Falling Down was PROPAGANDA

[@matchesburn]

5:28 As someone that was around before this film came out, I can tell you that 85 cents for can of Coke in 1993 *_was_* highway robbery. It was around 50 cents.

[@TheArcturusProject]

Thank you

[@Tornado1994]

@@TheArcturusProject Yes. I was alive in 1993 and I Indeed remember a 12 oz Can of Soda being 50c. I Vividly remember trying out the Weird "Ok Soda" and paying 2 Quarters for it at the Stop N' Go while my Stepdad brought Now Laters for our Drive to San Antonio. I was 10 years old then. Mr Lee was Price Gouging, Ripping people off and had utter CONTMEPT for Foster.

[@kanucks9]

I remember being in Colorado in around 2010, and a can of coke was 50¢. I thought that was a great price - coming from Canada where it was $1.25 lol

[@HyenaEmpyema]

I remember a vending machine in 1995 that sold generic sodas for $0.35.

[@TheGreenKnight500]

You know what's crazy? I was born the same year this movie came out. I have no memory of a can of soda ever costing less than a dollar unless it was sold in bulk.

[@severonickel]

enough of this trend of youtubers pretending they can't pronounce simple names like "prend-err-gassed". you heard how it's pronounced in the movie.

[@chend2713]

god so fucking true, thank you

[@schitlipz]

Seems like maybe they been programmed by the media.... all trying to be Homer Simpsons or any commercial dad. I dunno. Ironic how they search so hard to find fault, then pretend to be faulty.

[@ShockerTopper]

It’s like a fight to the top of the stupid ladder with KZbinrs but specifically Gen-Z &/or wokey’s it seems.

[@brian_sipe]

Had to stop watching because of how insufferable that was. Glad I'm not totally alone in that thought. It's not funny, and never has been funny. Stop treating the audience like idiots.

[@bobjary9382]

Calliope ....cally ope cal lie OP .....oh fuck it

[@YouElm]

He was never going to kill his ex and daughter. He wanted to see his daughter one last time; he intended to go out in any way that day. That's why he pulled out a water gun; suicide by cop. You missed the part about his life insurance expiring that day; that was his final gift to his daughter.

[@JohnDoe-qw4gc]

Good point.

[@avamasquerade]

Dont be so naive and willfully gullible. He literally talked about how he wanted to annihilate his family. When people tell you what they want to do, believe them, and they'll *always* tell you, there's signs, threats, attempts, domestic calls, restraining orders, holes in walls, damage to property, verbal abuse (like the tirade he unleashed on his infant daughter) hell, there's actual manifestos. Considering his homicidal musings about obliterating his family, his wife AND daughter's restraining order against him (by an much more experienced judge) and his eventual violent behaviors, you'd have to be willfully blind (or have battered person's syndrome, like his wife) to conclude "ah, man...he didn't mean it, he was just ...ya know, misunderstood or whatever...."And even back then, you don't get life insurance for suicide much less suicide by cop. That was his final "fk you!" and act of destruction towards his wife and daughter, not an ode to his so called "love" for them. He just couldn't conclude the whole murder part of an abuser's progression to murder/suicide.

[@LeDiableBlanc]

@@avamasquerade That's the point, though. Thoughts don't necessarily lead to actions. I have seen the movie about 5 times, and him killing his family never felt legit. The scene right before has him self-reflect on his behavior while watching home movies. You can also note that despite him never behaving violently toward his wife and child, he still got a restraining order preventing him from seeing them to quote 'make an example'. I see the ending in the same way, despite not acting violently when reunited with his child he is still condemned by society's representative as someone who was going to kill his family. He is then made an example of.

[@LeDiableBlanc]

His use of the squirt gun in the final scene can also be seen as symbolic to the fact that ultimately he wasn't looking to hurt anybody.

[@bluishwolf]

People who commit suicide don't get life insurance payouts, and suicide by cop is still suicide.

[@DM-kl4em]

This movie plays out like a RPG. He gets a weapons upgrade with every enemy encounter.

[@DroolRockworm]

lol nice

[@robelyncooper4555]

Grand Theft Auto

[@M0butu]

​@@robelyncooper4555What do you think where Rocksteady got inspiration for the silly setting in San Andreas?

[@awii.neocities]

⁠@@robelyncooper4555no, POSTAL.

[@S7yx0]

I thought the same after the gang encounters.

[@Supreme_Court.]

About the briefcase: I doubt the thugs really thought there was something of value in the briefcase. It's just a showing of using petty power and dominance over someone they see as an easy mark. Bill recognizes this and refuses to give them the briefcase on principle. He's not willing to risk his life for whatever is in the briefcase, there could be literally nothing in it. He's willing to risk his life for what remains of his pride (and he knows he has the bat to help defend it). Edit: As for the beggar, Bill has already exposed and embarrassed this man multiple times. The man isn't actually threatening him, he's simply being annoying, so Bill doesn't really want to hurt him. So Bill gives him the (worthless) briefcase to finally shut him up, and also like you said because he knows he's gone too far by now to return to the normalcy the briefcase represents.

[@victorfergn]

hmmm I would've demanded him to handle over his glasses instead, THAT's using petty power and dominance over someone. Their worth is associated to the guy who needs them to see, they are useless in the hands of the thugs and that would be the whole point... you have to give me something that I don't give a damn about and means the world to you just because I tell you so.

[@Supreme_Court.]

@@victorfergn Same principle would also apply to the briefcase, where they might assume it has paperwork important to him but meaningless to them. But having them try to take his glasses might seem a bit too on the nose and schoolyard bullyish lol

[@victorfergn]

​@@Supreme_Court. Not quite, they don't know what's in the briefcase so there's ambiguity... they might think it has something of general value... specially if he doesn't put it down at any moment... so no, it has almost no symbolic value in establishing power... they might be driven by pure curiosity... we are talking about thugs, they don't know what might be inside a briefcase... they don't work in an office. Glasses on the other hand have no ambiguity at all, their value is at plain sight and it might represent an escalation in the violence. Schoolyard bullies and thugs are basically the same thing but in different environments. Besides what you implied is basically the scenario of a schoolyard bully with the whole 'petty power and dominance' thing. Real thugs only care about the money and maybe scoring point among their peers and their bosses.

[@omnipop4936]

Speaking of pride, my dad and I had a scary experience when I was a kid in the late 70s. We were walking to the store, and a guy pulled a gun to my dad's nose and demanded he hand over his wallet. Of course, I started going apeshit, screaming "Dad, just give it to him!!" Well, I guess Dad's pride wouldn't let him just cower in front of his little boy. He calmly said, "Nah, I'm not giving you my wallet. I might give you a couple bucks." Gave him a few dollar bills. To my astonishment, the dude just took it and moved on. Dad said "God bless you" as the guy ran away. To this day I marvel at how my dad managed to keep so cool. Pride really is a powerful motivator.

[@NormAppleton]

Where does it end though. Couple of jerks challenge him. He takes that as carte blanche to go apeshit.

[@radical_rat]

I think the water gun bit at the end is important, and overlooked in this analysis. It demonstrates that Prendergast is wrong in his assumptions, that Bill isn't a murderer on a rampage. Bill is asserting himself as capable of killing, but choosing not to, which is consistent with his other interactions with everyone except the Nazi. He makes himself and his complaints known, and is willing to cross societal boundaries to make his points, but isn't inherently malicious. If he had been, Prendergast would be dead. And it's Prendergast's assumption that Bill's frustration was equivalent to malice that led to Bill actually dying, not Bill becoming a villain. I think the point is less that you should shut up and be complacent with society, and more that these problems SHOULD be taken seriously. Bill's actions were caused by his frustration at his complaints not being acknowledged. He was frustrated with the complacency around him, and that drove him to make himself impossible to ignore. Had anyone at any point along his day said "You're right, that's fucked up" and gave him his change, or a breakfast, or just left him alone, it would have ended the escalation. Bill didn't really want to hurt anybody, but all of the problems that pushed him to violence still exist, and there will be more Bills. That's the point of the man outside the bank, Bill isn't an isolated example of the system breaking down: he's a symptom of the system working as intended. This isn't to say that Bill was necessarily RIGHT to do everything he did, or even that all of his grievances are legitimate, but I think the point is that just ignoring and accepting society's problems doesn't make them go away. It creates pressure, and that pressure will build and inevitably burst. Maybe it's a man picketing outside a bank. Maybe it's a chunk blown out of a construction yard. Maybe it actually is someone doing a murder-suicide with their family. But it's always going to be someone, because "That's just the way things are" isn't good enough.

[@Wayoutthere]

Thank you, that was great and I agree.

[@wayneshingler9664]

This comment was even better than the video.

[@themoonishollowfr]

@@wayneshingler9664 You the author had a great opening explanation of the overall points in the movie, but I feel like some of things were missed...

[@rapatacush3]

That golf guy count as a murder

[@justinheads5751]

@radical_rat glad to see one person here actually understands the movie. the villains of the movie are the assumptions those who aren't willing to violate non-objective societal norms make about those who are, and how those who aren't willing to, treat those things as objectively morally normative because they're not willing to violate them.

[@anderspekkarinen7244]

DFENS struggle with social capital is more relatable the older I get. The lines "I lost my job, I'm over educated, under skilled and I'm obsolete" are too real.

[@balsalmalberto8086]

Not economically viable

[@oed84]

overeducated, under skilled, and obsolete? you make him sound like an artist in the 2020's... 😂😭

[@georgekostaras]

Watching him as an adult I despise him on every level

[@NinjaFresh]

@@georgekostaras you being 18 doesn't make you an adult champ.

[@mianokamuru6333]

@@oed84 software developers in 2030s

[@afterthesmash]

Hmm, after many repetitions, I've concluded that people telling me that something "isn't what I think it is" isn't what they think it is.

[@NoNeed2No]

They're only telling you what they think it is.

[@jkfd97]

@@NoNeed2No And what they think it is is whatever's the safe opinion at the time... till they change their mind and go with the flow like every other of their NPC hivemind drones.

[@NoNeed2No]

@@jkfd97 Exactly.

[@andriaabashidze2497]

@@jkfd97 oh but no, no no no you're the special one

[@jkfd97]

@@andriaabashidze2497 You sound exactly like the type of individual I speak of. Bitter and envious of those who have a mind of their own. Enjoy your continued existence of having to rely on the herd for meaning and survival. Things are about to shake up very drastically in the world, however, so you very likely won't be able to enjoy that for much longer.

[@DogmeatDied989]

9:58 I would argue that the gang members demanding Bill hand over an innocuous item is a bid for power over Bill. The briefcase isn’t the thing of value here, it’s Bill’s submission. Bill refused, as he should.

[@aestroai8012]

Well, he did give it up to the beggar because he knew it was essentially worthless an hour later. D-Fens is a metaphor for a closed fist. He just can't let it all go. You can't carry a rotten world on your shoulders or you'll end up broken like him.

[@NewMitchell-wh3fj]

@@aestroai8012 I actually always read it as when the guy pointed out he was carrying two bags he realized the briefcase was useless and he was tired of carrying it.

[@KristofskiKabuki]

He risked his life for a symbol of his status. You think that would be worth it? When people do that in real life they usually end up dead.

[@KristofskiKabuki]

@@aestroai8012 He's not "carrying a rotten world on his shoulders", he's carrying the idea of what he believes he is and should be.

[@timewave02012]

@@KristofskiKabuki It's not about a status symbol. It's about the social order represented by being able to traverse a public space safely. As a society, we've increasingly detached ourselves from any responsibility for crime prevention. I'm not advocating vigilantism, just normal people standing up for themselves when they're in the right.

[@Nate_the_Nobody]

I think you had a small misinterpretation about him "risking his life" for his briefcase, it wasn't about the briefcase, it was about him not doing what someone else demanded of him under threat of bodily harm, he's already "lost it" by that encounter so even death is an outcome he is indiferent with, he simply wasn't going to let someone else impose their will over him anymore. When the begger asks for his briefcase he doesn't think twice about letting it go because the pan handler wasn't threatening him, pestering, sure, but the choice was all up to Will, he could keep walking and ignore him, or he can give the guy something he know's will upset him, so he gave the guy something that is useless to the both of them in sheer spite of the pan handler. Remember, it's ALL him now, it's HIS day, it's HIS choice, he's not being walked on again, and he's getting HIS payback to society.

[@patricksoares6253]

Could be both! That makes sense aswell

[@aarondavis8943]

It's subtext but it's not that sub.

[@elypowell6797]

Are you drunk?

[@AHMspadina]

The des cent from productive member of society is a theme of this movie. He was someone that did everything right and was supposed to get his place in the American dream. The briefcase was symbolic. But also he wasn't getting pushed around.

[@Treblaine]

It's really obvious from the performance of Michael Douglas, his response to the demand, he doesn't object to the briefcase specifically being given but the emphasis on "give". He simply won't be a doormat. I'm disappointed in this youtuber's analysis where the acting of the actors doesn't matter, it's like he's trying to understand the story just from the script or wikipedia plot summary and resorts to painfully trite allegories.

[@alexzemke]

The bag of guns wasn't pure utility, devoid of symbolism. It represented a sense of power he'd never felt but always wanted.

[@thenson1Halo]

He was a veteran. He'd carried guns before.

[@alexzemke]

@@thenson1Halo but not for himself, always in service to someone else's aims

[@mikebussy3334]

I love it

[@wolfehoffmann2697]

@@thenson1Halo No, his dad was a Veteran. He was an engineer. If he was a veteran, he would have known how that M72 LAW worked, because every soldier was trained on those in basic.

[@awesomeferret]

Right? How did he say that with a straight face and edit it? In what world do guns NOT have symbolism?

[@gabrieljordan8015]

This movie aged like fine wine

[@TraversalKnife]

yeah, and thats not a good thing

[@somenamelessdude8095]

​@@TraversalKnifeShould it age like warm milk?

