Falling Down was PROPAGANDA

Joel Schumacher's 1993 film Falling Down has acquired a certain reputation as a cult classic. It's been discussed from various angles, but most of those discussions have taken for granted that William Foster (DFENS) is a villain. This analysis will challenge that reading, not so much by arguing that Bill is NOT a villain, but by showing how his transformation INTO villain is a manipulation meant to poison the well against certain kinds of social dissatisfaction. In effect, my intent here is to expose Falling Down as a work of political propaganda by discussing its historical context and relating it to some relevant sociological and political works, demonstrating that, even if Bill dies the bad guy, his critique of society still has teeth.
#videoessay #analysis #movie #fallingdown #society
Music:
LowFi Study by FASS Sounds on Pixabay
Intro music by TuesdayNight on Pixabay
RGB Beats

[@thorvidarr]

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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@mcpr5971]

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.

[@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?

[@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.

[@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?

[@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.

[@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

[@user-gk4jd1jv4k]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@bobcobb3654]

Your essay misses a crucial point. What was D-Fens doing on the road at the beginning of the film in the first place? He’s not going to work. He’s on his way to his ex-wife’s house uninvited, even though there is a court order against him. Every subsequent action (the store clerk not giving him enough change to call and harass her) is predicated on that quest. Likewise later, when he confronts the construction guy with the rocket launcher, he tells him “2 days ago, this street was fine.” How would he know the condition 2 days earlier of a road that’s not on his normal route, but is close to his ex-wife’s house (unless he was stalking her)? He doesn’t transform into a psychotic over the course of a day. There’s plenty of signs that he woke up unhinged and has been for a while (even his mother is scared of him). People give too much weight to his explanation that he lost his job because he wasn’t economically viable, forgetting that he’s at best an unreliable narrator. For all we know, he was fired because of his behavior. His “I’m the bad guy?” line is the simple fact that nobody believes they’re a bad person. D-Fens is the “disgruntled postman” caricature from the 90s. We’re watching a story about a would be killer from the killer’s POV.

[@meinbherpieg4723]

" For all we know" implies this isn't a work of fiction, which it is. All we can do is analyze what is on the screen and how it reflects real struggles people go through every day.

[@BlckRosePhoto]

Let me begin by saying this is a very thoughtful and well structured statement. Very astute and actually made me re-analyze Bill as a character. Yes, he does appear to be a man with long standing issues exacerbated by the circumstances of his life. But, regardless of which way you watch it, the indictment of the system and society as a whole remains the same. While that doesn’t excuse the manner in which Bill went about voicing his complaints and concerns, it is an interesting look into the repercussions of utilizing their employees for their own benefit and then casting them aside. In my own opinion, Bill isn’t necessarily wrong in his conclusions on society, but his conclusions on how to deal with that society is. The answer isn’t to merc/self-sleep to avoid it, but Bill, being an already unstable individual came to that conclusion. Whereas Prendergast is the other side of the same coin. A man who’s able to shrug off the bombardment of societal issues he no doubt sees everyday as a detective and continues to try to do some kind of good. Even he though is burdened by the knowledge that he alone can’t save the world himself decides to deal with it through early retirement and spending his time enjoying the moments of good as they come. As can be seen by his statement of love for his wife, and choosing to let Bills daughter enjoy her birthday party. These two men seem to show the full spectrum of the “better” men of society and how they can and will decide to deal with it.

[@geohhoeg8630]

I think this is a great analysis too. The story is ambiguous enough that people are able to see all sorts of things in it.

[@RobSoskop]

Exactly

[@bobcobb3654]

@@BlckRosePhotowhat indictment of the system? Did he even bother to think why the convenience store had high prices? Like maybe the immigrant owner had to compensate for thefts or having to pay extra to get companies to deliver to that neighborhood? No, he says “It’s Five, not ‘fie.’ You come to my country (his country) and don’t learn the language?” He never even sees the clerk as human. Same with the fast food crew who are just supposed to make him breakfast even though their bosses tell them not to. All those people and the construction crews are “doing as they’re supposed to” just like D-FENS claims he did, but it goes against his entitlement so f**k them? For all the talk of “lashing out against the system,” D-FENS likes to keep most of his threatening behavior reserved for people he thinks are beneath him.

