Falling Down - The Great American Lie

My analysis and breakdown of the themes and ideas that make Falling Down such a fascinating movie, and even more relevant today than it was in 1993.

[@respectdat1]

"Most men die at 27. We just bury them at 72." -Mark Twain

[@twillbanks]

Omg this on steroids

[@cw270693]

This kind of hits home to me and I'm 30.

[@HarryNicNicholas]

i just turned 70, both my parents died around 72-74 so i wonder at what moment i'll be popping my clogs, it is an interesting feeling. i'm an artist though and i say that i'm still getting used to being 17, i still hear mum calling up to me when i wake up "time to go to school" but these days i can ignore her and stay in bed till 11 every day. but i just took up sculpture, i still go on photographic expeditions to a new place as often as i can, i just started playing fallout 4 (level 122 already) and although my health could be a lot better, at least my son thinks i'll be around for a long time. i have been incredibly lucky in lots of ways my whole life, so maybe i'm the exception, but to me life is what you make of it, the crap stuff just has to be dealt with but the enjoyable stuff needs to be appreciated, i'm an optimist. let's get to mars is what i say, i want to draw martian sand dunes.

[@user-fy5xn1se5g]

@@HarryNicNicholas what the f are you talking about?

[@snowman1886]

@@user-fy5xn1se5glet bro cook

[@frankvandorp2059]

Whenever someone says an old movie "aged badly" because of changing fashions or attitudes, keep in mind that it's also possible that the movie is actually fine and it's society that aged badly.

[@paulconway384]

Fashions are better in old movies as well. No slobs in gym wear 😂

[@user-dk4tq1qb4d]

👏

[@clarencewalker3925]

Or it's the lack of appreciation for movies that aren't progressive enough for movie-goers who wouldn't know a good movie if it fell on their heads.

[@flowerdoyle3749]

Amen!

[@basicfilmblog]

@@paulconway384 you think micheal Douglas is dressed well in this film?

[@ZillaTheTegu]

One of my favorite scenes in all movies, is where the protesting guy gets taken away by the cops, and when the car is driving away it briefly stops in near Bill and the man says "Dont forget me." and Bill nods. That exchange, that sad and tragic moment. The way it feels like the poor guy is just going to disappear within the corrupt system. It just hits me deep.

[@matoko123]

Damned right.

[@rumblehat4357]

That scene was an amazing exchange.

[@NoNameAtAll2]

it was "remember me"

[@ZillaTheTegu]

@@NoNameAtAll2 Dumb thing to argue over, but no its not. "Remember me" is from pharaoh Bender.

[@andrewx86x]

It wasn't mentioned, but they wear exactly the same clothes and identical tie, but he's black and Bill is white. I found that to be extremely poignant.

[@sofia7374]

One of the most underrated performances by Michael Douglas. Even when he waves the gun around in the fast food restaurant, we were still rooting for him.

[@chickenlover657]

Why wouldn't we be rooting for him?

[@leonkane8240]

It is true, I was!

[@chickenlover657]

@@trysometruth What difference does it make that it was a burger joint?

[@NeonValleys]

​@@chickenlover657 because he's a psychotic criminal who smashed up and threatened a small store owner because he didn't like the price of a soda? This movie didnt just age badly, if someone likes this movie and agrees with the messaging you know for a fact they have main character syndrome

[@chickenlover657]

@@NeonValleys You obviously don't get the movie or the main character or the situation that brought him where it did. You obviously know zero psychology. Gimmie a call when you fix all that.

[@flizzight]

10 years ago my ex wife lied to a judge. And my daughter was removed from my life. I paid child support and received no visits for years. But the truth was on my side. Today her mother is in trouble with the law and next week my daughter is coming to live with me. Never give up

[@MykeLewisMusic]

I went through something similar four years ago, but my daughter took my side, and I came out of 17 years of marriage with a backpack full of clothes, zero dollars, and all the love I will ever need in my life. I wish you and your daughter the best!!!

[@canaldecasta]

I honestly don't know how to express it but sorry about that and congrats.

[@hoonaticbloggs5402]

Karma always comes, god chooses if you get to see it

[@FrancoM7747]

IMO that's what this film is about.

[@danballe]

Guess you just have to endure it. Hope everything resolves to your way in a good way and that your daughter appreciates you and that you both have a great rest of your days.

[@kongfeet81]

*“I’m the bad guy? How’d that happen? I did everything they told me to.”* I think about that quote a lot these days

[@genuineappeal3458]

This film was designed to prepare the voters to tell their Congressmen to pass the tough-on-crime bills that came out the following year. The emphasis of the film was that this man was abusive, always was, and cannot be reformed.

[@morganfreeman4961]

@@genuineappeal3458 If thats the case it blew up in their faces immensely and has become a cultural icon directly targeting their elite motives

[@JeanLaffite-ec9em]

@@genuineappeal3458 abusive? Strange he fought against racism, classism, cronyism, all in one afternoon. And he was the bad guy according to you.

[@roc7880]

every guy who worked overtime at the office and never missed a deadline no matter how many working week ends spent without family only to be fired by the company to increase the stock value one quarter can understand this.

[@mattposky2892]

I think a lot of people are

[@CivilDefenceCanada]

I remember when my dad went to see this in theatres back in 93. He came home, told us that it was good, but that the message was the best part. I was a bit too young to see it then but when I did as a teen, I didn't get it. Watched it in my 20s, started to understand it. Watched it when middle aged, now I totally get it. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[@juztjules4883]

Exactly

[@aaronkerr3990]

"I'm the bad guy??" All these decades later, that still hits hard.