[@TraversalKnife]

@@somenamelessdude8095 no. the film has aged pretty well, and the reason why that's bad is because a lot of the issues that were happening at the time of the film's release are still happening. the issues and concerns expressed in the film still havent been solved

[@somenamelessdude8095]

@@TraversalKnife I get it now, sorry but they've gotten way worse, racially especially

[@TraversalKnife]

@@somenamelessdude8095 yes

[@ET-Gamer]

My uncle who was born in the 40s told me about a man he knew who worked in defense and went to work with a shirt and tie and briefcase just like this character but in the 70s, and later he was laid off and had a similar episode to this where he'd pack his lunch in his briefcase drive off like he was going to work but would actually sit in a parking lot for the same amount of time as his work day. He'd come back and his family was none the wiser till money became a problem.

[@rich1051414]

That's a huge problem in japan to this day. People get laid off from their 'forever job'(a japanese concept that people should stay loyal to a single company their whole life) and they are then too old to be hired by another company, but too young to have a retirement. They no longer have economic self sufficiency, so they decide pretending until the walls fall down is their only option.

[@Bubu567]

@@rich1051414 Sadly, this is true... 終身雇用(Shushin koyo)

[@anb2456]

@@rich1051414 there is a French film about something similar to this: L'emploi du temps I suppose 'having a job and going to the office' is the purpose of many men's life

[@rumplefourskin6775]

That's so sad. I've heard of a similar story, but with a happier ending. This guy lost his really well paying job and was afraid to tell his family he had to get a job barely over minimum wage. When he finally did tell them he found he was worrying over nothing and his wife and kids completely supported him.

[@Bubu567]

@@rich1051414 Sadly, this is true. It's called Shushin koyo.

[@tradeprosper5002]

As an engineer who worked for a defense contractor in LA in the late '80s and went through a bad divorce there, this film hit me hard. It literally could have been me. I don't think the film meant to portray bill as the bad guy, just that the line between good and bad can be gray in the complicated world we live in. LA traffic is in a league of its own and could definitely trigger a crisis.

[@johnbeauvais3159]

As Solzhenitsyn wrote, “The line between good and evil runs through the heart of man, and no man is comfortable destroying a piece of himself.”

[@ststst981]

No he's very much the bad guy

[@lexingtonconcord8751]

Hope things are better for you now

[@stab456]

@@ststst981 you just haven't seen it yet.

[@michaelcraig9449]

@@ststst981 No he is not. I saw the move when it was new. Everyone in the audience was on his side, everyone felt the frustration he felt.

[@V-RADIO]

There is a detail about Bill's interactions that I think you should have talked about more. The people he had negative interactions with like say the construction workers went OUT of their way to be as nasty as possible, abusing their positions of authority. He was being bullied basically through his entire journey by people clearly enjoying it.

[@EmeraldEyesEsoteric]

A real journey would be longer and still have about half of those jerks, but I think they were being made to go out of their way so the movie could illustrate it's points. Even if everything was a bit overeggated, I wouldn't call it contrived.

[@Serahpin]

@@EmeraldEyesEsoteric Exaggerated? Have you never been to LA?

[@Vulpas]

@@EmeraldEyesEsoteric They downplayed it if anything.

[@SomebodyPickaName]

@@Vulpas LOL for sure.

[@Serahpin]

@@SomebodyPickaName No, really. It's that bad.

[@RedHammer112]

Might have missed the point of the ending there. He was never going to kill his wife and kids, that was the cop thought, from his perspective, from his understanding of the world, that what people do (Which in itself a bit of a critique but w/e). He just wanted to see his kid and wife one last time. He had already come to terms with the fact he could never go back to living in a sick world, one where he was the insane person. The cop at the end was the voice we all tell ourselves to get by, the part of our head that you quite correctly pointed out, is the noble lie, one we all have to believe in for society to function. But he chose to not be part of it.

[@nobodyimportant7804]

The ex-wife was going to reject him again and the entitled narcissist absolutely would kill her and the child before taking himself out. He would have justified it because he disapproves of the world. His entitlement leads to his insanity. He is a bad guy.

[@arthurbertram4398]

@@nobodyimportant7804 Wrong. He had no intention of killing them. He expected to be killed by the cops. Hence, the water pistol.

[@bleekcer]

​@@arthurbertram4398 Yeah, the water gun makes it obviously clear that he is supposed to be viewed as somebody who had no intentions to kill by the end. People forget that this is a movie, and not real life, they think this is a guy from real life, and since these people hate guys like these in real life, they draw the conclusion that the character had the intention to kill. But that's not what the director intended, and not just because of the water gun, anybody who understands films even a little bit sees the clues in the scenes, editing, music, and also in the raw content.

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

@@bleekcer I think that's right, in the context of the film. if they wanted to imply that he was going to do the very bad thing, they would've left a few more clues. but that's part of what makes it a good film, the fact is, from the perspective of the other characters, their actions were legitimate. they, like us, don't know what he's capable of.

[@bleekcer]

@@xxcrysad3000xx Yes, of course, the other persons don't know, that's also the point in the last scene. But viewers thinking the character, as it was written for the scene, had intentions to kill at the end (with a watergun??) is complete nonsense.

[@jacksquatt6082]

I *never* thought Bill was being portrayed as a maniac in the last section. Rather, the movie was showing how the system gets rid of people who go against it. The system he lives in - not the movie itself - labeled him as a maniac and disposed of him. This is another inherent problem with the system: refusal to change and elimination of anyone who tries.

[@BLVGamingY]

the point the film as i interpret it is making is that the social issues need attention yet violence will only lead to ruin

[@jeremykiahsobyk102]

I agree @jack.

[@hellmalm]

This the way I saw it, as well!

[@casualcausalityy]

Not economically viable, I thought the most telling scene was seeing the similarly dressed recently unemployed guy with the sign

[@dasaggropop1244]

@@BLVGamingY yeah exactly. everybody knows the feeling you just wanna flip out and rage when things dont go your way. the challenge as a member of society is not to give in to such primal urges

[@RealMisterScoops]

I feel like you completely missed the mention of the insurance money should DFENS die, and the fact that he had a water pistol at the end of the movie. If the movie had wanted to turn him into a psychopath by the end, why the mention of the insurance money, and how was he going to kill his family with a water pistol?

[@happyparticles3965]

He had a real gun, his wife threw it in the sea.

[@carlosdrfx]

He's basically a template for Walter White.

[@andreasandersen775]

OPs conclusion is nonsensical to me. He lays out how the movie points to all these legitimate issues and complaints and then concludes the movie wants you to not do anything about them? It maybe doesnt want you to use a gun to change them at least not on your own but thats a really strange takeaway. The movie is about the destruction of a man who may be flawed but also could have been better in a more just society. If anything it should make you want to change that society...

[@hsngm33]

he had a gun that he lost, and then he commited suicide by cop because he had nothing left to lose.

[@cats9thlife704]

@@andreasandersen775 >"The movie is about the destruction of a man who may be flawed but also could have been better in a more just society" He trashes a store because the coke is too pricey for his liking. That alone is enough to disprove your comment. He's a man gone insane by the tedium of the day to day, sure, but a "more just society" wouldn't fix that. There's no society that can totally abolish annoyance. He is a tempermental man lead by an id. He is, beneath all the posturing of a social critique, just a self-insert for the viewer's violent fantasies when being faced with a long DMV line.

[@alexblack8660]

DFrens refusing to give up the briefcase makes perfect sense for the movie. He's refusal is a point of principal, refusal to be bullied anymore.

[@SomebodyPickaName]

Definitely. His character development was solid - he told the Korean clerk he's "standing up for my rights as a consumer." LOL

[@wilkoufert8758]

He refuses handing it over because its contents would betray that he is without a job, a fact that he hides even from his mom. That’s why he is on the road in the first place. He would be perfectly fine to be bullied if his deception about his identity, his „face“ could have been saved

[@SuicideVan]

​@@wilkoufert8758exactly it tells us about his narcissism and fear of exposure as the loser that he is.

[@liamhickey359]

He was a laid off defense industry employee. The car reg signifies his support for the industry and that he a "company man". Hes been laid off by the very thing he believes in and depends on for survival.

[@maynardburger]

Seriously, I think OP is way off the mark with most of this, going down a massive route of overthinking things, leading to all kinds of terrible conclusions. Also, a bat is so amazingly NOT a better weapon than a knife. A bat is actually easily blocked and easy to wrestle from somebody. Plus anything but a direct hit to the head or something usually isn't gonna do that much damage.

[@Sebman1113]

For historical context, in the early to mid 1990s, Southern California was facing a massive recession because the Cold War ended and the defense industry was centered around Los Angeles and Orange County. Bill is meant to be one of these men in this historic context so I find that interesting. Many in SoCal at the time blamed these problems on immigrants too.

[@thebarkingyears]

That *is* interesting. Apparently (based on some reading I did after seeing your comment) the sudden decline in defense spending was a large part of why the state wasn’t about to bounce back from the recession as quickly as the country as a whole. It’s not clear to me how much symbolic resonance this choice is meant to have or whether it was simply the practical explanation for Bill’s situation. Regardless, thanks for your input.

[@dr.christopherdiaz4473]

As a child of aerospace workers, I can say that it was one of the few industries in the 80s that could still provide a middle class lifestyle.

[@Sebman1113]

@@dr.christopherdiaz4473 I would bet that was quite a big deal in an expensive place like southern California at the time

[@DaBlaccGhost]

isn't it great we have 2 major wars that just kinda flashed out of nowhere the past couple of years?

[@dukromeo]

@@thebarkingyears the license plate is not enough? hello. anyone home?

[@izzyarland5304]

And no one with a brain has ever thought of Falling Down as a simple movie.

[@matthewnicholas6365]

Probably didn't reach enough people in 1993 that appreciated it. I was 12. It was just a movie about a man being dragged down by the awful world he lives in. But there's definitely more to it and I think only now is that side of it being brought to the masses.

[@izzyarland5304]

Have to disagree. It was extremely relevant when it released and did well in theaters. It was also proto woke, when those who promote the current cultural revolution still took things nice and slow.

[@matthewnicholas6365]

@@izzyarland5304 it did OK. But it's the sort of movie that if you had a room of 15 general people, I'd bet more than half have never heard of it. Which is a shame tbh.

[@DinkFroop]

​@@izzyarland5304 in what way was it woke?

[@MadsterV]

@@matthewnicholas6365 if these 15 "general" people are very young, definitely. This was on TV constantly. Everyone knew about it and what it was about.

[@donbow450]

BS. He did not fight for the Briefcase itself, he fought for not being pushed around.

[@wilkoufert8758]

He fought not to be exposed as a jobless guy pretending to be employed

[@Kariakas]

Exactly, you can't give bullies an inch or you get walked over.

[@dutube99]

@@Kariakas you sure? how many died as a result of his counter-attack?

[@Kariakas]

@@dutube99 Nobody dies in that scene and in that particular scene, he's the one being bullied.

[@dutube99]

@@Kariakas yes he gets mugged. But remember this is a subtle movie. The gangsters offer him a deal, briefcase for freedom. Foster knows the briefcase has nothing of value. He could have taken the deal and walked away, assuming they keep their end. But he counter-attacks violently, and then what? They escalate hard - final result: several dead including innocent bystanders which could have been you or me had this been reality, which it easily could be. And it's just dumb luck he doesn't get shot in the back. So is his counter-attacking the gangsters worth it?

[@GregoryShtevensh]

At the 9:00 mark, you mention a hint he is unemployed, but you missed that the "cardboard" he was packing into his shoe, was a tearout of a newspaper. He was circling jobs in the classifieds, and they showed that

[@thebarkingyears]

Hey, good catch!

[@citycrusher9308]

@@thebarkingyears Great analysis. The propaganda is also anti-father. End scene suggest Bill possibly being dangerous to his wife and children is common occurrence. Prendergast: ''You guys always say you don't know what you are going to do''

[@dungeonmaster217]

@@citycrusher9308 I remember watching this film a while ago and feeling for the protagonist immensely, but the ending ruined both him and the cop. It was just like wtf. If they wanted to show main character as a menace, what's the point of giving him water pistol? I didn't go as much in depth into all this capitalism thing, but I've seen the guy who was a perfect citizen bullied, harrassed, and told literally by everyone he is a bad guy and at the end he basically kills himself.

[@citycrusher9308]

@@dungeonmaster217 Bill also reached a breaking point. So the films message to guys is - ''No matter how much you suffer, never lash out. Either take it or leave permanently'' - It's very sadistic

[@citycrusher9308]

@@SysOpQueen If I put 3 seconds into this film, it would be 3 more seconds than you

[@UMfan21]

I think the briefcase serves a second purpose as well: It's symbolic that he is giving his "work identity" to a homeless man. It's a symbolic way of saying he should "get a job".

[@thomaswebb2584]

Spielberg's first movie DUEL had an important briefcase in it too. I've often wondered if there was a sly wink concerning the two briefcases. Or I could be reading too much into it! ;)

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

yeah he had lost his identity as a working man, and in this world, you work or you're worthless. the "not economically viable" scene with the black gentleman at the bank is sorta similar. he's lost his family, his job, and ultimately his mind.

[@peopleskarmasquad1042]

Good observation.

[@georgeclontd4984]

It was a like a tool box or bookbag. It was a part of a life.

[@hypnos9336]

yeah thanks captain obvious :)

[@Seadog..C5]

You missed a lot of points to this movie. You covered the ones that were obvious. One of the finest and best glimpses at the change of society is when the young boy instructed him on how to use the LAW.. (NOT A BAZOOKA.) He had to get home and see his daughter. It was his last day.. his life insurance was going to expire.

[@SedriqMiers]

Indeed but i find it beyond contempt the author of this hitpiece thinks he knows it all. Its his opinion but like many clickbait trash they assume to be the font of all knowledge and infallible i say f u and a good day sir.

[@dbcria1]

You take an eloquent analysis and trash it with simple words, fitting in the era of Trump. Idiocracy truly was a documentary, as shown when President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho (Trump) was elected. Shouldn't you be wearing Crocs and propagating? @@SedriqMiers

[@richardsteiner45]

completely, Its like he doesnt even realize that the film's narrative is just a vehicle to explore all of these ideas and themes, or what a tragedy genre piece looks like and means. When the hell did the filmmakers make him the bad guy? the entire thing is an examination of a social condition. Lets not even talk about the white supremacy accusations the left wing media throw at everything. Beyond contempt @@SedriqMiers

[@nom6758]

@@SedriqMiers so you acknowledge its his opinion and then spew a bunch if fan-boy bias bullshit. Your comment is a hit-piece, because I said so.

