FIRST TIME WATCHING: Falling Down (1993) REACTION (Movie Commentary)

[@THE_CDN]

"The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose." - James Baldwin

[@gregquinn7817]

At @29:49 Robert Duvall's character wipes water off his face. So Michael Douglas's character really did get him with the squirt gun.

[@draskang]

I love how this movie has a character who is both right & wrong at the same time, nearly all the time.

[@shadycnetwork]

That's the best way to put it

[@giffysstiffy887]

It's not that black and white...he may have been a little over the line at times but he meant well and he was judged way too harshly by the dumb cop🤢😡🤡

[@shaunsteele6926]

let's be honest, he's more right than wrong

[@randomanton]

the anti hero

[@shanwyn]

@@randomanton I think that is the point. And it is represented nicely with his outfit. He was dressed in white up until the racist store owner which he deliberately killed. Was he wrong there? Despite of what you think, you 'feel' it was justified and the right thing. But at the same time, it was to much and he crossed a line. And that line is very flexible for every one of us. This movie represents that wonderfully in my opinion. One day we head out the door, g to work and have days where literally everything went sour. And we suppress the impulse to lash out and push back because it is the right thing to do. Yet we still have those impulses, every one of us. The next day can be the opposite, a beautiful day, the busdriver gives us a nice smile on the way to work and we notice a a child laughing joyfully and the world seems wonderful again. Both main characters have similar shitty lives, yet they deal with it differently. And it mirrors us, every day..

[@benwollens7312]

That line where he realizes that he is the bad guy is actually quite heartbreaking, as well as really telling. This is quite the film...

[@Muck006]

He might be "the bad guy" (I would argue he isnt really) ... but he ISNT "a villain" ... because he was pushed to this reaction! Think of him as a kid in school who gets pushed around and bullied for months ... and then finally breaks and hits "back". Sure it is a bad thing, but is it unjustified? EVERYONE has a responsibility ... of "treating others with respect" ... but I feel that the self-centered american cultural tradition makes it easy be "an extreme a-hole towards others".

[@naebodyknows7016]

@@Muck006 no he is the villain. Its pretty obvious throughout the movie that his ex wife is terrified of him, his anger and contempt at everyone around him didn't start when he was sitting in traffic.

[@ClonedTyranny]

@@naebodyknows7016 Which is the flaw of the movie imo. The filmmakers scorned the audience after asking us to root for the guy. I would have enjoyed it more if they followed through on the "normal guy snaps" movie promised in the first half.

[@naebodyknows7016]

@@ClonedTyranny I agree with you on that. To me it seemed that they decided to make him bad just to make the Robert Duvall character be the hero.

[@ClonedTyranny]

@@naebodyknows7016 That, and I think by pulling the rug out Schumacher was forcing the audience to ask ourselves why we root with such characters, which is fine, I guess, but I would have preferred a pure cathartic exercise.

[@nicolesaunders2964]

The man in the white shirt and tie who was yelling about not being economically viable meant something to William/defense because he didn't quit his job he lost it and was told he was no longer economically viable. So he lost his job, lost his house, lost his wife, lost his kid, and the heat on that particular day made him lose his mind and he didn't even realize it

[@mervgandishander]

There's tons of layers to this one and a tremendous amount of social commentary. Creating a sympathetic villain is challenging for any story but this one manages to do a fantastic job while throwing race, immigration, economic, mental health, and many other societal issues. You can't help but see both the explanation for Bill DFens behavior but also the need for condemnation of that behavior. Then you can't help but ask... what if I was divorced, unemployed, living with my mother with dementia, and the same people treated me the same as him all day and all I wanted to do was get to see my daughter on her birthday when I've been separated from her for maybe a long while..... how would I have reacted? It's almost impossible not to empathize with some or all of it.

[@see_horse]

"...“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.” ― Alan Moore

[@UnclePengy]

The older you get, the more you can identify with D-Fens.

[@CrocodilePile]

This movie pushes some buttons. Underrated, unusual thriller.

[@shainewhite2781]

My dad saw this movie on TNT in 2004 and he said that this movie shows us the real world and what everyone goes through every day of their life, whether it be consumerism, commercialism, or unemployment.

[@sosaboi1352]

A window into what modern America has become

[@the-NightStar]

That's weird, I always could have sworn this movie was a psychological thriller and character study about a deeply deranged and psychotic at-risk individual embarking on a terroristic rampage, and the danger that comes from not seeking proper help for unchecked mental health issues or using the scapegoat of societal pressure to justify delusions of dangerous narcissism. At least it was, the last 4 times I watched it.

[@fredwin]

@@the-NightStar So on every single one of your four viewings you conveniently ignore every single piece of social commentary starting from the very first shot that is framed?