[@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.

[@jeffwhite2511]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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 😂

[@rickoshay5525]

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

[@JustSomeGuy1977-ss1ip]

@@rickoshay5525 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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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)

[@dedede9664]

@@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.

[@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 :)

[@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!

[@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?

[@keelhaulsthingsthatdontmat3877]

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.

[@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...

[@eoin1959]

I watched this movie in horror when it came out and thought, 'Thank God my life will be nothing like this'! Getting shafted by an employer that you gave the best years of your life, getting scammed and ripped off, getting served shit at fast food outlets, getting made an example of by the courts, and being surrounded by self-entitled, virtue signalling c*nts... In my life Falling Down is more relevant today than it ever was!

[@scaraboo3624]

It's a siege. Suddenly everybody is against you from everywhere but there is allways a friendly face like the black kid in the film. Maybe God is the friendly face in hard times

[@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.

[@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.

[@soulquesthealingmusic2307]

I have seen this movie several times, and have always concluded that DFens was the hero, and societal greed and the damage it causes the villain. Flash forward to 2024, there's very little social capital, communities are falling apart, and alienation everywhere.

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

"you're just trying to scare me" "Have i succeeded?" "i'm past the point of no return Beth, you know what that is?" -- see, i think she should be forgiven for thinking he's going to do the terrible thing, because frankly, to outsiders, it looks that way.

[@thejoblesscoder]

I mean its pretty alienating when I cant even go shopping in my own country anymore and hear a single english word. Absolutely everyone around me talks in their native language and I feel I have zero connection or shared identity to them at all

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

@@thejoblesscoder i don't know what to tell ya. if you insist on being served by native english speakers, you'll have to shop at higher tier stores--less walmart, more target. if you don't want to have people speaking to you with thick accents, don't do your shopping in the latino or korean district. not that complicated.

[@thejoblesscoder]

@@xxcrysad3000xx we have 2 official languages in my country. English and French. Not Punjabi. Not Chinese. If they want to live in my country and take my stuff. But can't be bothered to even speak my language they can bloody well leave

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

@@Sunflower-ug3eh then he slept with over 5000 women, wow, what a great example for other immigrants to follow!

[@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.

[@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.

[@EsotericBibleSecrets]

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]

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

[@Vulpas]

@@EsotericBibleSecrets They downplayed it if anything.

[@SomebodyPickaName]

@@Vulpas LOL for sure.

[@Serahpin]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@steveochoa7801]

that is fucking stupid if you really used a fictional movie to not become an engineer.

[@destonlee2838]

@@steveochoa7801 you have been serve

[@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.

[@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.

[@user-vn5iy7zp8f]

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.

[@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.

[@erikdayne5429]

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]

@@erikdayne5429 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.

[@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.

[@cloud5buster]

"We see a bizarre inversion of the logic of begging, which has been transformed into a perverse sense of entitlement." In 2024: "Yeah, that checks out."

[@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?

[@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.

[@faviodezi9553]

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.

[@jeffreykalb9752]

"I'm the bad guy?" "No. Actually, you're not."

[@easymoneysniper9013]

The guy that pulled a gun on innocent people because the world doesn't revolve around him hahaha thats hilarious

[@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.

[@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

[@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".

[@jamesb6990]

Is this a satire of youtube essays? If so it's brilliant

[@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.

[@AJdet-2]

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

[@rickpaul8012]

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.

[@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

[@Elfenvampir]

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

[@tyrejuan8]

Fun Fact: the restaurant scene where he wants to change the order echoes the Jack Nicholson scene in 'Five Easy Pieces'. Lois Smith plays Jack Nicholsons sister in that film and plays Douglas's mother in Falling Down!