[@alexhauser5043]

@@SedriqMiers I'm a fan of the film and I'm in almost complete agreement with his take on it.

[@Antractica]

What's really terrible is that every issue brought up in this movie has gotten indescribably worse in the past 30 years.

[@blahmcblahface3965]

Not every issue. That black guy is now more likely to get a loan than a white guy

[@WizzdummHeadley]

YES INDEED!

[@C-64]

Yeah now mfs are killing fast food workers over not getting served breakfast

[@tappytibbon927]

Can't we all see that's totally by design by our rulers?? Practically all media is some form of mind control or if you prefer a psychological operation. They have always hated us!

[@Kriegter]

It's called late stage capitalism

[@keelhaulsthingsthatdontmatter]

It's been years since I watched it, but in the Behinds the Scenes commentary, Michael Douglas was said to have taken a massive pay cut in order to do this movie, as he was very passionate about it, and he pushed heavily towards humanizing the protagonist. Which I think is interesting.

[@danausplexippus5079]

Anti-Semitic comment smh.

[@zackswitch9656]

@@danausplexippus5079sorry what?

[@yuntakukai1002]

(White Man) "Falling Down" is Anti-White Jew ✡️ agit-prop ✡️ director ✡️ star ✡️ producers ✡️ distributor ✡️ portrayal of stereotypical "Authoritarian Personality" angry White male (played by a ✡️) Duvall plays the White man who accepts his decline and his subordination to women and non-Whites. The theme is "Resistance is futile, White Man. Just go away or die."

[@pbluma]

@@danausplexippus5079 good

[@georgekosko5124]

​@@danausplexippus5079in just gonna wait for you to explain that.

[@JustSomeGuy1977-ss1ip]

I've always found it amusing that the Korean shopkeeper is played by a Chinese actor while the Japanese detective is played by a Korean actor.

[@jqowens777]

"im Korean" LMAO liar! i humbly take pride in telling my Asian brothers & sisters apart with ease thanks to 20 years of Godzilla & Asian flicks XD

[@johnmchugh8049]

In case you haven’t noticed prendergast 😂

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

Same. By the way, the Korean flick Man From Nowhere was far better than Taken.

[@JustSomeGuy1977-ss1ip]

@@NostalgicGamerRickOShay Almost as good as the US movie that inspired it. 🙂

[@davestang5454]

That is really no big deal. The 3 ethnicities have much more in common than their differences. There would be more stark differences if it were a southeast Asian or pacific Islander trying to play the part of a Korean.

[@daxisperry7644]

I always thought Falling Down was a fairly straight forward look at an average person who’s been doing ‘the right thing’ but just keeps getting little things take away inch by inch. Then, after enough smalls things wear him down, he just can’t take it anymore and is sick of being ‘pushed around’ and just starts lashing out because he can’t keep it in anymore.

[@charc0al_tv]

Yes, this was what I got from the movie as well

[@itheuserfirst3186]

He was angry at having to follow the rules that everyone else has to. In other words, he felt entitled. He was written to be a villain.

[@chrisbeaumont4630]

Except it shows he wasn't the virtuous person he believed himself to be and to a large degree was fake, like his briefcase being empty but giving him the image of an honest hard worker. The way he lashes out shows he is a hypocrite and lacks the moral principles that he believes makes him justified. Things start out showing his frustrations seem fair, but it goes on to show him going overboard and becoming part of the problem himself, eventually revealing he had issues and wasn't the righteous person he viewed himself as all along. He uses a veneer of principles and morality as well as an idealistic view of society to justify self-righteous anger that he believes justifies all the wrong things he does. I believe the end shows that he realises who he truly is and that it's best for his daughter he claims to love if he stayed out of their lives forever, so he chooses to make the cop end him so he can also provide them the insurance money as he makes sure he is gone and can never come back to harm them. It is very relatable that the issues in such a troubled society drove him over the edge, but even if he lived in the ideal world he believed in, he would be the bad guy with no moral superiority or outrage to hide behind. It was just the bad state the world around him was in gave him the false belief that he was a better person than he was, allowing him to believe he was the good guy to a delusional level. The nuance in the writing and the level of interpretation that can be made really elevates this film above just a cheesy action film or a cliche "peaceful man snaps" type of movie. I'm glad it decided to have depth and leave questions that are still discussed to this day. Probably my favourite movie about a guy snapping along with Taxi Driver

[@thealmightyaku-4153]

@@itheuserfirst3186 No: he was angry at following the rules that everyone should - but almost no one does - and getting the short end of the stick for it. It's not entitlement: it's resentment. Resentment at unfair treatment, at injustice.

[@yeahitsmesofkinwhat]

This video is bullshit told from the perspective of someone who thinks they're the main character not realizing they're not even in the released cut.

[@Dunbar0740]

William Foster is the mid 1960s professional man. He has the professional regulation haircut, the glasses, the short sleeve shirt, the pens in shirt pocket; his styling can be seen in NASA films from the period. And, here he is in the 1990s... in a dystopian society his generation created.

[@flybobbie1449]

Living in the past of the glory days of the space programme. Now look at the country.

[@Bollthorn]

I think it was done deliberately, because they wanted him to look like a man out of time.

[@manictiger]

Military spending has been a phenomenal waste of resources in many regards, but it is not why California is such a mess. That would be neol1bs and dark triad trait leaders. Also, KZbin, stop censoring the truth. This is the third time I've tried to post this.

[@ryanhorvath1308]

The typical creature the Military Industrial Corporate Complex creates. Who moved my cheese that death and destruction created. Defense my arse.

[@90Eight.6]

@@flybobbie1449 and the glorious cold war, ah?

[@jeffreykershner440]

Nobody every talks about his glasses. Folks in the 80's and 90's didn't wear these except the old men who were prescribed them in the 1960's and never changed. Everyone was wearing gold rimmed aviators. It's another pointer to him being a man holding onto the past. Maybe you could say hes looking through the lenses of the 1950's-60's when he felt life was better.

[@megawega6370]

He even said roll back prices to 1967 (if i recall correctly) when he is trashing the convenience strore.

[@akulkis]

as a leading edge GenX-er, I can assure you that teh late 60's WERE much better, DESPITE the hippies and their insane rioting. Things REALLY started going downhill in the 70's. Reagan's leadership caused slight improvement (and papered over some problems, like illegal immigration, which still isn't fixed)

[@shaunsteele6926]

everything about him was 1960s... his clothing, his glasses, his hairstyle. I think that was intentional, he was still living in 1960s America in his head and wondering why reality didn't reflect that anymore.

[@zackworrell]

He is supposed to be casualty of the shrinking MIC budgets of the late 80's and 90's. Skunkworks,etc....

[@brucetucker4847]

I found it hilarious when hipsters made glasses like that cool again. In the 80s military they issued glasses like that but with a full thick plastic frame and we called them "birth control glasses" because of the perceived impossibility of getting laid while wearing them. Now I go to the optician and it's hard to find frames that don't look something like that.

[@thomasdevine5202]

Okay, so he can say reciprocity, but he can't pronounce the name Prendergast

[@scaraboo3624]

Prender... what?

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

@@scaraboo3624 well maybe if you'd written it in f*ckin' english i'd f*ckin be able to read it!

[@yungwing4940]

racism against Irish and British

[@eeyorehaferbock7870]

@@yungwing4940racism by British against Irish? That certainly has existed.

[@FirstLast-vr7es]

I always took it that we were being told that D-Fens had a lot of completely valid points, but that he took it entirely too far. A flawed man pushed over the edge. Juxtaposed against Prendergast, which had succumbed to apathy and submissiveness like everyone else. In effect, a story about several different peoples' responses to a society in decay. Also that we should not resort to violence or hate, as in the end, that makes YOU the bad guy, regardless of what you're fighting for. This is one of my favorite films. It isn't perfect, but it really seems to capture how a lot of people feel about the state of society. The cinematography really drives it home. It just looks hot and uncomfortable. Dirty and miserable in a way.

[@Tornado1994]

The Cinematography is Very Subtle. Like we're just getting a Tour Bus through a Massive Heatwave.

[@dieyng]

Exactly. As such it seems wrong to declare it propaganda, as the message basically is, you might have reasons for anger and frustration, but violence isn't the answer. It will only hurt yourself and the people you love in the end. Which is a simple truth.

[@partridgefamilybus2021]

Pushed over the edge, BY DESIGN. The point was to show White, Western men, who believe in civil society and the rule of law, as ENEMY of society. New World Order propaganda. A justification of communist rule.

[@doddeddo]

D-fens defenders always forget why the movie rolls around two charcters: Foster and Pendergast; both had shit lives and were mildly abused by society to the point of desperation but each took their different ways. Foster had a daughter, Pendergast lost his daughter, He was married but her wife was unwell mentally and he was a decent person not because he was weak but he was strong, that's why he punches his coworker that keeps giving him crap.

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

I agree. I don't like that all the marketing (including the DVD box itself) say that one day this guy just snapped and "went on a rampage". That's not at all what happened. If he just went on a rampage, he would've been indiscriminately hurting and killing innocent people that had nothing to do with his original angst. That's not what happened. He decided that he's tired of being pushed and responding to it by just going "OK" and obeying, so instead he's going to push back whenever he's pushed. He never f**ked-up anybody that didn't have it coming to them.

[@foxhound34]

It has always been my belief that the writers made him a potential wife abuser because they didn't want to audience to see him as a hero at the end.

[@asongeveryday]

all i ever thought of it was that it was there to reveal to the audience that it's not just a sick society alone that creates killers. that scene demonstrates he had a temper and was self-centered. he always wanted things to be according to his vision, the entire movie is about his ideal vision not being realized. it would take one bad day after years of this personality flaw boiling in the pot of a society that insists on doing the opposite to turn him into the bad guy, and that's exactly what happens

[@jimmymaracas6442]

@@asongeverydaydoes his refusal to become a victim make him a bad guy or is it the logical conclusion of what happens when you strip a man of every reason he has to be civil? Why is it considered good to be passive in a society that uses that passivity to enslave you?

[@wrongtown]

​@@asongeverydayyeah the assertion that he "did everything he was supposed to do" in this video is not accurate. If your wife fears for her safety around you, you're not a "good guy". Just because you haven't actually physically assaulted her (yet?), doesn't make you a good husband and father. That's a ridiculously low bar to clear. That's without even getting into him happily contributing to the US military industrial complex as long as he got his pay check. Though some of his criticisms have merit, this guy is all about self interest. His overblown tantrums are the result of him not getting what he wants.

[@wrongtown]

​@@jimmymaracas6442 I wish I thought this was satire. If the only reason you're "civil" is because you get certain entitlements, you're just not a good person. It's the same kind of thought process that has religious folks wondering what stops atheists from committing horrific crimes. There's an enormous gulf between being passive and going on a rampage.

[@asongeveryday]

@@jimmymaracas6442 the problem is in refusing to be a victim, he makes other ordinary people like him just trying to live lives become victims. That's why he's a "bad guy", as he phrases it. We share one struggle, we feel the decay of our society; the old ways losing to the new ways. He didn't share this with anyone, he had to take it all in silence with no one to empathize with. No one encouraged him to try anger management, no one revealed to him productive and less dangerous ways to combat this changing society. He had no community, he was just left alone to become violent and suicidal

[@PhiliusMaximus]

Extra info regarding the store scene: The price of a can of Coke in the USA in 1993 varied depending on location and store. On average, it ranged from $0.50 to $0.75

[@WhatsWrongWithTheStreet]

$.75 plus tax left Foster without a quarter for the payphone. We used to have these things called phone booths. To dial, you had to feed the phone a quarter or two immediately. The store owner could have just given Foster change for a dollar and been done with it. But the man was greedy.

[@CTimmerman]

@@WhatsWrongWithTheStreet The clerk wasn't the one demanding free service, and he needs change to service paying customers.

[@CTimmerman]

@@firstdayversion1015 Where? 20 fl oz of 7-Eleven Water is 1.99 USD in Instacart and the cheapest item i could find.

[@ErikDayne]

This movie also seems to take place in a big city, I haven’t seen it in a while so I don’t remember if they actually say what city it is, but prices go up in urban areas so that price for a can of coke was actually not that unreasonable at all. He could have also bought 2 cans of coke and gotten the quarter he needed for the pay phone, but instead of searching for a logical conclusion, he instead lost his cool, probably because he was on a downward spiral after losing his job and wife and had unconsciously given up on his life, even if he didn’t realize it yet.

[@weholdparties]

@@ErikDayne The movie takes place in Los Angeles which is an incredibly expensive place to live. The convenience store was also off the beaten path and independently run which means higher overhead. If you wanted to get really deep in the weeds of analysis you could point out how Bill likely traveled to a poorer neighborhood which are more likely to have expensive cornerstores over grocery stores. Bill doesn't see how there's a tax on the poor because he can't see past his own wants and needs. He constantly victimizes himself throughout the film which is why he's confused how he went from perpetual victim to villain.

[@HellYesLetsDoItNow]

The irony is that Michael Douglas played greedy, sociopathic Gordon Gecko whose character in the movie, Wall Street, would be a major part of the problem that Bill experiences in Falling Down

[@cheeseburger12]

It certainly couldn't be the govt in its taxes and inflation. It's refusal to control its borders. And has now even extended to bullying companies to censor for them to get around the 1st amendment. Remember, people in government can have three houses and fly across the country every weekend while taxing you out of being able to afford to buy a truck- to save the environment. They can use the literal force of law and guns. They are every bit as sociopathic and greedy as any businessman, only the business man doesn't have the law and guns.

[@ElliotFW]

With the briefcase, Bill used it in two polar opposite ways to assert himself; He didn’t give it up to the gangbangers because it would be an act of submission, and that’s what they want. Whereas the beggar wanted the material goods inside, which Bill knew the beggar would be dissatisfied with, expecting money or valuables.

[@gabrielrodriguez821]

Wait, didn't goating the Detective into killing him equal his Ex /daughter getting the life insurance ? That was his way to atone to his daughter?

[@ShadowSonic2]

You don't get life insurance from getting killed in criminal acts...of course, D-Fens probably didn't know that.

[@rightpowered]

So you use the "goating" word instead of "provoking". That's interesting because in russian jail language it has the same meaning.