[@sparksdrinker5650]

lol at the shout out to TNT

[@michaelblaine6494]

It’s all true

[@giannag4581]

I haven't seen anybody mention him but Robert Duvall as the policeman was perfect for the part. He's an underrated actor for the younger generation but don't forget he's been in many great movies. Especially the Godfather 1 and 2, Apocalypse Now, Lonesome Dove. He won Best Actor at the Academy awards for Tender Mercies.

[@candicelitrenta8890]

He was also Frank Burns in the 1968 film, M*A*S*H*

[@actionalex3611]

Love him in Open Range co starring with Kevin Costner.

[@frankrodriguez2999]

I always liked him in Days of Thunder(1992)

[@pressman1788]

@@actionalex3611 Yes, Open Range was great, also Broken Trail!

[@bassage13]

Charlie don't surf!!

[@djyanno]

I remember seeing a meme about this movie. It said something like "The older I get, the more I understand Michael Douglas character in Falling Down" Obviously nbot counting family violence issues

[@RocketmanRockyMatrix]

There was never any violence in his family. Just frustration antagonized by his ex-wife.

[@djyanno]

@@RocketmanRockyMatrix allright mister, explain your theory

[@RocketmanRockyMatrix]

@@djyanno if you saw the movie, the wife admitted that Bill Foster was never violent towards her and their daughter. The wife asked Bill to meet her needs and apparently wasn't good enough for her. Now, she is denying him to see his kid.

[@djyanno]

@@RocketmanRockyMatrix Yeah you see what you wanna see, that's what I get from your explanation.

[@RocketmanRockyMatrix]

@@djyanno I tell it like it is, based on personal experience.

[@caseybourne4115]

Michael Douglas has always stated that this was is utmost favorite role.

[@Britcarjunkie]

Actually, this film was right on the money when it was released: when the Soviet Union collapsed, the Cold War was suddenly over, and the result was hundreds of thousands of people both in the military, as well as defense-related work, were suddenly out of a job. Aerospace companies either merged, were bought outright, or went out of business, and hundreds of military bases were closed down. Meanwhile, the economy tanked as a result, and inflation hit. Before all that happened, a can of soda averaged 50 cents, a candybar was 25 cents, a pack of Zingers was 25 cents (and if you bought 3 packs at a Webers Bakery, a 4th one was free!). Best part was, almost everything you bought was made in the USA - nothing was made in China. Good times.

[@PAPPADASH]

Saw this movie back when it was new I had it on VHS in the 90s so I watched it a ton. It only gets better with time.

[@jeffsherk7056]

Wow. This movie is 30 years old. Hard to believe. I was in my early 30s when I saw this. The ironic thing, for me, is that 1993 was a better time in a lot of ways than 2023 is.

[@mE-zx7pt]

True.

[@mplslawnguy3389]

Smartphones and social media weren’t a thing and didn’t rule peoples lives. I miss it, better times indeed.

[@mE-zx7pt]

@mplslawnguy Also, housing was much more affordable.

[@mplslawnguy3389]

@@mE-zx7pt Kind of true, kind of not. Salaries weren't what they were today and interest rates were much higher. I think in general everything was more affordable. Gas was 80 cents when I started driving, cigarettes were $2, food was really cheap, among other things. I remember some grocery items like canned stuff being like 20 cents.

[@bplup6419]

The older I get, the more "Don't forget me." tears me up.

[@williamkerner3758]

OK, I think you were getting to this, but the word that I think suits D FENS best is "alienated". I think this movie showed us so many examples of this. People were greedy, rude, so bound to petty rules that they refused to deviate in the slightest, self entitled, dishonest (the panhandler begging and claiming he hadn't eaten, eaten as he was eating a sandwich)...and all of them so uncaring that they wouldn't give D FENS one little break. D EFENS believed in the ideals of America, yet America did him one bad turn after another. And he couldn't take it.

[@stobe187]

a great example of the "everything and everyone is sweaty" aesthetic of the 90s

[@jessharvell1022]

which arguably reached its apex a few years later with schumacher's a time to kill, the wettest movie ever made that took place on dry land.

[@JoeAugustAcoustic]

Kids

[@bigdaddyc4471]

@@JoeAugustAcoustic that movie made me feel like everyone had aids lmao , that shit made me so fucking scared of stds it's not even funny lol .

[@monki9941]

It would appear that they are going through a heatwave tho

[@beccas.7762]

​@@monki9941 right? LA in summer ain't a joke.

[@andrewkim6037]

The going price for a can of soda was 50 cents when this movie came out. To be fair, I think many people would complain about having to spend 85 cents for that same can of soda. Economically viable indeed...