[@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

[@GladEnthusiast]

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

[@speedracer9132]

Please do law abiding citizen. That movies ending always had me feeling like it was originally written for Clyde to come out victorious but it was changed probably because we can’t have the “bad” guy win at the end

[@bonchidude]

They found him and got him. That's it. If they did nto find him he would have won yes. But at this point it's Gotti!

[@cmdrfunk]

The ex wife is the villain for getting an illegitimate restraining order. Pure evil.

[@premiertrainingFL]

His actions prove everything she did, right. wtf are you talking about?

[@naysayer1238]

@@premiertrainingFL I think he was being sarcastic? LOL

[@patrickkelly3617]

​@@naysayer1238I don't think he was.. 😂

[@poika22]

@@premiertrainingFL He never hurt his kid in any way. How on earth was she right? You could even argue that getting an illegitimate restraining order was what made him flip out. Why act civil, if he gets ordered by society to never see his daughter DESPITE HAVING DONE NOTHING? What is the incentive to obey the law, if he gets punished either way? She wasn't proven right by him going on a rampage AFTER being treated this way. What did he have to lose anymore?

[@Rose-rl9kq]

@fighterpowder If the wife knew he was unstable and had anger issues, then she should have (at the very least) advised him to get mental help, even after the divorce and restraining order. She shouldn't have just kicked somebody that she knew was mentally disturbed completely out the door like that, and shun them eternally. You'd think she'd been with him long enough to know his crazy ass wouldn't take that well at all.

[@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.

[@zackworrell535]

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.

[@tyrejuan8]

I was in an Australian airport and had missed my plane. The lady behind the counter could barely speak English so we had trouble trying to organize the next flight. She told me to call a number and book it over the phone. I called the number and surprise surprise the guy who answered could also barely speak English!

[@thane1448]

I've had some serious issues with that now. Had my phone number of 14 years deleted by a south American customer service agent who didn't know what he was doing. Got the feeling he didn't care much either.

[@bonchidude]

I think you mean engrish.

[@bonchidude]

@@thane1448 Right and my main comment remains true. There is no upside to mass immigration.

[@Daniel-fb8rm]

Please your not seriously saying you can’t pronounce a simple name like prendergast

[@exxon101]

How difficult is Prender-gast?

[@mateofyt]

This is an annoying trend on KZbin. Artifically pretending to not know how to pronounce something for no reason. And even if you can't, just rerecord the audio!

[@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

[@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

[@MySpottyGirlfriend]

​@@KrazyIndeedyep

[@6catalina0]

8:53 the hole in his shoe -most men buy one pair of shoes and wear them every day until they rot - which is about eight months.

[@ijonus]

And it's perfectly OK as you mostly move from your home to your car, from your car to your office and then back again, problem arises if suddenly you have to walk a longer distance. Such as here.

[@kborak]

Oh dear, tell me you weren't even alive in 93, without telling me.

[@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

[@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.

[@robzilla730]

1965-1982 great inflation? 2024: hold my beer...

[@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.

[@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.

[@buttpaste]

i don't really believe the audience is meant to think he was gonna kill his ex-wife and kid, that's just the detective's assumption because it seemed likely from his perspective from bill's perspective, and the audience, imo it feels like he was just going crazy and maybe fixing things with his family could have helped him, not that he'd kill them if he couldn't

[@Jagonath]

I think the cop was right though. I don't think he was *planning* to kill his wife and kids but the cop was right that he was heading in that direction. All of his violence in the movie was reactive, but every time he didn't get his way, *boom*, instant violence. The missed phone calls and his wandering clearly hint that he was heading to his ex-wife's house.

[@rifleshooterchannel208]

It’s pretty obvious Bill was planning to do that to his wife and child and then himself. Regardless of the message or the “justification” there was for him doing everything _other_ than that, Bill was absolutely the bad guy.