[@jacobosullivan2018]

​@rightpowered goading* is how it's spelled guys

[@YOUFREAKINNERD]

@@jacobosullivan2018 Not too surprised this comment section can't spell. LOL

[@darrenmurphy6251]

My spelling is atrocious in my comments, I keep editing but still get it wrong, remember our next employer is watching lol

[@slaviclettuce7937]

I don't think the intent was to show Bill as the villain, the movie shows how society starts to breaks him down, and Bill is aware of it the entire time.

[@KrazyIndeed]

Same with the briefcase.. The 1st time, they tried to steal it. He stood up to them. It didn't matter what was in the briefcase. He wasn't letting them have it... The homeless guy was just begging for stuff. So, he gave it to him and kept the guns for himself.. He wasn't forced to give it to him by threat. He gave it to him out of annoyance.

[@RequiemPoete]

The intent was power fantasy. The protag was doing all the things we fantasize about doing in similar situations.

[@RequiemPoete]

@@user-di2gi7tw6q KZbin sucks?

[@kuroogon0351]

@@user-di2gi7tw6q Thank you for the insight

[@Matt.Willoughby]

​@@KrazyIndeedyep

[@Hausbrauen]

A lot of ignorance displayed in this video, specifically streetwise. Someone mugging you for your briefcase is NOT odd, nor uncommon whatsoever. People frequently put their wallets, phones, and potentially very high-selling valuables in their briefcase. Thus it's both a reasonably smart thing to want, as well as an incredibly common thing to steal. Speaking from a lot of life experience on both sides of this one.

[@FUNLICKER2215]

Most people miss that the final scene at the pier is suposed to be a "suicide by cop" in which he had no real intent of killing anyone (hence the water pistol) but deliberately provoked a lethal response. When he came back to his old house he finally realized he has been completely stripped off of any meaning or purpose in his life, he is not wanted at work, he is not wanted by society and ultimately he is not wanted by his own family. At that moment he also realizes his own faults and shortcomings as a father. He mentions many times throughout the day that he's just going back home, but when he finally understands there's no home to go back to, he realizes there's no point in doing time, he will never be allowed to see his daughter again, so he makes Prendergast shoot him. This was heartbreaking to watch and can't understand why anyone would see D-FENS as the villain.

[@irgendwieanders2121]

❤

[@danielnewby2255]

Maybe it's because Bill literally says he's going to put his daughter to sleep, then his wife, then himself. Prendergast was right, Bill was going to kill them, he just didn't know it yet.

[@irgendwieanders2121]

@@danielnewby2255 "Prendergast was right, Bill was going to kill them, he just didn't know it yet." You should (re?)read Hamlet

[@griff9473]

We see him as the villain, because the movie shows us he is one. Prendergast was right, and the proof is in the first scene. Why would he leave his car on the freeway unless he knew he wouldn't need it anymore? He was planning on not living past that day. Everything after that, is just slowly revealing what was there all along. He wasn't broken down by the events of the movie, he was always like that. The guy who terrorized the clerk at the gas station, pulled out a gun in a (knockoff) McDonalds, and committed suicide by cop, was the same guy who decided he didn't need his car anymore because he was going to go "home" (a place he knew he was legally bound from going because of his past behavior, and potential for violence).

[@GreenGimmick]

Also everyone completely ignoring that Bill allowed himself to be killed by Prendergast so his daughter could get his life insurance money.

[@TheDangeonMaster]

This is one of the few times the comment section uplifted me by understanding nuance, and that this film is a portrait of an individual and not an endorsement of anything.

[@joemerino3243]

Especially towards the end, this film is as nuanced as a honey baked ham flung clear across a dinner table.

[@messiahmozgus]

I dunno why I watch these analysis videos when the KZbinr always misses the point. "Overeducated but under skilled."

[@NoNeed2No]

Exactly this. But we live in a world where politics has overtaken everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, so people always want to project their own politics on to every movie they watch instead of just accepting that maybe, just maybe, it might just be a movie about a guy doing stuff.

[@phoenixcommandtv5258]

I feel the main lesson to take away from a lot these kinds of films, is that they are MEANT to be alarming and frightening. As if to say "if you find this terrifying, why not fix these issues? Why not improve and heal society?"

[@DeathmetalPersian]

Leftists don't understand nuance or anything more complex than "right man bad". They don't read philosophy. They don't educate themselves to history. They pretend nothing existed before they discovered it and then apply their moralist hot takes to nuanced issues proclaiming they know all the answers to unanswerable questions. This video essay is just a reddit post in disguised from r/iamverysmart.

[@imtonysopro]

Yeah, I was agreeing with every point they were making up until the end stating that the film was trying paint Bill as the bad guy. Everything said beforehand is just evidence that he's not the bad guy, that he's the rational one in an irrational world. But no, it can only be different is bad so movie is saying that.

[@brandonbanks32278]

I never knew that a simple divorce and child support can drive a white man to become a frustrated, impatient, lawless vigilante.

[@anglegljreally3196]

Yeah but people misinterpret these films and take them for face value. The white dude is every MAGA supporter that wants America to be great again. It’s Starship Troopers.

[@shaunsteele6926]

funny message coming from Hollywood though, since they are a major part of that oppressive system

[@videooblivion]

“No, I know how it works”, he says about inflated budgets. This line always gets me, because he works in defense. That is so key.

[@NewExile]

Man's used to doing math in Defense Dollars...

[@gerardoa.]

34:09 “..once he’d built missiles, a Nation’s defense; now he can’t even give birthday presents..”. Iron Maiden’s song Man on the Edge.

[@guitarguru.3572]

That came to mind for me, as well. It was probably the best song they did with Blaze on vocals

[@EngiGODS358]

Yoo fellow iron maiden fans

[@eeyorehaferbock7870]

@@guitarguru.3572conversely, that song introduced me to this movie.

[@Subvisual]

"I'm the bad guy?...How'd that happen? I did everything they told me to." The last part is the key to his character and the whole story.

[@eddenoy321]

Yes that is a key quote. More people need to learn from it.

[@dutube99]

oh that mysterious, troublesome "they"

[@VintageTechNerd]

not really that troublesome@@dutube99 . Who tells you not to call a person of color a "N" word? Who tells you it's not ok to touch a woman when she doesn't want? Who tells you not to laugh at a funeral? No One? Everyone? Or a select group of people that changes over time? People around us are a collective and THEY tell us what is acceptable or not. And more than not, we listen.

[@dutube99]

@@VintageTechNerd Right. Then who is the "they" that Prendergrast, the actual good guy in all this" is referring to when he says "they lied to you? that's what this is all about? ... they lie to everyone, they lie to the fish". "They" is not always a force for good.

[@a15godzilla]

The troublesome "N" word.

[@andrewbatts7678]

Id say that Bill isnt aspirational but he is sympathetic. He represents a little bit of how we've all felt at one time or another. But also represents the completely wrong way to handle it

[@casualgamers3369]

Perhaps this is the best take. I don't think that it's wrong to point out the ways in which society is decayed, but the way you do it is what matters. For example for the Korean shop owner the moral solution is to simply boycott his store and go to another. Weirdly enough I wouldn't change anything about the gang members scene because that was self defense. The solution to the fast food place is to go to an independent restaurant instead (sometimes there are restaurants opened by immigrants which offer fair prices for food that isn't any worse than eating fast food).

[@Allen.Christian]

That's kind of how I feel about it. He is sympathetic, but he lacks the awareness (until the end) to understand his contributions to the societal decay he laments. He wants to be met with sympathy and patience while affording none (not just in his rampage here, but in life in general, even if he kept it quiet). Watching the movies is what makes him realize this. He couldn't even show that kind of patience with his daughter. But I don't take the message to be "learn to accept the bad systems," but more "you can't fix inhumane systems with an inhumane response." My biggest problem with this video essay is that he ignores the fact that DFENS is explicitly a sympathetic character, dealing with things that are fairly universally despised. You are explicitly meant to sympathize with him. Showing that he's also not been a great person is not the filmmakers trying to talk you out of that sympathy, it's an invitation to self-reflection.

[@pepper5128]

You guys don't get it. To you, it seems, movies are simply a message of how we should behave and nothing more, at least that's what it seems, and to an extent I'm sure they somewhat aim to forewarn; they're also just artistic expression, therefore, a reflection of reality as it is perceived by another person (probably a Hollywood elite lol), and so because of that the film possesses a certain depth beyond the message itself, and likewise it obviously contains a bias also. It's likely that Bill IS supposed to be a sympathetic character, I mean, because they would have just made him a 'Nahtsee' otherwise, but they make a distinct effort to distance him from them. Of course there are certain biases in everything Hollywood makes and it's important to keep that in mind when analyzing anything, not saying I disagree with the portrayal or anything, just that it's important to keep it in mind. I was surprised to see, after rewatching the movie after a few years, that Bill seemed oddly way more relatable than when I watched it last as a teenager. It's obviously not the exact same situation, yet it's another turn of the same wheel, a cycle that's probably been happening for ages among many different generations of our ancestry. From where I live, I would say that the movie seemed a far more accurate reflection of reality today than when I watched it previously, and despite how far away I live from the US and how much time has passed from when this film hit the box offices, it's kind of timeless. I mean, from Bill's abandonment of his car due to the increasingly poor driving conditions, the increasing feelings of foreignness, the inflation of course, the intense privatization of public services and rapid development of land to float a dying economy, etc. etc. These are examples where I've begun to notice a parallel. What I'm trying to say is that there will always be people like Bill, there will always be the people that come after Bill that inherit the worthless baggage, and there will likely always be the rest of the characters that make up this film. If you don't do end up doing what Bill does, then you're not Bill and you were never supposed to 'be' Bill, maybe you're more like one of the guys on the side who silently sympathizes with Bill's plight, not to say that's a bad thing or anything, just that it's probably inevitable, likely, but I digress. Lol, ramble over.

[@Allen.Christian]

@@pepper5128 Not sure if you're lumping me in with that, but I'm in agreement with you that movies or any form of art isn't intended as a prescription for how to live life. However, art is meant to be interpreted, and discussing your interpretation of it with other people is a very normal thing to do. Or at least, it should be. But there is an epidemic of people who think that everything has a definitive and true interpretation that's unquestionable. Like the person that made this video.

[@pierluigi1412]

Or maybe how more people should handle it to push back against the crazy that's rapidly and irrevocably eroding once great societies.

[@craigjohnson4302]

The irony of our social structure is that it boasts independence and free thinking, but when the average guy puts that into motion he becomes the bad guy.

[@joshallen128]

ironically theres too much independence and free thinking and too much of anything can be poisonous

[@craigjohnson4302]

@@joshallen128 Every society has to have laws, rules, and regulations because too many humans are easily detoured from righteousness.

[@joshallen128]

@@craigjohnson4302 religion has been used to justify alot of things in my lifetime

[@craigjohnson4302]

@@joshallen128 I agree and I didn't mean for the word "righteousness" to be a reference to religion, but rather integrity and doing the right thing.

[@joshallen128]

@@craigjohnson4302 really its only integrity because we dont know what the right or wrong thing is, just like we dont know if what we are doing is legal/right/wrong/illegal? Having integrity helps with reputation even if you do the wrong thing. hubris gets in the way and ego and makes us railroad into things full abore that we cant stop ourselves. this structure is infallible to prove it wrong would be to undo a lifetime of history.

[@exxon101]

How difficult is Prender-gast?

[@TD-g5g]

Stopped the video at this point

[@90Eight.6]

its not even prender. its PENDER-gast

[@Scott__C]

@@mateofyt And then cut out the stumbling in editing.

[@andrewsmith3257]

​@@90Eight.6 you are correct

[@ConnbineHarvester]

pretty easy but then I am from Ireland where it's a fairly common surname

[@RegnStövel]

To me the "dont forget me!" is an incredible line/scene.

[@FusionGamerElite]

We are NOT economically viable :)

[@futurefox635]

I love how the OP put in a lot of these nice lines of dialogue from the movie.

[@squeemac]

I've seen the movie 10x, but never noticed they're wearing the same garb.

[@snakebitcat]

@@squeemac It's a way of showing that someone like D-FENS who isn't white gets cracked down on a lot sooner and for a lot less than he got away with doing for most of the movie.

[@dutube99]

it's a seduction, and a very good one

[@celtictexan]

I was going through a divorce and child custody fight when this came out. It hit home like nothing ever in my life. I was a fraction away from being this guy.

[@TravelatorH8r]

This movie related to a lot of people. The reviewer of this movie is obviously in his early twenties and went to a liberal arts college but you and I both know that watching this character ,pre grand Theft Auto video games, was an outlet for people down on there luck and feeling like they have been punished for towing the line. We all grow up and realize we put ourselves in these situations

[@Megatron4Life23]

I'm praying for you man. I hope your life has improved immensely.

[@always_markb]

that's the type of shit that ends up on the news. scary

[@Dunge0n]

"There's a deeply Semitic influence in the press. It is Semitic and I am sure of it." -Patton, post-WWII

[@arthurarellanesiii4297]

Same i had to move PHX

[@larrypass6720]

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."

[@President.GeorgeWashington]

Speak for yourself

[@peterjohnson1734]

@@President.GeorgeWashington It's a quote by Henry David Thoreau

[@shaundouglas2057]

Now ain't that the truth.

[@SaiGirl]

Thoreau?

[@atrainabomb77]

@@peterjohnson1734 Who was a bum, a mooch, and a terrible writer. I still resent having to read that, Atlas Shrugged, and The Fountainhead. All trash books by trash people.

[@logicallunatic1]

"Now you're gonna die wearing that stupid little hat"..... best line in the movie 😂

[@Nordic_Goon]

Truth haha

[@reddsrighthand]

100%

[@aesop1451]

that's antisemitic

[@williamrelue]

I love this message... its much deeper. The guy is old. He spent his whole life doing something, being part of society.. useful enough to get the riches to be a member of that club. But because of his (and other ppl in his position)'s failings over a whole lifetime.. he's just gonna die wearing a stupid little hat.

[@michaelpadilla6316]

It reminded me of that George Carlin joke about golf courses on how much land it takes up and suggesting that it can be used to build low cost housing. While mocking golfers on the lines of "with their precious little hats to their cute little golf carts".