[@theriomrasputin8233]

True, although Walmart sold a can for $0.35. And today its $1.50 in Walmart. Most stores were selling it for $0.50 Its mostly recent that the price climbed as high as it has.

[@djdeemz7651]

In the uk they £1 so about $1.30

[@aschlamishowsup]

I almost commented this lol. Thanks. Miss those days!

[@stoveboltlvr3798]

All through the 90's 50 cents was the going price. I have gone into corner stores in the city and many foreign owners seem to have an Animosity towards Americans. It's like they hate us but love our money. I think everyone has experienced this when dealing with these stores. This film sheds light on all of these thoughts we all have but never talk about. Like the flat hamburger compared to the sign.

[@DomR1997]

@@theriomrasputin8233 it's almost like fizzy sugar water isn't worth 3 dollars for 12 ounces lmao

[@djdeemz7651]

"He's collecting weapons as he goes " 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you have no idea he ends up with a video game inventory full

[@baronsengir187]

"Look at the way he is dressed. He is probably a threat" ...ooohh. Thin ice

[@actioncom2748]

Remember when the media was freaking out over "Joker." They said it would inspire violence. The media freaked out about this movie back in the day. Look up the phrase "White Male Paranoia" And you'll see some of the news articles that were written about it at the time.

[@sdprazak]

One of my favorites EVER!!! Such an underrated classic!

[@OpenMawProductions]

We all hate being stuck in traffic. We all hate being nagged by our spouses and feeling completely cut down at work. We all hate the outrageous prices of things. We all hate the poor service at restaurants, and the often low quality food. We all hate that it feels like we do everything we're supposed to do and we still can't get ahead in life. We all hate seeing drugged out beggars looking for "money" and overtly lying about their station in life. We all hate gangs and gangland violence and how stupid and senseless it is. We all hate how dismissive law enforcement can be about certain issues. D-Fens is a cathartic anti-hero for the middle class. He does and says the things a lot of people think in a spur of frustration but never actually do. Any man, woman, creed, or ethnicity can relate to a lot of these things, because we all encounter them. It's not by accident that the first person D-Fens directly kills is the Neo-Nazi. Film highlights other things like our broken mental health system, broken families/households. D-Fens neeeded help, and he needed his family. There was no reason any of this should have happened. D-Fens is both a victim and a victimizer.

[@mikeg2306]

While everything you say is true, it's a false flag. The movie plays on our sympathy only to reveal that the guy was a psycho all along. In that way it's very similar to another great movie Taxi Driver.

[@OpenMawProductions]

@@mikeg2306 Except it doesn't reveal that at all. You were duped by the propaganda. He had a temper. He was never violent before today. His wife is very clear about that. The judge "made an example of him." For no other reason than she felt like it. Go watch "Falling Down is propaganda"

[@jamiemacdonald436]

I've seen this movie so many times, and I've never laughed once at the woman who throws up out of fear. But this time when you laughed, I couldn't stop lauging... for a while.

[@jamiemacdonald436]

@tele-gram-me-----CapedInformer Beat it scambot

[@frankrodriguez2999]

When you finish your three months of Marine Corps bootcamp your last night would be either a dinner with your family and Drill Instructors or a movie night so when I finished bootcamp this was the movie they showed in May of 1993.

[@toochangz]

Notice the economically viable guy (who was denied a loan for being black) is wearing the same outfit as D-Fens. Later in the movie, D-Fens quotes the man.

[@INDRIDCOLD83]

Greatest line in the entire movie "Yeah! And now you're gonna die wearing that stupid little hat"

[@tbush6657]

😃How does it feeel?

[@positivelynegative9149]

CI, five seconds into the film: Stay calm. Me: You watchin the wrong film for that. 🤣

[@sergiogarcia3730]

FINALLY SOMEONE REACTS TO THIS MOVIE! I’ve been requesting this to tons of movie reactors. 👏🏼🎬🔥

[@laustcawz2089]

I can think of one other reaction channel that's done this movie-- "You, Me & The Movies".

[@markmcme8349]

I feel for the guy. He's frustrated in life because he feels like he has no control over his destiny. And even though he "played by the rules" in life, everything has been taken from him. He snapped... Good commentary as always!

[@SoraJustSora]

But the problem is, you see at the end he's an abusive husband and father. He's a HORRIBLE parent, but a model citizen.

[@Patrick-sq8ym]

@@SoraJustSoraexcept his wife admitted she lied

[@mikeg2306]

The events of the story don't drive him mad, they reveal his inner madness.