[@PinkManGuy]

"Did you know that in certain middle Eastern countries a man is entitled to kill his wife if she dishonours him?" is literally a line he says in response to being told not to come home. I see it as pretty open and shut: Even if he had no intent to harm her, he wanted her to think he did so he could derive control from the fear generated by his threat.

[@erikkarlsson9192]

Y'all crazy. Seek help, you'd assume he'd kill his family for no good reason.

[@UltimateEnd0]

​@@PinkManGuy Nah he was too far gone by that point. Bill had already watched the video of himself verbally abusing his family and bowed his head in shame. He wanted to show his family that he wasn't the family annihilator that the police made him out to be. He was going to off himself w/ his Browning Hi-Power shortly after his confrontation with his family which explains why he wanted Prendergast to kill him. He wanted Prendergast to feel the shame of shooting another person, and for Prendergast to realize that he was fatalistic rather than homicidal.

[@grahamnorris7315]

A friend of mine was a cast member in this movie. She took me to the premiere in Westwood. The movie really captured something about the collapse of society, that really fit the feeling of LA at the time.

[@lloydavery7579]

Its the same way today. Go to a bad part of town where they don't allow backpacks in the store because of theft. You're not a thief or live in that area. You go in the store and immediately feel like you are being accused of being a shoplifter when you're told you have to surrender your bag at the door.

[@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

[@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.

[@MattSpoon07]

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.

[@lordvermintide4441]

This video articulates something I've felt about a lot of these movies. It's like they exist for a specific purpose, to establish and support a moral norm that it is not okay to blame the system for social ills, and it is especially not okay to take action against that sytem. If you find yourself down on your luck and with legitimate greivances with a society that has treated you unfairly, then the right thing to do is to just accept it. Sit down, shut up, don't rock the boat. Know your place. It is a deeply insidious message the very obviously serves the interests of the elite, the bourgeois, the aristocratic class, whatever you want to call them. It is no coincidence these films always centre on white males from a decent, educated background- It's essential to be able to perform the bait and switch of writing off the character as reacting selfishly to the loss of privilege, misplaced entitlement, toxic masculinity, and so on. It's vital that this enables any empathy toward the protagonist be undermined, and in itself, signalled as morally incorrect. The ultimate message for the audience to internalise is that the issues shown are simply facts of life, and that any reaction other than submission is wrong.

[@jniska]

As a Scandinavian, I understand the argument regarding social capital. Without waking the internet trolls or getting too political; you’ve got a point there.

[@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

[@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.

[@fathergetdown]

It really speaks of this movie's effectiveness that the only time I saw it was when it came out and I still remember almost every scene.

[@nosadonions3231]

The place it is easiest to see the fall of social capital today is on the road. It's becoming more and more rare for people to leave room for others to merge while entering the highway. The sad thing is that this often cause traffic to be worse and the offending people to take longer to get to where they are going.

[@thebarkingyears]

You're exactly right. Putnam actually specifically mentions driving behaviors as a strong indicator of falling levels of social capital.

[@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

[@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.

[@ApaProductions]

this youtuber just reeks of having taken his first semester in college and now thinks he can analyze stuff

[@thebarkingyears]

I'm sorry that someone talking about books makes you so upset.

[@ApaProductions]

@@thebarkingyears I'm not mad, and you're not talking about books ;)

[@thebarkingyears]

@@ApaProductions except that I did. Is the winky emoji supposed to indicate "we both know I'm lying"?