[@ndSpaz]

My takeaway wasn't that you become the bad guy and a psychopath if you push back against the injustice of society. I thought it was meant to say that it's probably gonna destroy you.

[@crow4936]

Or that no matter how hard you fight the evil unjust system they will end up making it your fault and treat you like the bad guy.

[@acebojanglesable]

Yeah. The analysis in this video is so good until the final conclusion. Maybe he pushed back in the wrong way, but I don't get the message being about whether or not to push back.

[@spamhonx56]

yeah, i think it's pretty clear that the main character got the bad ending. it's an exploration of the dark path that follows the cathartic actions. We're in a a time where the economy is noticably suffering and public discourse is increasingly divisive, tribal and hostile. We're not the same as the main character, we're just seeing a lot of the things that were condensed into one day for this character... and the movie certainly isn't encouraging others to respond the same way then realise that at some point they became the bad guy.

[@crow4936]

@@acebojanglesable the little guys will never win in this world that's why we all turn into misanthropes and end up hating humanity. Main reason I feel is too many idiots and sheep who just follow anything.

[@username1660]

@@TheDude-pm2gnI'd argue that's untrue. It'd be great if the System(tm) was an entirely equitable exchange but that's simply not the case when a select few can and will dictate the terms and that's not even touching on the instances in history where the System was decidedly very much evil, à la Jim Crow laws. What you can hope for is receiving something that's worth what you put in but that's not necessarily guaranteed. However, that doesn't mean your response should be to go on a tear through LA and hurting innocents

[@ch3burashka]

I think your interpretation of the briefcase is plausible, if you have seen it once already, retrospectively. I did not assume the contents were important - rather, the reason the man asks for his briefcase and not his wallet is to put him down / emasculate / assert their (local) authority. He refuses not because of the contents but because to do so would let someone control his life, something he is not willing to do at any point in the movie.

[@NewMitchell-wh3fj]

He wouldn't have given them whatever they asked for, no matter what it was.

[@KristofskiKabuki]

To do so would have been to lose the symbol of the identity he's created for himself, a symbol and identity that is ultimately wothless.

[@WildFungus]

most briefcases contains 'briefs' not underpants but docvuments nothing of value, except in criminal transactions. so I'd say you are correct.

[@Etaoinshrdlu69]

It was the case so he could wack the guy with it. Can't wack a man with a wallet.

[@WildFungus]

it's more like a 'mediocre planet' sir :D@@Etaoinshrdlu69 HARDLY FANTASTIC hehehehe.

[@joegage1498]

Inflation has a domino effect the more the price of goods rise the less people can afford the less they buy the more you have to charge for goods because your selling less.

[@Maya_Ruinz]

Very interesting thoughts, I have been analyzing this movie for years and there are many small symbolic moments that most people look past. In the shop with the Korean guy he knocks over the tin with the American flags and the camera lingers on it for a good sec and I have always felt it was supposed to represent D-Fens losing his faith in America and resorting to violence. Or when he is sitting on the concrete and lifts his shoe and sees the hole in it, the hole could also represent how society is literally eating away at his sole. The city in background is always smoggy, hot and run down it’s literally surrounding him, claustrophobic and it isn’t till he hits the pier that the movie finally has color, like if D-Fens is finally seeing light and color for the first time in years. There are hundreds of small moments, it’s a movie that just keeps on giving the more you look.

[@SpoonNFriends]

America was founded in violence.

[@alecrichards8574]

Ooh i like that bit about eating away at his "sole", it might have been very intentional, nice catch!

[@samwise1790]

Or the hole in his sole is the hole is his actual soul via his forced estrangement from his daughter and family; as the driving force on his journey is his attempt to get back 'home' (where he legally cannot go) to see his daughter, the only thing he acquired on his odyssey of noble purpose was the gift for her.

[@ericjohnson6675]

He is sitting on a worn out concrete throne while a difference socioeconomic group circles like vultures. Or that when the gang escalates the violence with a drive by, they crash and burn....foreshadowing what fate awaits Bill if he goes that route.

[@-Swamp_Donkey-]

You’re missing a crucial piece. This movie was made by a gay jew from New York, and stars a jew born into Hollywood. Nobody understands the plight of the founding-stock Americans like a gay Jew from New York, amirite? The entire movie is propaganda and misdirection with the over-arching theme of “you’re time is up White man. You’re obsolete and no longer needed. Love, Jews.” Oh, and the loony with the secret Nazi room is my favorite.

[@JayPlaysEverything]

I was born in 82 and remember this movie growing up. At no point did I think he was the bad guy.

[@Podcastforthewin]

Same here! Fellow 82. Sep 30

[@Slaanash]

Damn, I feel sorry for the poor soul trapped in a marriage with you, along with the kids that you'll annihilate.

[@futurefox635]

Same here pal. I watched this a lot when I was growing up and never once did I think his family was in danger. The movie fails to set that up because its not supposed to be set up for us to think that.

[@chaseb5376]

The minute I saw him assault an innocent store clerk trying to get by. When he could just go get change somewhere else. I knew the guy was the villain.

[@TangSooTerp]

Born in '73 (I was working at Blockbuster video when the movie came out on video). I never saw him as a straight-up villain, either. Perhaps as an anti-hero. But I was pulling for him throughout the movie. Everyone he squashes as he moves through the film tried in some way to squash him first. The water gun at the end sealed the deal for me, too...he was not going to hurt his family, especially not his daughter.

[@alexcarter8807]

In the early 90s, a LOT of engineering type jobs disappeared in California. I came to the mainland US in 1986 and by 1990 it was obvious that if I lost the technician job I had, there were zero other jobs for electronics technicians in California and maybe the nation. It was a rough time. So there's some of that in this movie also.

[@Tornado1994]

Falling Down was filmed RIGHT after the Rodney King Riots in mostly the Outskirts of Downtown Los Angeles. I remember.

[@GAURON123]

Why this happened?

[@GAURON123]

@dorkwingbuck I see, thanks for the explanation

[@manolokonosko2868]

Shit! That's the SAME THING that happened to ME in 1991, but on the East Coast: Long Island, NY. By then the USA was not manufacturing electronic consumer goods, as those factories were shut down and moved to Mexico, Japan and China. The electronics industry - aside from computers - was more based on defense spending: missiles, radars, etc... and when the USSR ceased to exist, there were a lot of defense industry job losses. I was in my early 20s interviewing for technician jobs and competing against guys in their 30s and 40s. They all had salt and pepper or white hair, or were going bald.

[@Tornado1994]

@@manolokonosko2868 Hmm...I suspected that. Regarding Defense Industry, I remember Lockheed Martin.

[@destonlee2838]

This is the movie that saved me from going to school for engineering.

[@adamskidam275]

Are you dumb?

[@reallyidrathernot.134]

where you at now?

[@destonlee2838]

@@reallyidrathernot.134 retired farm operator.

[@destonlee2838]

@@steveochoa7801 you have been serve

[@Hausbrauen]

@@steveochoa7801Every Hollywood movie is fictional. If you had known that, you wouldn't have made that distinction. Thus you have no right to judge anyone's IQ or life choices.

[@jimh6813]

The briefcase represents his identity. His education, his job, his earnings, his retirement, his ability to provide for his family, his purpose in life is all represented by that briefcase. It's who he is. And he's not giving it away to a couple of thugs for passing through their pissing ground.

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

Sure, there's an underlying theme there with Pendergast too that a man's identity is his job, and you lose that, you lose yourself. There's some other hints at this, when he's caught "trespassing" and "loitering" and "unable to read the signs", this is not unlike how it was in the early 20th century, when vagrants were bullied out of town or arrested and sent to work on chain gangs just for the crime of not having a job.

[@christianokolski9701]

... and the briefcase is empty. Only a lunch to barely keep him going till the next one.

[@karlblick309]

Only partly. He lost his job a month ago but still dresses the same way he presumably did when going to work. as important to him as both his "uniform" and accessories are he eventually gives up both. This I think is because the character comes to realise that they are things he clings to in lieu of his own identity which he allowed to wither because he had accepted the one society offered him instead.

[@drewe2331]

I've noticed about 3 different eras of interpretation with this movie, just with myself. The angry teenage me loved the chaos of running around doing what i wanted. The early adult me appreciated the commentary of how society isn't fair. Later still it was a psychological story of how Bill has been broken down by everything around him. I could be on the verge of a new take about societal ramifications, but who knows. I think this movie is something of a masterpiece because so much of it depends on what you bring into it with you.

[@GuidoMauas]

No, it's not a great movie because of that. It doesn't depend on what you bring into it. It's a great movie for other reasons, has a clear intention and is not ambiguous or relative or anything like that. It portrays a smart and caring father that is broken by a series of absurd things that happen to him in one day, and just can't take it anymore. On the other hand, the movie is smart enough to not portray him as a pure victim, but simply someone trying to find his way home in a sick society. It very clearly paints an almost apocaliptic chaotic cityscape full of thieves, murderers, fanatics, dealers, and so on. The three different interpretations you mention actually fit into one.

[@drewe2331]

@GuidoMauas you're right, art isn't subjective and an artist's intentions are 100% concrete and immovable. Thank you for opening my eyes to the rigidity of creativity.

[@GuidoMauas]

@@drewe2331 Your childish answer shows how little you understand about subtleties and actual subjectivity. I never said art or creativity was supposed to be rigid. I said that the reason the movie is great isn't that "most of it is open to interpretation". That doesn't neccessarily make a piece of art good or bad. Actually you look rigid to me, and I trust anyone with some brains will notice the difference between your tantrum simplistic interpretation of what I said and what I actually did say.

[@amazin7006]

@@GuidoMauas The scene where he yells at his daughter on camera shows he wasn't smart or caring as a father. He was an angry man, and society never broke him. He was just always like that.

[@GuidoMauas]

@@amazin7006 Maybe you're projecting your own daddy issues into the movie, instead of actually reading a story that is not representing you. Less interpretation and more reading, please. The movie I saw was about a scientist working for the defense of his country who gets fired, and wants to go home to see his daughter, only to find an absolutely b**chie ex-wife on the other side of the phoneline, who literally won't let him see her. Yes, there are signs that he is not the only victim, and that he's troubled, but he loves her daughter. Yes he was angry and couldn't deal with it properly maybe, but the writers clearly show all the obstacles he finds in his way home, blocking him and frustrating him when he tries to evade them. You missed, for example, the scene with the crazy n4zi in the clothing shop, which is there to contrast and differentiate him from an angry monster. He's sensitive, and he fights that pig. But hey, maybe you like that n4zi and you love the McDonalds burguers smiling and saying "everything is fine". Finally, in the end of the movie, he doesn''t shoot the cop, only with a toy gun. And then they show a video of him with his daughter, playing. Pay attention to the little details, you'll be able to get out of your own pathetic bubble.

[@P3tray]

watching this as a kid is like "what the fuck is this guys problem?" watching this as an adult is like "yeah I get it"

[@gafibla]

watching this as an adult is like "what the fuck is this guys problem?" watching this as a kid is like "fuck yeah"

[@greyghost2492]

yeah sure buddy, now go back to your joker quote videos and sigma male edits. lol

[@beProsto]

op either did not watch the video or gained absolutely nothing from it

[@caribbeanbound8357]

Watched it back when it came out. I was 14 yrs old. Loved it. Dude was a hero for some of his reactions

[@shirolee]

For reals...

[@RobFox-c3p]

i always found it so interesting that the homeless guy keeps saying he hasn't eaten, but he's actually eating while they're talking.... and then he finally gets the briefcase, it has food in it, and he throws the food around like it's worthless. such a weird scene.

[@hamupinhere]

Well they definitely make it clear that his intention for panhandling wasn't genuine.

[@letsdiscussitoversometea8479]

When he threw the apple at Bill I *COMPLETELY* lost sympathy for the panhandler. Bill solved numerable problems for the man in one go - providing him with energy (food) to get him through the day, and a free briefcase to use for helping with work and/or study. A *perfect* gift for the opportunity to go to a library to begin studying to start a trade/business of his own. Even after all the deceptions he committed against Bill, he STILL couldn't appreciate what Bill had done for him. What a piece of shite.

[@calebpalmer9317]

Watching this as a kid I was rooting for him to achieve his objectives

[@thatanimepfpguy]

Watching as a kid I was rooting for the surplus store owner Nick.

[@d.c.1059]

Watching as a kid I knew we had A WHOLE LOT to look forward to.

[@Tortle-Man]

I mean this shot like that, but tbh he is very much the bad guy here. Guy is a mega Karen in every sense of the word.

[@kadriblabali]

Watching as an adult I still root for him

[@KabbalahSherry]

​@@thatanimepfpguy- Ooh rooting for Nazis, how edgy 🥱 lmao

[@Cousin_Uli]

I remember my dad showing me this when I was like 7 or 8, in the late 90's. It was the first movie i can remember watching that was about an adult being unhappy about "the world" in quite this type of way, like the regular world, not fantasy, or old timey setting, or sci-fi. As a kid i just kind of assumed at one point you grew up and shit just worked normally. Watching this with him was one of the first times in my life I had to reckon with the fact that adults could even be upset with how their lives were going, much like me as a kid could.

[@martinsmith6049]

You got that right. Ask a veteran with PTSD

[@DHTC888]

I'm still trying to grasp the point this video is making (not downing it), but your comment was GOLDEN. I understood that clearly.

[@n.miller907]

As a parent, I would never show a movie like this to a young kid. WTF was your Dad thinking?

[@koops6899]

@@n.miller907 Some parents don't believe in sheltering their children from the cruel reality that is the world we live in

[@Cousin_Uli]

@er907 We had pretty relaxed ideas of parental guidance in our house. Although my dad did get in shit from my mom after we got back from Starship Troopers on opening weekend. I was 8 at the time lol.

[@matrixcom69]

While there are stupid moments for Bill's character, he doesn't come off as the villain most of the time. The scene at the end has the detective, who barely knows Bill, views him as a potential villain and thought Bill would kill his own daughter. The movie only throws that in to make the audience second guess Bill and to make the twist (Bill pulling out a water pistol) more surprising and heartbreaking. In the end Bill died not really doing anything a true villain would do. He died being a deeply disturbed and outcast person who didn't see any way out of his shitty world other than death.