[@BornAgainAmerican1]

You are right about this movie being controversial in 1993. As a black man, all I heard was the narrative of the angry white man. As a result, this movie was panned by critics and didn't do well at the box office. Its budget was 25m and it grossed 40m. I think the movie sales have blown up in the last 15 years since the recession. More and more people are starting to see this movie as a classic that was ahead of its time. His father Kirk Douglas said that this was his best work ever.

[@skyshroudsylvan6022]

A different movie- fight club, mentioned about chips falling through life. I would say that I'm a 'chips fall where they may, but I adjust'. My wife is a 'chips fall where I want and if they don't...all hell breaks loose and I'm lost'. Bill, is a person with 'the chips fall where they should and if they don't, I'll make them'.

[@prettypinkpopsicle]

He has done so many great roles. He's an actor, director, writer and producer. One of his roles I really liked was in The Game.

[@Bigwayne1984]

The game is excellent thriller. I also like American president (good for a chick flick)

[@Neilxtc]

One of my all time favorite movies!

[@nataliep6385]

and Wall Street 1987

[@erika8214]

Michael Douglas is a terrific actor. Disclosure is another awesome movie.

[@nataliep6385]

@@erika8214 never seen that one with him. I'm gonna download it for tomorrow! :) thank you.

[@lightyagami1752]

To me, this movie is more effective than American History X (also amazing, of course), because it is more relatable, and therefore much more chilling and sobering. Falling Down is criminally underrated. But those who know what's what appreciate it. Iron Maiden (one of my favourite bands and amazing artists) have a tribute song (Man on the Edge).

[@marcusbetancourt3760]

I understand the movie. I also understand that there really isn't a damn thing that is funny or hilarious about this movie. It was a very good movie that was sad and tragedy. I noticed that as the movie went on and you began to understand it a bit more your laughter had lessen more and more. Thank God that you finally understood what it was all about. Thank God. Keep up the good work.

[@nrgmstr27to]

This was a great reaction, well thought out, and insightful. Thank you.

[@richardclingempeel6111]

Too many woman use the system against their ex's, and keep their kids from them to hurt them. Sometimes they push them over the edge until they snap.

[@vtown5630]

My mom did the same thing to my Dad thank God He was a smart Man

[@forumicebreaker]

Yes.

[@IndyCrewInNYC]

Michael Douglas filmed this right after Basic Instinct which was a VERY different kind of movie. Just shows his excellent range as an actor. Living in NYC, I can identify with D-Fens more than ever at times. Not gonna lie. Great analysis as always.

[@robertnguyen9493]

Michael Douglas has listed this as one of his favorite movies he’s ever done. Even the characters crew cut hairstyle was Douglas’s idea. He and Robert Duvall’s character are two sides of the same coin, both men seemingly from a different time lost in the modern world. Both seemingly unappreciated and disrespected by their peers, with the simple goal get home.

[@Scallycowell]

Dfens as a character definitely hits differently post-2020

[@Scallycowell]

@@map3384 what the fuck

[@concept3009]

Los Angeles in the early 90s was something else. I spent the first 12 years of my life there and you could feel the tension everyday

[@map3384]

NYC was just the same.

[@RocketmanRockyMatrix]

@@map3384 it still is

[@mikeg2306]

There was a little thing called the Rodney King Riots.

[@1969Makaveli]

@@mikeg2306 That did it.

[@shaitanlavey]

Hands down my favorite Michael Douglas role. Thanks for finally getting to this one.

[@samuelbarrett1082]

Another great distinction in this movie is how it's also following the old cop. He's also having an equally bad day, but he's maintaining control of himself. Similar situations, different reactions. Yes, society and the system has only gotten worse and sometimes it seems like it'll break us, but it's up to us. We don't have to break. We can refuse to break.

[@AceCorban]

I don't know that this movie could have been made today though. Most modern filmmakers would have either avoided anything too controversial, or just made D-Fens more one dimensional. This movie finds a great balance.

[@robertparker6280]

We did, it was called "Joker".

[@mikeg2306]

​@@robertparker6280No, Joker is a pale imitation of Taxi Driver.

[@kristianh.pedersen2]

There is a parallel between the golfers, and the gangmembers in the beginning of the movie, that I just noticed watching this reaction. They are both resenting his precense on their 'turf', and they are both threathing violence , or in the case of the golfers actually trying to hit him with a golfball, even though he has done nothing execpt trying to pass by.

[@time2chill121]

Many hard working people feel this way today. God knows the hell people go through Just because you get offended or lose your job today don't mean you're out of coins for this game

[@thescott7539]

Here's how close to reality this film got: Falling Down started shooting as the L.A. Riots began. The L.A. in this film IS the L.A. of the early 90s. Sure, it's slightly overblown for film standards, but in terms of just the kind of hotbox it was in L.A. at that time, this film shows it. The scary part is, the bad parts of L.A. have gotten much much worse.

