You forgot your briefcase!"

I've passed the point of no return. Do you know what that is, JoBlo? That's the point in a journey where it's longer to go back to the beginning. It's like when those astronauts got in trouble. I don't know, somebody messed up, and they had to get them back to Earth. But they had passed the point of no return. They were on the other side of the moon and were out of contact for like hours. Everybody waited to see if a bunch of dead guys in a can would pop out the other side. Well, that's me. I'm on the other side of the moon now and everybody is going to have to wait until I pop out.

Good job reviewing this one. I first saw it back in the early 2000s and rented it digitally pretty recently. It's one of a few movies that I don't mind watching more than once.

I saw "Falling Down" in the theater. My favorite scene is when the black guy who gets arrested for protesting in front of a savings and loan tells Foster, "Don't forget me." He nods.

I look at DFENS as an anti-hero. He’s nutty. I also really like how Duvall’s character finally sprouts a pair at the end! Love this film...

One of my favourite films ever and I think Douglas' performance was incredible

i didn't think he was a lunatic, i thought he was a guy who felt betrayed by a changing world who just wanted his old life back, sure he had a temper as we learned when he watches his home movies, but he also has a vision of how he wanted his perfect life to be. obviously he's a character that needed to check his temper and let things not go his way sometimes without freaking out about it, but i never thought that he was a full blown lunatic, just an angry, bitter, resentful guy who feels like the world doesn't care about him anymore

This movie has aged beautifully

This is one of my favourite movies of all time. Saw it as a child in the 90s and absolutely loved it 👌🏾

I found "Falling Down" a delightful romp.

Falling Down, Taxi Driver and Rampage are my three favorite anti-hero films. The guys are absolutely psychotic, but their messages ring true, unfortunately a select few are willing to hear them.

I saw it when it came out and loved it. Is way more relevant today.

Okay, I must admit, this is the first "Nazi Santa" I can ever remember seeing (4:40).

A masterpiece does not age. I remember how my girlfriend was confused and hated the movie whereas I loved it. This relationship ship didn't age ;-)

I saw this movie on television late at night towards the end of the 90s. I remember being completely exhausted but completely engrossed in the film. It was so good, that even though I wanted to go to bed, I had to see what happens next. If you have never watched this movie, do yourself a favor and watch it.

I seen the film when I was 9 and boy I loved it so much

I watched this movie when I was a kid, most people have seen "Falling Down"

I remember seeing this in the theaters with my grandmother lol good times

Probably one of the best social commentary movies ever.

Not many people know this, but Falling Down was inspired by the book, Taunting the Beast by Christina Triks.

I remember seeing the movie a long time ago. It's pretty good. Definately one of my favorite Michael Douglas movies.

This movie was great. He did some things we all wished we could do

i own this on VHS and DVD, im sure ill buy it again.

Saw this and loved every bit of it!!!

I love that movie I especially think about it when I'm in rush hour traffic and its standstill after I get out of work.

No one seems to have noticed that the protagonist lost his job, wife, daughter, house and finally his life while his ex wife kept her job, their house, their daughter, gets to live and will receive insurence after his death. He lost everything. She kept everything. Evil patriarchy my ass

This was my favorite movie growing up. I was a fan of all them unheard of movies. DO FREEWAY NEXT!!

don't tell me what i haven't seen buddy - always loved this movie

Michael Douglas: D-Fens is not a viligante... he's a guy who has lost his mind

''Never Saw'' - you must have a very low opinion of your subscribers

I saw the movie, but I am surprised how little reactions I could find on KZfaq... It is such a gem.

This is such a classic movie from my childhood! I’m glad my dad made me watch it

I've watched this movie many times.

• _Falling Down_ was a great movie and came at the right time; I'm not sure it would work these days, but then again, they made _Assault on Wallstreet_ and a _Death Wish_ remake just a few years ago… 🤔 But like you said, _Joker_ is getting flack. • 7:13 - **cough*szechuan sauch*cough** 25 years later and people are no better. 🤦 • He wasn't a psycho, he was a normal guy who snapped. He was doing his normal stuff, but a confluence of events lead him to break down and go nuts, and once that seal is broken, once that first illegal act is done, there's no turning back, so the only way forward is through. It's like with many things where people figure "welp, it's too late now, I'm already in it, so I may as well go all the way now". Like you said, past the point of no return, there's nowhere to go but down, but that point of no return can be crossed more easily than you think (sort like boiling-frog syndrome). The point was to make us realize that it could happen to any of us under the right, or wrong, circumstances, that you _don't_ have to be a psycho to go off the rails like a crazy train. Moreover, it could happen to _other people_ as well. You could be going about your business, minding your own business when someone suddenly snaps and goes off. Look at what happened to poor Tim McLean. :-\ But hey, that's just my two cen.

This is one of my favorite movies, it’s a stressful film and I love it.

Love this film so much, have lost count how many times I've seen it!

I think Joel Schumacher's *"A Time To Kill"* and *"8mm"* are both really unfairly dismissed too. *Tigerland* was strong as well.

"Or so he thinks" Umm in 2020? No.. no its 100% spot on!

Haven't seen for many years, must watch again

This earned you another subscriber!

Well I've got the DVD for at least 10 years.

"These here are the top of the line, scientifically engineered and all that crap, guaranteed by some Sierra Club asshole not to hurt a chipmunk IF you step on it." - Nazi Army Surplus store owner

the crazy ones are the sane ones in a crazy world

Dude I never actually saw this? It looks so good

Just watched “Falling down” last weekend.

I remember seeing this movie a the local 1.00 theater. It was intriguing and enjoyable.

I think this movie is the ultimate evidence of how we live in a drone society. For me, a suffering, yes, suffering, of Borderline Personality Disorder(Aka feeling everything, not able to just hide things like they never happened) it really made me aware of how 'normal' people just tend to have this ability to, well, hide feelings and push through because it is too uncomfortable to think or feel in public. So they just continue on like drones. The key scene for this thesis is in the opening scene where he slowly just breaks down from all the sensory inputs of a crazed, yet dazed, ever ongoing society. People just don't care, all they do is push on like robots. And it hurts to see. D-Fence is the result of not letting things happen naturally, the result of turning down basic human emotions and behaviour until the pressure simply gets to high. A testament to what happens when we just keep sweeping things under the rug instead of facing the problems head on. One can only wonder if he was always sick or if this is the product of trying to conform to a society where you are expected to just stay in your lane and never complain. It is also a great reminder of what can happen if you keep on moving through life as a person who doesn't react to other individuals with respect. Most of the time you will get away with it, but eventually, someone will snap and the effects can be horrible. You should have respect for other individuals, talk to them like they are just as much worth as yourself, not only blankly stare right through them and keep living in your own little bubble. Most importantly, with all this said, D-Fence went way too far, way, way too far and we should always strive to treat other people like valuable humans.

Rented this movie when it released. It made an impression on me that I never forgot. I was twelve. Dude just said ENOUGH. I think we’re all capable of being this guy. This sense of entitlement or that you were totally wronged and/or have nothing left to live for. Great storytelling.