[@blahblah-hz8ey]

he was 100 going to all his family

[@Billy-bc8pk]

Nailed it. Many of us are in the same situation, and the self-deletion by cop was the cherry on top of a crap-filled cake. There was no turning back, there was no going forward, there was no hope.

[@remo27]

@@blahblah-hz8ey I disagree. Partly because it's a numbers game. Actual spousal and intimate partner domestic murders (which of course do NOT always include children, probably most of the time they don't) run about 1,500 a year. This means that out of a population of 340 million people and tens of millions of marital and non-marital sexual relationships, somewhere around 1 in 10 thousand leads to an actual murder. Clearly, even the vast majority of the 'horrific abuse' (daily beatdowns, that sort of thing) do not end in murder. Yet that cop in this movie acts LIKE HE HAS SEEN IT ALL THE TIME. This is the director of the movie not being aware (probably because of all the anti domestic violence propaganda that insists that if he grabs her shoulder, or yells at her *Yes, BOTH can lead to 'restraining orders' against you* he'll eventually end up murdering her so ALL DV has to be taken equally seriously, and note I haven't even mentioned male victims because the propaganda hardly ever does)of how rare this stuff is. DFens has never even laid a hand on his wife. He realizes himself that he has been a bit of a verbal bully to both his wife and daughter but one usually doesn't jump from verbal abuse to murder just like that. And by the way, can you imagine how unbelievably cruel the system is "to make an example of him" to not even let him CONTACT his daughter at the very time that the other part of his life (financial) is also falling apart? The wife herself seems more at fault than I first thought as she is indeed dismissive of the girls need for a father, and agreed to go along with the Judge. Anyway, in the end, showing where his true loyalties laid, he sacrifices himself with his watergun , no real threat to anyone, just so the little girl can get something (money, the only thing fathers are considered good for given our actual policies) from his corpse.

[@cagethelonewolf]

he is, he killed pepole and got pepole killed. doing something evil for a 'good' reason still makes you evil

[@majoraslayer64]

The most evil things he really did were firing that weapon at the roadwork crew (even if hurting actual people wasn't his intent), and refusing to show mercy to the heart attack guy. He did terrify a lot of innocent people, but rarely hurt anyone who didn't intend to hurt him. He was very sick, and definitely not a hero, but I never interpreted the ending as he intended to kill his family. That was Pendergrast's guess at Bill's plan, but the proposition took Bill by such complete surprise that I think it's more likely that Bill didn't really HAVE a plan beyond that. I think his shock at the groundskeeper's family being terrified of him, and his surprise at what the detective thought he intended to do, was possibly meant to show that. He told everyone his plan from the very beginning of the movie: just to get home, to his daughter. I don't think he had any thought about what would come after, all he knew in his broken state of mind is that home was in his past life with his ex-wife and daughter, and he could return there if he could just get to them.

[@canttakeanymore]

I've watched three times about 5 years apart (although not exactly). It's a movie about the realization the values we claim to hold as a society are not the values we practice--values around violence/guns, for sure, but also how we treat and interact with each other on every level. It's not propaganda, if you're looking at it closely, it's anti-propaganda. The over-the-top reaction by the main character is the only rational response to the overwhelming pressure of conformity to a lie on an individual who wants some truth to believe in, when the real truth is that there is none. Nihilism/propaganda has won. That is the message--or, at least the end result of Falling. Down.

[@cheeseburger12]

There is no such thing as anti-propaganda. People assume propaganda is spreading a message you don't like. If it has a message, it is propaganda, regardless of if the message is good or bad. Well, ok. I guess if there was no message to the film, that would be anti-propaganda. Although these days some people like to argue if there is no message, THAT IS THE MESSAGE. SMH.

[@canttakeanymore]

@@cheeseburger12 Yes, there is: an example of anti-propaganda would be an effort using artistic mechanisms like irony, novels, movies, etc, in an attempt to mock, debase or otherwise contradict the propaganda--propaganda is state-sponsored, therefore any non-state sponsored message might be considered anti-propaganda, and sometimes it has been defined as exactly that.

[@cheeseburger12]

@@canttakeanymore if propaganda is state sponsored then by your definition there is no such thing as corporate propaganda.

[@cheeseburger12]

The first definition I found looking it up: information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. "he was charged with distributing enemy propaganda" Nothing about being state sponsored

[@reddog4091]

I think a good way to explain Bills spiral here is that the movie isn't supposed to get just the every man in the audience critique themselfes, but also as a warning to all levels of society. You never know just what kind of day somebody is having, and so spare a little kindness and bend the rules. If you pick on the little guy, he might just snap and pull out a machine pistol in the mcdonalds. A little decency goes a long way. Bill is unhinged and violent, and he is right in his critiques of society. He is the villian, or at least an anti hero because he doesn't actually change anything for the better, hes just lashing out at every offense. Besides the gangsters and the nazi noby really deserves what Bill does to them.

[@bobcobb3654]

A fast food cashier is “picking on the little guy?” They don’t set store policy. If anything, dude’s going full Karen, including demanding to speak to the manager, before he starts terrorizing a bunch of minimum wage kids he thought were beneath him (which is delusional anyway, cause shit, at least they got a job). Maybe he should have asked for an application.

[@a_lethe_ion]

wekll maybe the ittle guy shouldnt have a machine pistol and acess to healthcare and a society that doenst glorify violence so that 1. he has the skills to not snap 2. when he naps he doesnt harm other innocenst who have done nothing to deserve it while those at fault are insulated for a non american its fucking disturbing as he;; that the violence in your country is so normalize dthat people having acess to mass killing weapons is just a fucking thing to accept and build around. like theres a giant man eating hole in the street and instead of fiucking fixing it you explain people to just be carefull when climbind around it and blame the people who falls bc their shoes were too slippery

[@AileTheAlien]

When re-watching this as an adult, I thought the movie's was sort of just using Bill as a way to critique society, and show that when you increase inequality, layoffs, etc you're also _necessarily_ going to increase the amounts of crime, violence, etc because of these people's poor living conditions. (Same sort of message in the recent Joker film, which this video references in listing anti-heroes.)

[@grumbazor]

@@bobcobb3654 there were breakfast packages still in the shelf that would be thrown away. Its just pure stupidity not to sell them.

[@brettjohnson536]

Yeah no, I didn't really buy that. A fast food employee IS the little guy. That whole scene was just spoiled Karen with a machine gun. It made it very difficult to have any sympathy at all with him after

[@TVs_Wil_Herren]

To understand the hole in the shoes reference you need understand the plight of the everyday, white collared, working man. They truly do not make that much more money. As a starting out reporter, I wore a suit everyday and made less than an incoming high school teacher by almost 10k. We would walk or run so much in our dress shoes holes would appear with in 3 months. To save money we would use cardboard as soles so we did not hurt our feet. That is the reference the movie is pointing out. He worked hard for a low paying job.

[@MovieGuy666]

Yeah... he missed the whole point of the hole in the shoe.

[@StainsStainsStains]

"As a starting out reporter" And you're disregarded. Your plight is unimportant and laughable. Not surprised you think your dainty little feet being hurt because you have to walk places is a travesty, grandpa lmao.

[@frankangelo1983]

Bingo. I wouldn't waste your breath on this fella though. He made a 10 hour long youtube video ignoring the climax and dialogue. He's clearly not paying any attention.

[@kimd7835]

He's an engineer in a job that makes weapons - he's not an office worker. Do engineers and defense contractors not make money?

[@TVs_Wil_Herren]

He is an engineer contracted by a major contractor. He doesn't make money, he just doesn't work outside.@@kimd7835

[@buckyhate7695]

The social impact of the 80s is something that I feel isn't explained adequately in the film. The "Me Generation " radically changed the way the middle class was viewed and treated by the upper classes. It's a strange irony that Michael Douglas played two characters, who were on both sides of this coin- William Foster and Gordon Gecko. Gecko preached that "Greed is good", and Foster was the end result of that mentality, which was the mantra of the 80s economic culture.

[@nicks4802]

Gordon Gecko? Isn’t he Kermit The Frog’s cousin?

[@Hiraghm]

And the Marxists are heard from. Gecko was right, however, with the wrong word. Ambition is good. Greed is simply being unwilling to trade value for value; wanting something for nothing. In a nation founded upon the twin principles of individual liberty and self-reliance, to condemn the "me" generation is to condemn the founding principles of the republic. Both Foster and Gecko are straw-men, created to condemn capitalist society by (as dictated by critical theory) focusing and expanding on the flaws, while dismissing or ignoring the merits.

[@Hiraghm]

btw, the real damage came in the 1970s, with the oil embargoes and "malaise"... for the first time for Americans, price became much more important than quality in products. For my parents, members of the Greatest Generation, "plastic crap" was a euphemism for the poor quality goods (an increasing number of which came from overseas) that became ubiquitous during the 1970s til this day. Also, as referenced obliquely in the movie... the 1965 immigration act further contributed to the loss of social cohesion with the introduction of cultural values alien to, and often incompatible with, the British culture which had dominated the US up to that point.

[@subtlewolf]

He's not an end result, but rather an active part of the feedback cycle.

[@dewdew80]

@@Hiraghm the excess of foreign made goods started with Reagan passing laws allowing American companies to move all their manufacturing overseas. This was in the 80s. The 70s was a recession because the Arabs underproduced oil and the cost of gas went up. That's all it took to cause a recession in America because we had mass produced houses spread across the country and didn't realize high gas prices would slow the spending of people who had to drive into town. The "American dream" was a desperate attempt across the 50s and 60s to produce a ridiculous amount of housing to prop up a post-war economy. It only worked out for a single generation and made us vulnerable to recessions every time the gas prices rise. When the recession was experienced in the 70s, the me generation sold their hippy vans and collectively voted for Reagan because he was a famous actor and they were dumbasses. Neoliberalism ended up just being a way for rich and famous people like Reagan to sell out the poor and middle class for their rich buddies.

[@Elfenvampir]

The US inflation of the nineteen 70s was not simply due to bad economical decisions. It was the bill for the vietnam war.

[@WorldofKlown]

When I watched this in the Theater I came away with the concept that Bill wasn't the bad guy, he was one of the many victims.

[@MrJBracewell]

He's literally on a murder rampage while stalking his ex-wife and daughter, who are terrified of his crazy ass. He is definitely the bad guy.

[@BaroqueBlues]

@@MrJBracewell Who did he murder? ((EDIT : To the dude below me: the original statement I was replying to said that "he was going on a murdering rampage"... Did he go into the store with "murderous intention" because he was "literally on a murdering rampage" ⁉️‼️ NO‼️ The point of my observation isn't to argue over legal semantics, it's to hint at the symbolic metaphor of the entire movie. You arguing with me is like someone trying to argue about Neo in The Matrix was really about: a murdering rampage using karate..., (it's a movie‼️) the martial arts & killing were there to entertain the mindless-mouth-breathers who can't see past it. Just because you're not smart enough to understand that, doesn't mean there's not more to the movies.

[@eddiespaghetti54321]

@@MrJBracewell”Murder Rampage” who did he murder? The only person he directly killed is the Neo Nazi guy who tried to kill him.

[@MK7-MephistoKevin777]

@@BaroqueBlues Well he did kill that NAZI psycho who was about to kill him, But I think most would consider that total self defence, The movie is Gold !!! One of my all time faves.

[@MrBl3ki]

Same as Taxi Driver.

[@jackyack7850]

This is one of my favorites and a timeless film in a lot of ways. One thing you didn’t mention is that Bill Foster is expected by all the characters to act a certain way and to follow all the rules unquestionably because he is dressed as a poindexter. He looks like a typical nerdy businessman, but the truth is he has a violent side. Notice the other characters expect Bill to do what he is told and not push back. Just because of how he looks. The same expectations aren’t placed on the gangbangers, the homeless man or the other “non-normative” types in society.

[@Shiirow]

I dont think he was outright lied to, more like the ones in power slowly re-wrote the rulebook without letting everyone else know, so they can pass go and you go directly to jail.

[@valeriekeefe8898]

You find those are the most-harmful lies.

[@patricksoares6253]

Glad we get the same impression

[@squeemac]

When he says, "They lied to me," I always interpreted it as that WAS the surgeon, not the gardener.

[@bobbyspoti234]

Falling Down never pretended to be a movie with a simple message. You just didn't understand it.

[@Zinozad]

After 10 seconds in the video, I stopped. There is something to this guy's tone, something that sounds like "I have watched all Tarantino movies and now I'm an expert on cinema and I'm going to tell you what you missed in that movie". Falling Down is a very simple and elegant movie. It's cut and dry. It doesn't have hidden meanings and philosophical layers, it's about the struggle between good and evil. After reading the comments, they confirm my initial feelings, it seems the guy read too much into it, and is drunk on his own words.

[@ahel4523]

Missed the best part of the bazooka scene. He needed a Black kid to explain how to operate it and the kids knowledge was "video games".

[@Vyable__]

I know how to because of them, wheres the lie?

[@v-town1980]

​@@Vyable__lol. Seriously? Yeah, every kid (especially blk) knows these things.

[@boundboi6236]

Not really any racist implication there. More like kids enjoy action movies/video games? I don’t remember them mentioning anything to do with his skin color. Actively seeking these things out to be racist is kinda sus 👻👻👻

[@RadicalReviewer]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the "they lie to everybody they lie to the fish" line, which I think is very important in reflecting the cop and protagonist's responses to societal decay.

[@thebarkingyears]

Did I not? If so, I assure you it was an editing error. That is one of the most significant lines in the entire film.

[@RadicalReviewer]

Ah nvm, you put it in the conclusion. Such a good line. The cop used to be able to swim in the water and now it's poison. So good.

[@ErikDayne]

That could also be seen as a response not to societal decay but personal adversity. The cop lost his daughter but he kept going. Bill had his daughter taken away by restraining order and decided to go on a rampage. You could interpret what the cop is saying as 💩 happens to everyone, get over it. They even lie to the fish, that’s no excuse to go off the deep end.

[@Rad_Radster_Experience]

This is one of my favorite movies that touches on so many social topics from deceptive advertising, divorce, mental health, abuse of power and much more.

[@tablescissors]

The way the narrator ended this video also made me think of the theatre that Jan 6th was turned into.

[@Aaron48219]

This is the best comment on this video.