[@arconeagain]

Did the woman who spewed get an Oscar just for the sound she made? Maybe it was dubbed. I thought it was a magnificent performance.

[@danwest9900]

16:08 - the actor playing the nazi store owner is Frederic Forrest who also played "Chef" in Apocalypse Now.

[@gonzaleo]

"Never get out of the boat man!"

[@SirMarshalHaig]

Do you know how the Joker has that thing about one bad day? There is an episode where an angry guy in a traffic jam shouts he wants to beat up the Joker for causing the traffic chaos he is stuck in and the Joker accepts. Imagine this with our angry guy here. The clown prince of crime beaten to pulp by some angry guy in shirt and tie

[@djdeemz7651]

Every year you get older the more relatable he becomes ....

[@AbsoluteApril]

leveling up on his way home getting the upgrade weapons 😂 such a well done movie, enjoyed your reaction! have a nice day

[@mayorjimmy]

This man never laid a hand on his wife or daughter. By his wife's own admission. The daughter clearly wasn't scared. All she had to do was let him go to the birthday party and everything could have been avoided.

[@SurvivorBri]

Michael Douglas has always said that this was his favorite character he ever played. The one thing that always saddened me about this movie is that the detective can't retire at the end. Taking someone's life as his last act as a police officer was not how he wanted to go out.

[@wantutosigh1117]

This is a terrific film. A lot going on here.

[@I_AM_BAYTOR]

Man in the LATE 90s, over 50 cents was ridiculous for a can of soda.

[@jpa5038]

There's two elements to this movie. First you have the idea of the forgotten man. Then you have the psychological aspect of a man who's alienated his wife and child and can't process that his actions lead to where he is.

[@tbush6657]

There's also the fact that he's kinda autistic, the angry kind, and nobody understands that (even people reviewing his character) You can tell from his videos that he had a little bit of anger and control issues, like he has ocd. His wife however grew paranoid and decided to break up the family, and the family court system helped and incentivised her to screw him over as much as possible. Then one day he snaps. He already lost his job amd saw no future for himself, and I believe the only reason he didn't commit suicide was because he wanted to see his daughter's next birthday. People often say that he intended to commit murder-suicide on his family because that is what the ex-wife thinks, and dialogue is meant to reinforce that view, but then at the end we see that he really did just want to give his daughter a nice present and have one last happy day before he checks out alone, leaving his girl with a good memory of him.

[@_Some_Guy_]

Basic Instict, starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone is another iconic movie from the early 90s

[@amariebloom]

Also Disclosure

[@SSD_Penumbra]

The saddest part about DFens is that he, as a character, was just one of thousands of Americans in the 90s who snapped due to pressure. Still happens today.

[@BruceWat]

@Caped Informer 4:04 Back then, you could go to Safeway and purchase one of their store brand Select Sodas for 35 cents.

[@aldoushuxleysghost]

This movie was made on the heels of the gang and race riots of Los Angeles in 1992. I was in tenth grade when I saw this in theaters. I wondered what the hell this guy's problem was. As an adult, I know exactly what his problem was. Michael Douglas has a quality resume. Some of his best works are Romancing the Stone, War of the Roses, The Game, A Perfect Murder, Fatal Attraction and Wall Street

[@ianhelgerson6146]

The wife is the actual main villain. Notice when she's talking to the cop he gets her to admit to lieing about him being abusive (implication of it being physical), which is why he is unable to see his daughter. She "thinks he might/could do something", which can be said and is true about literally anyone and everyone. I obviously don't condone his actions throughout the film, but knowing this context makes me understand why this man completely snapped.

[@map3384]

Exactly. All he wanted was to see his daughter and his wife wanted sole custody so she lied in court like most American women do to get her way.

[@shaunsteele6926]

yep... most people don't see that. The wife is the "bad guy", not him

[@samuelbarrett1082]

I disagree. He was abusive. Psychologically and emotionally abusive. Physical isn't the only type of abuse. If you're always acting like an unhinged psycho with no regard to how uncomfortable you're making others feel, or maybe even knowingly making people uncomfortable, that's abuse too. She wasn't able to articulate that because acting like you'll hurt someone is more of a grey area than the act of hurting someone.

[@shaunsteele6926]

@@samuelbarrett1082 we have no idea how he acted with them before the events of the film. All we see is a clip from a home movie towards the end.