[@Dilaudid281]

My feelings towards Falling Down have changed pretty drastically over time. There was a point when I first viewed it and enjoyed it as an anti establishment movie. Later on, I saw it much the same way you described it, more of the social commentary and gave meaning to my earlier impression to morph it into a scathing commentary of the American Dream, or absence of it. Now, I still see the commentary and message, but I don't feel it, and it's led me to a completely different outlook. Foster is the bad guy. Everyone he encounters is dealing with the lie in their own way. The convenience store clerk is just as imprisoned by the cost of the goods as the customers are with the retail prices. The fast food workers have just as much control over the advertisements, quality of the food that corporate sends them, and the strict rules they have to adhere to, as the customers do. Even the gun store owner and the gang members, everyone is just living their lives and dealing with the lie in the way that makes sense to them. Foster is the bad guy, because he's holding up a mirror for everyone to see the truth. The truth everyone already knows. Everyone is just as annoyed, just as disgusted, and just as tired of everything as Foster is. Even with the traffic bullshit, the rising prices, the shitty food, we're all in it together. Everyone complains about that stuff, it's literally part of the very small list of things that we can relate to and talk about, even as complete strangers. We don't need someone waving a gun around because a burger is falsely advertised, we just need to get through the day with as little trouble as possible, and then get back home. Anyone who's outside of that program, is someone society will always rightfully label as a villain.

[@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.

[@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...

[@TheNoldaz]

You missed the justified anger part. Hes a good guy snapping out of a bad society, so society mechanics crush him even if hes right all along.

[@CDI-ty3he]

Comes from some kind of new age philosophy that because a character can do evil things, you must constantly undermine the art simply by categorizing it as some kind of "trope" of toxicity that must be vanquished. I see people do this with The Sopranos so much - "omg they're so evil omg they're sociopaths how could you ever relate to Tony or mobsters omg". Like yeah that's the point. It's a kind of joke on the audience, to make you care about such a character. Tony calls himself "a good guy, basically". Sums up Douglas' character in a sense as well. It was the 90s - it's an action movie, albeit intelligently made. And like Sopranos it plays on spectacle and tensions escalating to massive peaks at the expense of not having a "really good guy" protagonist or elementary "teaching the audience a lesson" scenario / plot. It's supposed to be conflicted!!

[@joaquindonoso5481]

This has to be one of the WORSE video essays of this movie I've seen. This movie isn't Propaganda, it's a critique of consummerism and the moral decay of American society and how it treats people as disposable pawns to be thrown away after used. This video IS PROPAGANDA.

[@DexGattaca]

You may have missed the point. We are supposed to identify with Bill at first. There is a genuine critique of consumerism and moral decay of America. The movie acknowledges what we are all thinking. Then it tell us to stay in our lane. It shows us the consequences of not staying in our lane. Nobody will be will come to your side except crazy nazis. You will just become alienated. Your flaws will be exposed because you are not perfect either. Then some model citizen will have to do his job and put you down. Don't end up like Bill. Bill should have stayed in his lane.

[@crankychris2]

It's unwatchable, I stopped it at 1:46.

[@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

[@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.

[@miata350]

I always think about the fast food scene and what it would be like if he just got the food he wanted. When the scene starts, he actually seems pretty happy.

[@Karl.Hungus]

This analysis is propaganda lol

[@MrSMITCHERS]

In what sense?

[@amc9329]

The worn out shoe is an on the nose metaphor. He literally and figuratively has a hole in his sole/soul. When he looks through the hole, he sees a polluted city skyline; a dirty reflection of his internal world.

[@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.

[@6catalina0]

What about Collateral with Tom Cruise, and Payback with Mel Gibson, and the Godfather with Marlin Brando, and Shawshank Redemption? What about The World The Flesh and The Devil with Harry Belafonte, and The Lord of the Flies and They Live? What about The Road, and Blade Runner, and 1984, and Fahrenheit 451, and Brave New World?

[@NotRiansLuke]

I agree and felt that way when I first watched it in 1993. This would have been one of my favorite movies IF the writers/producers/director hadn't decided to make Bill "the bad guy" in the end. Thing is, too, go back and watch the original trailers -- the trailers basically advertised him as the "fed up everyman." The end was a total betrayal of that.

[@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.