[@lanthanumlanthanium6373]

The whole nazi trope really get's old though. They aren't even like that in real life, it's clear that the tiny hats had them put that in there.

[@cbc8716]

I’m a father who worked hard for my family. My ex wife killed the cat. I haven’t spoken to my daughter since she was 8 (now 18) and have been called in front of CYS twice. The CYS officer said to me… “Be careful, we are aware of what is really going on”. The judge was caught in an relationship with a married man and i knew that I lost the court case when she looked at my ex wife with a smile. Me, with a scowl. I still talk to my youngest at 15 years. My children will suffer because of my ex, her millionaire parents and the corrupt family courts.

[@crankychris2]

Men aren't equal when it comes to custody of children.

[@classicnosh]

The golf course scene hit home for me. Did you know that golf course owners get farm subsidies for the land they use? You'd think that with their high membership price, it would be taken care of but, you know? Greed, etc.

[@Hiraghm]

How is that greed? The gov't gives them farm subsidies... who's being greedy, the government? They should refuse the subsidies on principle? The taxpayers won't get that money back; it'll go for some other boondoggle to buy votes or campaign contributions.

[@john-ic5pz]

...a govt for lining their pockets and of lining their pockets.

[@aradecomate8261]

I didn't know this. Now i know golf courses qualify for all kinds of subsides.

[@MondoBeno]

That's terrible. Golf courses are some of the biggest water wasters in the USA. Because of the pesticides and weed killers they use, they're also a huge polluter. In Hawaii, they're a land waster.

[@BeeTriggerBee]

Haha what

[@Chameleon1616]

This issue is something that really caught my ear when you began to explain it. It’s a trope with many Hollywood films that I have had a growing problem with as I have become an adult. This problem begins with how many films present villains who embody powerful points or critiques of society which drive their motives and in an age where grey complex characters favoured over simple good vs evil stories this has only become more common. I like this on its own, but the problem arises when the protagonist or forces of good do not directly engage with or effectively refute these motives and critiques. Protagonists will often counter the villains highly articulate or poignant monologue with a quip or more often a moral objection on principle. This being that murder is wrong, illegality must be punished, or that their plan lacks empathy. Sometimes as in this case the personal failings of the villain are used to attack them, yet their argument still stands. Sometimes nothing is said. Some pop culture examples of this are Thanos who’s concerns about overpopulation and universal unbalance seem to go unanswered other then the moral imperative of Saving lives, the Colonel in War for planet of the apes who seeks to stop the threat of the apes and the virus through mass murder, but the film never truly challenges his assertion the alternative is the effective end of humanity, it focuses on individuals fighting for their life. A British murder drama (not Hollywood I know) reveals that an army officer planned a terror attack on a UK army base to encourage a military deployment and arms sales to secure a relationship with a needed regional ally. The relationship was crucial to the UK’s economic and political standing in the world at a time where it is declining and he mentions that Russia or china would have just stepped in if they didn’t sell’s the arms. The strongest refute he gets is that he ‘killed his own’ and that he is a murderer. There seems to be a theme where often quite cynical but practical concerns are villainised (often correctly) but are countered using unrelated moral stances. This is what happened with Bill, his critique of society was refuted by the cop with a personal critique of Bills conduct despite much of it being randomly implemented and unrelated to his ideas. It’s like movies are encouraging people to look inwards and focus on their conformity to key moral norms in opposition to radical action of any sort. This is not necessarily a bad message, as a world in which most people conform to codes of good conduct instead of trying to force radical social change in all sort of directions is probably a better one in most cases, but the often instinctual propaganda embedded in culture and storytelling is apparent and is often frustrating narratively. As Barking pointed out, it hurts the quality of a films narrative, leaves questions unanswered and blunts the relatability of protagonists.

[@thebarkingyears]

This is an extremely high quality comment. Thanks for this, Chameleon.

[@Chameleon1616]

@@thebarkingyears I appreciate the compliment Barking. I would encourage you to take your ideas in this video forward. I found it extremely interesting. There are seemingly endless examples of this narrative trend I can think of. Where grand critiques have their agents defeated but ideas avoided. It might be worth further exploring. You sparked my interest.

[@bfrehksdhf]

Hollywood has always been a hidden arm of the US Government, or the ruling families that run it. The propaganda has always been there, but in the past it was more subtle, and people were more ignorant on how TV and the world really worked. Remember Lookout Mountain. Following not just the money, but the genealogies of the people who started H-wood, will take you back to the same ultra-capitalist/industrialist/MIC families that have owned the country since the beginning.

[@bfrehksdhf]

@@Chameleon1616 "Where grand critiques have their agents defeated but ideas avoided" It's a propaganda technique, called creating an 'Anti'. It's also a form of controlled opposition. What's an anti? An Anti is an actor, or a disguised agent(s), set up by the government, who promotes ideas, theories, or politics that they wish to discredit. The best current example I can think of are SJWs and Antifa. The rulers don't actually want any real social justice or anti-fascist movement gaining ground, so the most effective way to undermine this is to install their own agents all over the country, creating controlled organizations from the top-down that mimic the real groups. Since they own the media, they only report on the fake groups, never the real ones. The last thing they want is anybody becoming a real revolutionary, so they instruct the fake groups, their actors, to say stupid things and do stupid things, and thus their ideas are blackwashed. It's no accident every SJW promoted by the media is made to make you cringe, or Antifas act violent to get people to hate them. They have been doing this centuries and are quite good at it. Sean Kratovil-Lavelle, who we're told is one of the leaders of Antifa, is actually a member of old Maryland aristocracy and a nephew of a Democratic congressman. Keep digging though, and you'll find out the Kratovils were originally Kratochvils, peers from Europe with current links to the top nobility on Austria and Germany, including the Graf von Waterskirchen family and four important others. Graf = Earl. Lavelle is an English peerage name, related to British nobility including the Baron Stanley Clinton Davis. They were originally French Lavals, which links them to the Bourbons and the Princes of Orange. One of the Kratovils was Senior Vice President of UST, lived in Arlington, VA, which most people don't know is basically the frontyard of the CIA. Sean is also an actor, starring in a production of Mary Poppins. I could go on but this comment is way too long already.

[@ianduarte1992]

I very much disagree with your statement, villans particular motivations and moral arguments exist for character depth, at the end of the day if you engage with the villans argument you are accepting that his means can be justified, you take away the urgency of the actions, such as genocide and murder, and put it behind the moral moral justifications, such as overpopulation and an opressive society.

[@Euthymia]

Your analysis points out what I believe to be one of the difficult aspects of the film. We expect to come out of a movie with the filmmakers having made everything clear, answered every question, know who the good guys and bad guys were. That just isn't the case here. Falling Down doesn't hand the audience the answers, it demands that you think about it after it's over. I'm not saying my take on it is "the" correct one, but I believe that we are initially encouraged to identify with the main character's anger and his over the top response to it. Woo, he's attacking the rude store owner with his own weapon, woo, he's beating up gang guys and taking their weapons stash, woo, he's pulling a semiautomatic rifle at the snotty burger joint manager, woo, he's shooting a white supremacist. Maybe all things we've fantasized about doing, and he's taking the common movie hero role of doing things that we're afraid to do. But eventually we're asked to step back and ask ourselves if that's *really* a reasonable response to these situations. The guy in the small store, his store is in a crappy neighborhood, he has to be in the same challenging environment that Bill walks through, it's his place of employment (or business), every day, and not just by accident. Maybe he's tired of drug dealers coming in demanding he give them change for large bills without buying anything. Is any valuable change likely to come from the store getting torn up? No, he's just going to keep on doing what he's doing, but now with added fear that another crazy person might come in and freak out again. What I came away with, and this may be unique to me, is that Bill's problem is an inability to acknowledge that things are how they are regardless of whether we like it. And if we don't like it, the things that we might do to change it probably don't involve impulsive acts of violence. As when he's watching the home movie: he bought his daughter a rocking horse with the idea that she should instantly display gratitude and enthusiasm. Well, she's a kid, maybe she didn't like at right away. Maybe she wanted a different toy. Maybe mommy and daddy were arguing and she was paying more attention to that. But he got pissed off and belligerent because a 4 year old didn't display what he thought should be the correct reaction. In his mind, he did what he was supposed to (buy his daughter a hobby horse) but she didn't reward him by behaving the way he expected her to. And that's the way he's been with his environment the whole movie (and presumably his life). Life is messy. The means by which we get what we want aren't as simple as taking certain definite steps and always being rewarded. We have to find our way, we have to figure out how the world works, who will and who won't have our best interests in mind, etc. Sometimes it can seem like people whose behavior we don't like are getting rewarded more than we are. Sometimes it can seem like the world is changing in a way that we don't want it to. The contrast between the two men, Bill and Detective Prendergast, is key to this interpretation. They both start out the movie beaten down and symbolically emasculated. By the end of the movie, Prendergast has decided that he needs to assert himself, stand up for what he wants, but he does it in a healthier way that could actually lead to change in the relationships that aren't working for him. Bill continues to insist that his idea of the way things should be is the right one. He can't even see how leaving a trail of assault, property damage and death across the city, finishing it up with a restraining order violation, could make him be seen as "the bad guy." The message I get from watching these contrasting paths is that you can and should stand up for yourself, but there are constructive ways to go about that and also destructive ones, and if taken to extreme, the consequences of doing it the wrong way can be dire.

[@iamrys5940]

The Briefcase represents him standing up for himself from assholes in society who see him as an easy target. It also represents him trying to look like a productive part of society, living a lie he kept telling himself. It’s only when he has the bag of guns and a bum keeps asking for it he lets it go, showing he accepts who he is now. I understood this literally the first time I watched it. This review doesn’t understand the damn movie.

[@thoyo]

As a kid, I thought the director meant for our sick society to be the villain. That's interesting that people saw Bill as the villain.

[@CTimmerman]

Kids only have often arbitrary rules to follow as they have a right to care. Adults have bills and following arbitrary rules pays for them, but given the number of homeless people, care doesn't always suffice.

[@griff9473]

There are two villains. Our society is definitely broken, I don't think anyone would argue against that point. But Bill is also a villain. His emotional abuse towards his family (as seen in the home movies) shows us that he was a bad guy that was on the edge of doing something horrific for a long time. The movie chronicles the day he finally decided to do it. He isn't slowly broken by the day's events, and changing right before our eyes, he's always been that way, and we're being shown the real him more and more as the movie goes on.

[@TheM750]

I think it's terrifying that anyone comes away from this movie NOT seeing him as a villain.

[@quiermanboy]

LOLLLL homeless are their because western civ is fucked. has nothing to do with feminine coddle energy@@CTimmerman

[@pierluigi1412]

Society and the forces/individuals responsible for destroying it are the villains.

[@dereklambert5145]

As a married father pushing on 40 with a grudge against society, i look at this movie and D-Fens as inspiration for how not to behave. The scene when he loses his temper trying to force his child on the toy pony in particular

[@crow4936]

I think that scene is ment to show how he's changed and he used to be like everyone else and now he's changed and regrets his past action. Something that many people fail to do and carry on blind because it's seen as normal in society.

[@gnuorder]

Except his ex had a restraining order against him and obviously feared him coming. I don't think he changed into a villain, he already had a problem.

[@crow4936]

@@gnuorder his ex only did that BC the judge wanted to make an example out of him... I don't think your getting it ..still following another's path and being a sheep

[@random_an0n]

bitter exs do shit like that,they complain he was this and that but they wont say no to the money every month.@@gnuorder

[@wildfire9280]

@@random_an0n Okay, and? The only problem I see is men not being able to do the same thing.

[@RodneySmith138]

It's possible that an executive at Warner actually read the script and did not like the tone of the movie and asked him to modify the character, making him out to be more of a villian in the end. I don't think it was intended to be propaganda initially, the ending just sort of came off that way. Making a hero character that pushes back against societal "norms" is looked badly upon by corporate executives. Just look at how badly the Joker film was received by corporate press versus how the people saw the film.

[@meinerHeld]

yep more than one spirit at work here.

[@bigboysdotcom745]

Except joker was talking like a borderline stereotypical incel by the end of the movie, that movie was quite literally a superhero coat of paint on the King of Comedy

[@NikolaMilicevic-gp6db]

leftwing (if oyu coudl call soc libs left wing) corporate press.rightwing corporate press didnt.but depends on what side of politcial specter you are corporate press isnt corporate if its fits your ideology. movie was produced by corporation and corprate taring like for example rottent tometoes gave him farly good mark with detracotrs obviouly beign those who are mroe tinerested in crituqe of incel cutlre whtie surpermacy and other themes they seems obsssed with

[@Mike-mo7nk]

He roughed up a clerk, destroyed probably what today is $200 of store goods, then went on terrorizing a fast food rest, destroyed the store, all the while calling his ex multiple times throughout the day about coming there when a court ordered restraining order prevents him from going there. Blowing up a construction site and injuring workers as well..In some cases he defends himself w/ the surplus store owner and the gang, but shooting Prendergasts partner and trespassing on the golf course and the plastic surgeons house... All those things were wrong. He obviously is pissed about society and that was probably from losing his job and society may deserve some blame, but him getting killed by Prendergast, how did he think this was going to turn out. He has no understanding that actions have consequences, that scissors cut? I think, above all else this film is about being honest and being fake (I could list many examples), and in the end, he chooses to be fake. As far as this film being propaganda, I think it could embolden a person who is also crazy but most ppl see that he's crossed a line many times. When we hate prices we don't take a baseball bat to the goods on the shelf.. We accept a managers word without brandishing an Uzi and blowing off a dozen rounds in a dining room full of paying patrons.. We may disagree with the ugly ways of the world but we understand boundaries and keep within them, if not for moral high ground reasons, for legal reasons--to keep out of jail.

[@Freesorin837]

The eternal struggle of living in a society dominated by people who, upon witnessing a societal injustice, approach the situation with an "it is what it is" mindset, while reacting viciously to anyone who has the audacity to inconvenience them with a request to put in the effort to try and fix it.

[@mr.stargazer9835]

How much is someone meant to give until there is nothing left to give.