[@uriel005]

@@shaunsteele6926 More deliberately ambiguous than anyone being the bad guy and thats the point. Its supposed to get people to ask the questions on all sides of every matter and seek the information that isn't there and I think thats part of the genius. You aren't supposed to side with anyone really. Its supposed to get someone to challenge their base assumptions from all sides and then tells you to sit on that by not giving a definitive answer. Was he always a lunatic and we just didn't see it. Don't know. Was his wife an absolute wretch manipulating the system of were there other legitimate warning signs. Don't know and thats okay.

[@tomski120]

"I'm the bad guy?" Never been more truer

[@salsanchez4177]

Its amazing what an impact this movie had on us back then. Its even more amazing the impact it had on Mike Douglas. Today, Mike Douglas will tell you that his most important role he played or will ever play was "D-Fens". He will not hesitate to tell an interviewer that his personal favorite movie to make was "Falling Down". I don't know WHY the line "It sure was hot today" marked the end for me. when he utters those words, u KNEW he was not walking off that pier.

[@timscollectibles520]

Well said. I'm a 40 year old white male with a family and I'm a hard worker. And I feel like we are the forgotten pillars of society. None of the free stuff get dispersed without our tax money every year yet we are now demonized for being white and male. You become disillusioned with the idea of get a good education work hard in a career to build a family. God forbid you marry the wrong woman. Then you have all that going plus a divorce to bankrupt you. 53% of marriages end in divorce. 80% percent of those are sought by women. Men after divorce at 40 are then completely disenfranchised after 25 years of working every day with an extremely minimal expendable income to survive because the wife gets the same amount of money as if you were still married plus the child. So in order for a divorced man at 40 to start over they have to make enough for two lives. I can see why D Fens kept falling down. Then you just add the utter disgusting nature of manners in society today and there you have it. Except now you gotta worry about being shot by someone stealing 14 tvs from Walmart in broad daylight. Or being executed in the street in Chicago by a guy who killed two people prior and was released in the streets. I think men should seek therapy or see a psychologist to avoid falling victim to this type of downward spiral. And I think more people should advocate for men in our society today. It's easy to fall into a pattern where you see only one road. But there are many paths. Peace and love all.

[@michaelblaine6494]

Saw this opening night in 7th grade,it’s cool to see it getting recognition all these years later. Idk if anyone remembers but it was the same day as the first attempted attack on the WTC

[@mattn1093]

His best movie, which is highly under-rated, is The Game. It is a movie you will never forget and one of my favorites. Please do a reaction to it if you can.

[@deg6788]

M douglas liked this role the most of his whole career.

[@kristofferholst6053]

@@deg6788 hmm, I remember seeing an interview where he named “wonder boys” as his favorite

[@msw8966]

That movie always stuck out in my head. Very underated movie.

[@AbsoluteApril]

yes please, another vote for The Game

[@claudios5007]

Yes, please. "The Game" is great.

[@aviraider]

This movie came out just after the last breaths of the Soviet Union collapse. There was no cold war any longer. The defense industries and wave of base closures allowed for every American at this time to understand exactly how this guy felt. At the same time it didn't pack as much of a punch as it does today because we "won." The 90's were an era of growing prosperity in general.

[@sketchtherapy1218]

i think you gave a nuanced and well thought review.

[@timothyhennon1510]

85 cents for a can of Coke is a steal by today's standards, but for 1992-93 (when this movie was filmed) it was a bit steep. I remember the standard price from a vending machine being 50 cents, though, for the better part of 10 years. Then around 1993 or so, it started creeping up to 55 cents, then 60, then 65, then 75, and never looked back.

[@shadycnetwork]

And that's sad. That it would be a steal today. I mean I'm not suggesting people do what he did but at the same time Americans have bent over and taken all this rising cost up the tailpipe. A friend of mine once said he had an issue with gay sex. I said why? Most Americans whether we're talkin about covid or rising costs are either bent over or on their knees for corporations or Big Daddy government. Nobody stands up or fights back. Americans are ready to bend over or get on their knees

[@MeanLaQueefa]

My gas station has cheap cans @ $0.50

[@alleygh0st]

The American dollar lost more than 96% of it's value since 1900.

[@hackerx7329]

One of the things that makes this movie great is a lot of what he does is things a person could hear a little voice in their head telling them to do in those sort of stressful situations but the majority of people would never actually do it. How many times have you heard somebody say I want to smack that person, I ought to kill them, I should burn the place down. How many times have you been the one to mutter something like that or go scream in frustration when you could? Well, this is the guy that broke, his impulse control filer broke, and he just acted on all his most base impulses.

[@map3384]

I always like the scene where he is watching the black fellow who is exactly like him protesting the bank wouldn’t give him a loan. College educated, military service and family man but the world turned his back on him like Defens. There is that one second where he says don’t forget me and Defens gives him the nod and the dude nods back.

[@donningarmour2873]

He was the good guy living in a bad world. In the end he was killed when all he wanted was his family back.

