Falling Down
User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 35
  3. Negative: 2 out of 35

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  1. IntelligentAndThroughtful
    Jul 19, 2009
    10
    Phenomenal piece of film-making. The only ones who think this movie is over analyzed are the people who don't understand its depth. How about all of the reviews by white people starting off saying it's a scape-goating white angst revenge film. Supposing that a white man, unlike a black or hispanic man; would have nothing to be angry about in the first place. Typical BS. The only thing more amazing than this film is the fact that it was allowed to be made in hollywood. Those were the good 'ol days!… Expand
  2. [Anonymous]
    Jan 13, 2008
    9
    Great movie. If it was made today who knows what kind of reviews it would get.
  3. Stephen
    Apr 22, 2008
    1
    How this film got such a high metacritic score is beyond me. On a superficial level, it's a story of a white male who has seemingly been driven into violence by a corroding American society. Dig a little deeper and you discover the sub-plot of white angst; a theme that gives justification to the the protagonists misdeeds, using minorities (and their dissolving of American norms and values) as its scapegoat. The director obviously wishes for the viewer to sympathize with his maniacal main character. Unfortunately, unless you believe in Manifest Destiny and the White Man's burden (which I'm afraid a good numbers of Americans do), all you'll see is a shallow movie attempting to make something out of nothing.… Expand
  4. SamiZ.
    Jan 19, 2009
    10
    Great movie that acts out all the things you've always wanted to do (well, almost all!).
  5. grandpajoe6191
    Oct 4, 2011
    8
    The movie's symbolism and allegory throughout the entire time was too obvious and prominent. However, its still a unpredictable but effective classic that possibly is Joel Schumacher's best film he directed (and also the last one too).
  6. ERG1008
    Aug 19, 2010
    7
    Man gets stuck in traffic jam, wants to go home, gets out of car & starts walking, has day from hell.
    One of Michael Douglas's best performances as the ordinary man turned bad, Bill Foster, in this very watchable Joel Schumacher film.
    Lots of memorable scenes & dialogue backed up with a great supporting cast including a very distrubing Frederic Forest as the army store owner.
  7. moonknight
    Jan 8, 2011
    9
    Fallen Man

    I really love this movie, this film is one of my personal favorate top 50 movies, and the reason why is because in a way it's not just satirical on our current society but it's sort of a dark mirror on what dark thoughts we repress everyday, that occasionally creep up on the back of our minds whether we want to admit to it or not. And we never act upon them because it would be     deemed wrong even though it would feel so right.

    This is my favorite performance of one of my favorite actors Michael Douglas, the Bill Foster character is sort of like a mix of comic strip character Dilbert and Rambo. This character I couldn't help but feel a sense of pathos for because his character as we see is angry and frustrated but he is emotionally broken, due to being down on his luck and separated from his family. From one good camera shot where he sees the city though the hole of his shoe and then covers it with circled want ads, it really tells you a lot about his character and current psyche. But he is also aware and ashamed at himself knowing he has some emotional problem, one scene he is watching a family video but then something happens where Bill get's a bit angry in the video, Bill then has a sad look on his face.

    But most of all I really like the actions this character takes which I think are awesome and blackly funny because there is a truth to them as well as the situations his in, which makes us emphasize with Bill's actions and feelings more. In a way it's similar to the film "After Hours" because Bill is practically in one crazy predicament after another, makes you wonder if the world is crazier than Bill. I don't want to reveal all of them you have to see them for yourself to enjoy them. But one favorite moment despite kinda dark is the golf course scene where he encounters a butt face golfer that wants him off the course. I hate people like that, that golfer is one of those people that stick their noses up and look down on people, practically think their own farts smell like roses. I really don't understand the prejudice against people of a lower class then them, but also for some weird reason I can't explain they act childish, that golfer kept saying this is my golf course though I bet it's not. What the hell was the golfer's problem with Bill, what that Bill was going to dirty the grass or something, the prejudice against guys like Bill and us is just pathetic. But of course Bill teaches the golfer a lesson and I really like that monologue Bill delivers.

    I really have no problems with the film even though my minor complaint I'll admit I don't really like how Bill's ex wife and mom drew him out. It didn't really feel like they assumptions were for the same character but some other character from some other suspense thriller, it's kinda that same problem with comic book antihero "Deadpool's" origins. I don't know it could just be me on this matter it's just I really like the Bill character and on his side, so sometimes what you don't say about a character is better.

    The everyday world can indeed be a insane place.    … Expand
  8. geedup
    Jul 4, 2012
    7
    OK, this is true: the film is not a artsy, photogenic masterpiece where nuance meets a boisterous voice. Rather, it is a fantasy we all wish we could live to some degree. Having a bad day and raging over all objects like they were toy Lego sets.
  9. phorlanx
    Jan 6, 2013
    9
    One of the most underrated films, both by critics and audience. The critic that gave this film the best review, Mick LaSalle, said that "a film too good and too original to win any Oscars but one bound to be remembered in years to come as a true and ironic statement about life in our time" - which is exactly what happened.
  10. oblique15
    Apr 10, 2013
    10
    What is wrong with the critics? They must be the old guys on the golf course scene! This is a Classic movie! I have have watched it over and over and over and over again, this movie never gets old. A whole lot of dark laughs! The character does a lot of things a normal person only wishes they had the guts to do, after putting up with all the crap you face in life.It`s so good I got the DVD today.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
56 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 21
  3. Negative: 4 out of 21
  1. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    50
    D-FENS is a cut-out, a cartoon Everyman we're supposed to feel sorry for and can't. He's a bad parody in what will doubtless be an over-analyzed film about loss of control. It's just too bad nobody on the creative end seems to have had much control either.
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  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    Falling Down does a good job of representing a real feeling in our society today. It would be a shame if it is seen only on a superficial level.
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  3. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    63
    Sure, the viewer who wants to see a tightly-paced thriller with gun-play and emotionally-satisfying moments won't be disappointed, but there is a little more here than simple escapism. Although it takes a number of wrong turns, Falling Down still has the power to disturb.
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