[@zonesquestiloveunderworld]

But what else can a lone citizen do other than accept? Personally, I'm so utterly tired of dealing with other people that I no longer care about social issues. We're all gonna end up indistinguishable corpses no matter what we do, so who cares? We humans have created a fantasy world for ourselves full of "meaning" and sentimental attachment, but none of it actually matters to the wholly indifferent progress of nature. So who cares? Let everyone destroy the world, they'll only end up destroying themselves.

[@TacticalTerry]

Sometimes the people who try to fix things don't realize that the problem isn't fixed with their methods, it only morphs and moves on to another area of society. Socialized healthcare raised the cost of healthcare for those who could pay their way, and people struggle because of it. Gun bans, in some areas, left the criminals with a lot of (illegal) guns and John Q Average with nothing for their own defense. De-funding police meant that departments hired (in some cases) even worse applicants because it was all they could get for the money. The demanded changes had mostly good intentions, but they broke some things in the attempt to fix other things.

[@eeeertoo2597]

​@mr.stargazer9835 Most people dont even have to give a thing, rather they, free of charge, rush in to defend that injustice

[@mr.stargazer9835]

@@eeeertoo2597 Others have been crying out for social justice all my life but those same people have mocked my struggles and often said they want my distruction. In the end 'social justice' has nothing to do with justice. Indeed it demands segregation, bias and assumption. It's a hand demanding give and offering so reciprocity. How much am I meant to give? I'm all for justice, just not social justice. Equality but not equity. Rule of the law and not rule of the people. Just and not social justice. After all. These things are diametrically opposed.

[@adamsfusion]

I feel like your argument towards the end falls apart. The movie isn't saying that, and honestly, you might lack the sort of perspective this character has from his experience. I remember vividly having a phone call with the unemployment office after being laid off. I remember being asked to state my assets, and when I said "do I need to list my car, it's on a loan still" getting absolutely chewed out for somehow implying that the state would help me in any way to pay for it. I never mentioned such a thing. Why did the guy lash out? I was a poor, a beggar, a needy one, an abuser of the system; a sack of meat suckling on the government's gracious dime. I was utterly worthless. But that's society in a nutshell. If you get too cold in your house because the power went out, the news station will send someone out to do investigative journalism to get it fixed, even if it was just you. The moment you become "worthless", you become suspicious. You're filth. You're less than human. If it gets cold and you freeze to death, you're a 30 second statistic on the nightly local news. You're a prop in the background of society ready to be thrown off the lot when filming is done. Again, if you've never been there, you wouldn't know. This film is a classic because it captures that feeling so well, and shows the viewer that even if everything went perfect, if the system just let you go out of your way to call out the issues that plague society, nothing would change because nobody wants it to change. At the end of the day, the force of society hanging on by their fragile threads to keep some semblance of normalcy and safety knits a whole cloth that protects the perverse incentives of those who command it. It will only end when the cloth rips apart.

[@2degucitas]

Well said.

[@LhynnBlue]

The movie is not just saying, its showing that a normal guy with grievances against how society works will be labelled a maniac when he pushes back and will be stopped by an agent of the system.

[@obiwanceleri]

@adamfusion Writing from Canada. I'm sorry you had that awful experience. The US seems to have a very violent relationship with money, to the point where the unemployment office clerk considered you asking for unemployment benefits as you asking PERONALLY for money. The clerk was not having "one of those days". The clerk was socially PROGRAMMED to think that way. There's a divide between perceptions here. Up north (specially in Quebec) we consider taking care of people in need to be the responsibility of the State. If I'm reading right, down in the US taking care of the needy is considered mainly a private thing and the State a last resort. With the rise of robots and automation this perspective is going to create a nightmare.

[@awesomeferret]

I've never been there, but I do know. I'm not old, I just pay attention to my surroundings. This video was hard to watch at some points due to his bizzarely narrow minded interpretations.

[@blahblah-hz8ey]

gonna say it real slow- bill beat his wife and kid to the point she begged a cop to stay with her- he is bad- that you are in his side despite him being a killer of women and children is the movie being a movie

[@redhand8836]

Here's one issue I have with the analysis: Prendergast is the one who is asserting Will is a maniac, not the story. The fact that the only "Gun" he had on him was a water gun, indicates that he had no intention of harming his family. He may have been a threat to a greater degree, but in that moment an assumption was made by our other audience surrogate. The story didn't tell us that Will was going to harm his family, it gave us an opportunity to make the same assumption as Officer P.. These two characters who should have some common ground to negotiate, with the way their lives have been kicking them down, CANNOT negotiate because of the same theme that's been following Will through the entire film.

[@mpo48]

people who only watch marvel movies wont get this of course. and movies like these are never made now so how would anyone ever know?

[@cemaydn9284]

foster had a real gun when meeting his family but it was kicked away by his wife

[@Oecobius33]

When he's talking to his wife with a psychotic-looking stare near the end, the director makes him look obviously scary & unhinged. It may be relatively brief, but the story makes its point very overtly there, and it's not just Prendergast's assumption.

[@killertruth186]

He actually did set down the "real gun". Which it also backs your claim.

[@harley4230]

Did you not actually watch the movie? He had a handgun on him until he sat it on the ground to speak to his daughter and it was then kicked away by his wife.

[@oneproudbrowncoat]

Funny how no one seems to treat "Thelma and Louise" or "Fried Green Tomatoes" as movies that featured 'Literally Me' characters. Both movies involved people who let go of the social contract and did criminal acts. But the narrator forgot to mention that Prendergast's wife was very possibly filicidal, as Prendergast himself admits.

[@MsVorpalBlade]

Did you forget that Thelma was viciously raped?

[@jaythewise]

The Pendergast joke makes me want to go full breaking bad on the narrator.

[@SpartanXVII]

This genius really said "they should be on his side ... but bill's resistance is seen as frightening" after the guy pulls out an SMG at a fast food restaurant because the price is too high. Bro, theyre not scared of him because the price "is accepted by the people around him", it's because he's swinging a tec-9 around.

[@hankgreenfingers3371]

I remember watching this movie about 5 years ago and I remember feeling rather conflicted about it. Sure, you can observe in the movie how US society and it's increasingly individualistic, alienating society, worsening work conditions and infrastructure of cities seemingly made to accumulate traffic could drive you insane. However, it feels at certain points that it just plays to a fantasy in which going postal is a justifiable conclusion to said issues. To me the titular character is stochastic in his inflicted terror at times, and the movie tries to create some idealised American that would justifiably commit such actions rather than actively highlighting the issues that may have led to his outburst rather than said characters and situations representing the issues being an obstacle. Feel free to disagree, I know interpretations of movies like this are divisive no matter how you cut it. Edit: I will say the entire army surplus store scene is a treat to watch and truly portrays this classic American spirit of their idea of freedom and what they fought for, even if to some it may be an idealised story.

[@KobaAM]

It’s such over analytical cliche video essay horseshit

[@Demo5]

He's Just desperately trying to justify the nut job villain (who's an assH from the start)

[@monchiexthemonkey6068]

Its because bill is too forceful in his approach, he IS right but just like wanting his daughter to ride the horse he got her his forcefulness ultimately drives them farther from him and closer to what was actually wrong. He could have said " hey everyone dont you think thats bullshit " but he was done explaining and jumped to violence like everyone around him

[@monchiexthemonkey6068]

Also kind of the point of the review, he was never going to hurt the innocents of the store but the way he went about revealing the rot of the system disrupted the day of the life of people having a decent life. So in that situation he was the villain even though he was right

[@The-Dom]

Most people who've been through divorce with children could really identify to the spiteful ex. That phone call legit triggered me.

[@letsdiscussitoversometea8479]

That really got to me as well. Felt *terrible* for Bill when she spoke to him like that. That sort of thing might be why men's rights movements such as MGTOW are becoming more and more popular these days. Sons grow up to hate their mothers when they deliberately keep the father out of the picture - at least, if they've got a mind of their own and find the answers unsatisfactory. Daughters? Well - interestingly enough near the end of the movie, the scene where the caretaker's daughter is held hostage by Bill, something extremely telling about what female nature is, reveals itself. While he's talking about his situation, Bill notices blood on his hand, and is genuinely concerned that he hurt the girl, and immediately let's her go. What *_I_* didn't like, was the IMMEDIATE unflinching bolting out of his hands, and running towards her mother/father that she does. A complete absence of empathy on her part after being the closest to him and HEARING what he'd just said, which I noticed long, long ago - but never felt that it was "appropriate" to broach. To me, this was a warning sign about female nature, and its (truly) uncaring nature. The father was unquestionably the most empathic character he'd come across throughout the entire film, which may be why Bill felt that he could trust him and open up to him.

[@albertj.mendoza9586]

Wish KZbin made the “don’t recommend channel” button more accessible

[@isaiahneilguitaristofficia549]

😂 !

[@Ricardo-C]

seriously these fucking hippies have too much free time producing this garbage

[@pitterpatter7719]

Comment for engagement

[@dukromeo]

it's fine as is. we just need the comment section to remain open. scroll to find a post like this before watching next time - and i thank you for your service.

[@MrMZaccone]

The whole idea of the movie is to convince us that this could be us. Another film that follows this pattern is "Taps". You start by rooting for the guy and follow him down the rabbit hole until you figure out you screwed up right alongside him. "I'm the bad guy? How did that happen?" is the entire point.

[@ovadiacohen1158]

Exactly

[@KlingonCaptain]

When this movie came out when I was a kid, I remembered a lot of people saying that the movie was meant to mock and villainize Rush Limbaugh listeners. It's a completely forgotten perspective that only existed when the movie first came out.

[@Etaoinshrdlu69]

During this time you had postal workers going nuts. I think this is part of that.

[@KlingonCaptain]

@itspatrick1922 I don't know if it wound up in the actual movie, but when the trailer was first released, he actually quoted Rush Limbaugh right before firing the bazooka. I remember NBC news playing the quote and the trailer side by side when talking about the controversy. I remember pretty clearly because that was why my parents decided to go see the movie. It was a pretty big deal for me as a ten year old getting to go see a rated R movie. That was the same year that everyone was making fun of Rush Limbaugh for telling people not to see Jurassic Park because it was about lesbian dinosaurs.

[@PikkaBird]

@@KlingonCaptain What was the quote?

[@freddieoblivion6122]

Demonizing white people in their own country is Hollywood's MO

[@chavesa5]

Yeah like, it's not a contradiction to the thesis of the video that there's more at play contextually than "this is what happens if you step too far out of line over these concerns."

[@Bedrockbrendan]

I don't think the ending that that black and white at all. The water gun itself, the ambiguity around the restraining order, I think things like this, are meant to really make you second guess what was truly going on with him. Also in that ending sequence, the wife was on the cusp of reaching him when she said you need help. And it is Prendergast stepping in that results in him being killed. You can easily imagine a scenario where if Prendergast isn't present, he gets the help he needs. But you just don't know. I think the point of Prendergast saying he was there to murder his family, wasn't because that is why he was there. The scenes that seem to lend credence to it, may lend that some amount of credibility but they call all be read in other ways. And we clearly see the character is developing understandings of his own inner demons when he sees himself on film. So I have generally come down on the other side, where the water gun is the key and he likely wasn't there to do actual harm. Prendergast literally has to convince him he is the bad guy, for him to step in that role. He is persuaded by Prendergast. And that can persuade the audience. I'd also say that the scenes you point to as being badly written, never struck me as such. They help with the ambiguity but they also seem appropriate to the characters we have seen unfold over that day. He is definitely a bit of a stark character, he has these spurts of growth each time he gets a more powerful weapon (so it is less naturalistic than Taxi Driver or something). But it still feel logical and the character as a whole works. I think if you ignore the ambiguity of those scenes, then it may work less. Also I don't think anyone saw this movie as a warning not to question the system. The movie isn't that simplistic, and neither was the 90s audience. I remember when it came out, the biggest concern about the movie was that it might inadvertently paint a sympathetic portrait of a right wing radical, which it took pains to demonstrate it wasn't trying to do. I think most of the people who saw the movie, found the character compelling because they sympathized with his economic concerns. That is one of our 'ins' for the character, but that doesn't mean we are meant to take that as a warning that sharing those economic concerns lead us there. tonmaI

[@WildFungus]

no.

[@Tornado1994]

@@WildFungus You weren't around in 1993. I was. And Joel Schumacher wasn't exactly a Right Winger. Did people forget that a GAY man directed Falling Down?

[@WildFungus]

dude I was born in 1973. @@Tornado1994

[@Hiraghm]

I tend to agree with you about the ending... I can see where, if Prendergast hadn't intervened, Bill would look up at her, eventually... think a minute about the video of his family and the events of his day, and say, "you're right. I need help. Will you help me?" Then she gets on her kness and the three family members hug, suggesting they will get through this together. Now that I think of it, it does express a common, extremely damaging problem in western society today; atomization. The problem of atomization isn't individualism or self-centeredness. The problem is _isolation_ . I've frequently cited a quote from an unknown author: "The loneliest place in the world is a crowded room"... because it reminds you how isolated you are from people within touching distance. It's not that we're too focused on ourselves, but that we've somehow lost empathy for others. It's not an either-or proposition; we can still focus on ourselves while still connecting with those around us... provided there's some common ground to provide a path.

[@Tornado1994]

@@Hiraghm I agree. Prendergast was wishy washy and demanded that Foster Conform to Society, he offered absolutely NO Decorum or Respect to Foster, which is the biggest thing I believe Bill wanted the whole time. I agree that Foster likely would have broken down and humbled himself had Prendergast offered him a Barter that he would let him go and not press charges against him so long as he agreed to just tolerate and deal with Society's problems by addressing and acknowledge them and inform him that "You can't fix them. You can only address them and skate around". Instead, Prendergast simply acted Patronizing and Cynically towards Foster, like a Fast Food Manager trying to Discipline a Careless Worker, but handling it in a unethical, "You work for me, so I can talk down on you any kinda way" way.

[@hectornonayurbusiness2631]

5:36 if that guy was a korean in LA, thats not some corporate policy driving his prices. He would be the small business owner of that shop. He set the price. I think a lot of people complained about those price increases in poorer and higher crime areas.

[@whysoblutube]

Indeed. It wasn’t some corporate convenience store chain it was a small business owner setting prices. It’s how it was back then and it’s how it is now. If you go to the neighborhood convenience store today, you’re gonna pay a grip for the same shit.