[@rustybarrel516]

The movie I watch when I’ve had a really, REALLY bad day. 😂

[@evolutionizer15]

This, Taxi Driver, and Joker are perfect for those days 😄

[@bdoeden64]

Back then, a can of Coke would have been, at most, in Wisconsin, about 50 cents, and we had a vending machine that sold them for 25 cents right on Main St.

[@SuperDoNotWant]

Maybe it's different in America, but where I'm from, if you're buying from a "convenience" store, then you're paying a premium for the convenience. You want cheap, you take your arse to the supermarket.

[@bdoeden64]

@@SuperDoNotWant You are absolutely correct, but in the 1970s and 1980s, convenience stores till had lots of competition. And screwing your neighborhood was not a good marketing tool. Corner markets were a thing. Matter of fact, for all of my youth, born in 1966, we had a Sentry as our local grocery store. If you know what a Piggly Wiggly is, then you know what a Sentry is. My friends and I would get together on weekends to play games, and order Little Caesars Pizza and bike to Piggly Wiggly to get Jolly Good Soda - 2 or more cases with jokes in the bottom of the cans. Total cost to feed all 8 of us, with soda as well, probably around $20-$30.

[@MeanLaQueefa]

You can still get them at $0.50 at my local gas station. Plus Kwik Trip is 1.19 for 32oz.

[@troyevitt2437]

Employees of Supply-Side business entities should view this film not as "active shooter training" but rather to remind them that Supply-Side has gotten entirely too comfortable dictating to Demand-Side what it will and will not do as if they forget WHO'S paying WHOM for goods and services.

[@isaacfisher9858]

This is I'm my opinion one of the greatest movies ever

[@Drawkcabi]

"He even runs like a crazy man." "He runs like Tom Cruise." "Isn't that what I just said?"

[@michaelatteberry6462]

Loved your reaction and your commentary at the end spot on. Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff.

[@pointblack808]

Easily in the top 10 most underrated movies ever.

[@edinscot56789]

"Falling Down" is the perfect title for this movie. You can see Foster's sanity slipping bit by bit throughout the film.

[@spartan7123]

Hard to believe that the Man who directed this Moviemasterpiece also directed Batman and Robin.

[@driftersix2]

Dude, this movie is legendary.

[@Thepitz2000]

That was not a Bazooka it is a LAW (Which I guess you could call it a Bazooka) but it is now called a LIGHT ANTI-TANK WEAPON. (LAW) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M72_LAW

[@osmanyousif7849]

Let’s be real: This movie was everything Joker (2019) wishes it was.

[@dancarter482]

YEAH!

[@mikeg2306]

Joker is just a poor imitation of Taxi Driver

[@johnr7999]

In an interview Michael Douglas said this was one of his favorite movies that he made. He did so many dramatic and romantic comedy roles, and this was the opposite of what he was used to doing.

[@JJL079]

D-FENS the people's hero. Lost count the number of times I've just wanted to leave my car during a traffic jam.

[@the-NightStar]

That's weird, I always could have sworn this movie was not about any kind of "hero", but a psychological thriller and character study about a deeply deranged and psychotic at-risk individual embarking on a terroristic rampage, and the danger that comes from not seeking proper help for unchecked mental health issues or using the scapegoat of societal pressure to justify delusions of dangerous narcissism. At least it was, the last 4 times I watched it.

[@JJL079]

@ᵗʰᵉNight★Star •From being stuck in a traffic jam, •The price of a can of Coke, ( all he wanted was some change for the phone), •Why doesn't my meal look anything like the advertised picture, •Roadworks that cause traffic jams, •Attempted mugging!! These things piss people off, and everybody has their breaking point. Yes, "D-Fens" had mental health issues, but he's also human, and from the moment he snapped in the traffic jam, he decided he wasn't going to take any shit from anyone. And yes, I know the film takes a dark turn towards the end, but on the lead up, I can certainly empathise with the character.

[@unknownsword9042]

@@the-NightStarYou sure owned him on this KZbin Comment section!

[@ACab05050]

I love the song Iron Maiden made for this movie called "Man On The Edge". One great thing about this movie is that it takes awhile for a first time viewer to see that the main character "D-Fens" is totally unhinged, and not just having a "bad day" and you genuinely fear for his family when he finally gets home in the last act of the film. There is definitely a lot of subtext in the story. Glad you caught it.🤓👍 London Bridge is "Falling Down..." The movie was ahead of it's time because it was not well received when it came out, but now it is a cult classic. Michael Douglas once confessed that this was his personal favorite movie role to act.

[@luketimewalker]

oooh

[@UnclePengy]

D-Fens and Det. Prendergast are both at the same point in their lives, both no longer useful to society, and both having struggles with their home life, and it's interesting differently how they handle it. Prendergast I think can see himself in D-Fens, and think, "There, but for the grace of God, go I", so even though he wants to catch the guy he still has empathy for him, and I think really wants to get him some help.

[@DoctrineOfMayhem]

He's the main "villain" yeah, but just because all the other assholes around him. Anger issues? Hell Yeah! But finally a movie that acts like we all feel in certain situations without doing that.

[@JV-ks3eb]

I watched this at the movies when it came out. It was a blast.

[@filipohman7277]

Awesome Movie and Work Bro, Thanks 👍👍👍 Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸

[@ellie.v9765]

YESSSSSSSS!! finally someone watches this amazing movie!! Thank you! This is one of his best performances 😍❤️🇨🇦

[@stillbillylondon]

really enjoy your reactions, over a year now, keep finding these hidden gem movies, damn..lol

[@jackcade68]

I really enjoyed your break down at the end. I'll be watching more of your stuff.

[@leoda_lion4107]

This movie came out when the country was struggling through a recession and a lot of people lost their jobs. So it really hit home with me, when it came out. I love this movie, and in the beginning, you feel for him, he's just a guy trying to get home, and everyone is giving him a hard time. Its not until halfway through the movie, that he becomes so unhinged you are like yeah dude you went too far. But for the most part, you are rooting for him, even though they blur the lines with his character as a "bad" guy. Because we all have had a bad day, and wanted to just do what he did. He's a great character, and its a great synopsis of what is wrong with the world.

[@SuperDoNotWant]

Look, i love this movie. I'm old enough to have seen it at the movies when it came out. However, as the kid of an abusive father, I never rooted for this man. He was an evil, damaging force long before he stepped out of the car that day. And yet so few people manage to see it.

[@sagnhill]

WHen I was 16 I could get a bottle of Coke for 15cents. Also, this was after the McDonalds mass shooting in CA so it struck a chord with everyone. Everytime I watch this movie I cry for the whole of humanity.

[@iKvetch558]

As others have noted, the violent crime rate was on a sharp upward trend until the early 1990s, when it started going down quickly. But in that time of the late 1980s and early 1990s, everyone pretty much assumed that crime was always going to be worse, and the future was gonna be totally bleak. You can see that pessimism in movies like this, and Demolition Man, and many other made during that time. I am glad that you see how messed up D-Fens is from the very beginning, and do not see him as some kind of anti-hero. ✌

[@BainesMkII]

The movie was also released maybe a year before the idea of "going postal" went mainstream, where news coverage and the public realized that there were a seemingly abnormal number of stories of postal workers suddenly snapping and killing their co-workers in mass shootings.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

Crime rose by the year from 1958-1980. It went down from 1981-1984, then started rising again from 1985-1992. Around 1996, though, crime fell way down.

[@iKvetch558]

@@ryanjacobson2508 I think you may be citing the overall crime rate, and not specifically the violent crime rate. Either way, you are correct that there were dips in the rise of the violent crime rate, they were just shorter...so folks were especially worried about it. ✌

[@iKvetch558]

@@ryanjacobson2508 The violent crime rate in the US went up from 61 to 75, then had a one year dip before rising from 77 to 80. Then there was a 3 or 4 year dip/leveling before 2 years of rise with a 1 year dip before rising from 1988 to 1991 or 1992...which was the peak for violent crime. That is just from a glance at the charts, not the exact data from the tables. But you are still correct that the rise was not continuous.

[@pencilnecked1579]

Indeed, I was a kid (born in 1982) but even then we all knew about the 2,000+ murders a year they had in NYC in the early 90s.

[@1MahaDas]

I see this film as topical today as it was in 93. In the first place, Michael Douglas's character, Bill, had been unemployed for several weeks and he felt unwanted, and unappreciated as an employee. And then of course, Bill, had been recently divorced and was now a product of an unfair family law judgement that separated him from his daughter! I could have taken this route in life having experienced similar circumstances. Instead, I just became an alcoholic!

[@SuperDoNotWant]

Unfair. Family. Law. Judgment. He was clearly emotionally and verbally abusive (the video at the end helps prove that, in case you were confused). He had probably committed "proximal" violence (breaking things, punching things). He made his wife feel in fear for her life. In the movie he literally threatens to kill her. But sure, white man. Unfair family law judgement it is.

[@1MahaDas]

@@SuperDoNotWant His wife was unable recount physical abuse when questioned by police. We don't in fact know the cause for their divorce. We do know that he became separated from his daughter as ordered by the court, but there is no indication that he even has visitations! That's sounds unfair to me!