[@TheRougeSky]

Yeah especially delivered with that slight pained expression as the realization sinks in. In some ways that too could have been a subtle message the film was trying to send that if you fight the system you'll become the villain even if the system itself is far from noble, fair or just.

[@onesong2001]

That was the moment he noticed he was a white man.

[@DStan737]

The way Douglas delivered the iconic line "I'm the bad guy?" with convincing confusion has stayed with me for the past 30 years.

[@Cowboycomando54]

The follow up question of "How'd that happen?" also ads some serious weight to the moment as well.

[@ryobibattery]

He's literally me......

[@richardhockey8442]

and he realizes there is only one way out.... so he pulls a water pistol on Prendergast

[@Deathbytroll]

He was, in fact, not the bad guy

[@pjshutout3480]

Totally agree. That and his pained follow up line, "How did that happen?" was just haunting.

[@Paien75]

One time not too long ago, I was asked how my day was going at work. I said “have you ever seen Falling Down?” thinking the guy has never seen it and all he said was “oh shit” 😂😊😊😊😊

[@krispypriest5116]

Hahaha. Nice!

[@Cthulhuwarlord]

@ArianoKaurichshut

[@davidnierzwick2775]

😂👍

[@Cthulhuwarlord]

@ArianoKaurich you are a sussy bot

[@lowrider81hd]

Lol funny. He emphasized with you falling down 😂

[@VoltanIgor]

Pointing out the escalating line of weapons possessed by Bill is very important, but you forgot to state the final scene, the standoff between Prendergast and Bill. Prendergast shoots him believing he is packing, but all he has is a water squirt gun. Another addition to the drama - Bill would have never opposed a police officer, let alone try to hurt them. In his own way, he was always a true, law abiding citizen. The ending is heartbreaking to say the least. Amazing movie, one of my all-time favs.

[@Max14163]

The ending is a case of art imitating life, though 20 years ahead of time (Tamir Rice). Wonder how the writer knew? In reality, it's America that's falling down and this movie (and Chris Hedges... and Robert Reich) saw it all coming.

[@honuman39]

​@@Max14163a lot of people saw it coming. I'm no communist but anyone who studied the mechanics of capitalism could see the system of profit and using up resources was going to end up like this.

[@motoknivesandgunsbyjt]

Yes. And, the fact that Pentegrast gets hit with water in the face first says that Bill could have shot him in the face but he choose not to take someone with him.

[@williamhermann6635]

​@@honuman39 We have a people problem, not a system problem. Theres no governmental/economic system that can withstand human greed and corruption. A system is only as good as the people controlling it.

[@Chrinik]

@@williamhermann6635 You got all these guns to stand up to those people, no?

[@bwayne4656]

Excellent analysis. "All it takes is one bad day" A line spoken by the Joker in the 1988 graphic novel. All it takes is one bad day. More relevant today than 30 years ago as you stated.

[@evilDMguy]

Thank you! I came to post this. The Killing Joke. Joker wanted to show that he was everyman who had "one bad day."

[@youknowwhoiam2771]

That scene of Foster in the fast-food restaurant comparing the real life burger to the advertisement was probably the greatest criticism towards mass media commercialism I’ve seen

[@whitleypedia]

I love when he says "I wouldn't want you in my back yard either." :)

[@mmyers6441]

It's hilarious. And today i love to make similar comparisons with Facebook profiles.

[@OkamiToge]

That's one of my favorite scenes, along with the convenience store markups.

[@SeasideDetective2]

To be honest, it doesn't matter much to me. A cheeseburger is a cheeseburger. When I would eat a burger from, say, Wendy's, I never thought about how the food should look. My only concerns were practical: whether the beef patty was properly cooked, whether the cheese had melted to the correct consistency, etc. I never had the illusion that I was dining in a Michelin-rated restaurant.

[@henrythegreatamerican8136]

This movie holds up well. Privileged white man blames everyone but himself and the top 1% for the situation he is in and hurts everyone including his family in the process. He doesn't see himself or the 1% of elites that put him in this position as bad. ** Waits for the post to get censored **

[@SSPspaz]

That was the saddest “Go away now” I’ve ever heard Drinker utter. I felt that in my soul. You know shit is dire in America when a Scot on the other side of the pond is lamenting America’s slow descent into ruin.

[@waltk7624]

That’s exactly how I felt 😞 hit me right there ❤️‍🩹

[@quademasters249]

Felt the same. Eventually every man ages to the point he realizes the future is looking kinda bleak. "Is this it?" Movies like this remind us of that fact.

[@flayedearth]

Same here. I literally teared up.

[@johnnhoj6749]

Britain has had it's own decline. We can empathise.

[@LordNelsonkm]

Can somebody do a health and wellness check on Drinker? Cause, damn, felt the same way on that sign off. He's been taking arrows and grenades for us all for a long time analyzing this nonsense being put out. But I'm glad he's there shining the light and calling out the Message.

[@davidcarik1761]

Being in Law Enforcement, I identified with Robert Duvall's character as the LAPD Detective. Most in LE look at their fellow cops on the surface and make judgements. Is this guy a "real" cop or not? Is he / she a "street" cop? I love how the guy's Captain barely even knows his name and thinks he's a "coward" just because he's overweight, wasn't a Marine, and rides a desk. The Captain has NO CLUE who his subordinates are as PEOPLE. I think a lot of the movie shows how disconnected we are and DON'T look at others as PEOPLE but just stereotypes. You nailed it when you said "everyone was out for themselves". We are VERY selfish as a society. Everyone has a story and everyone could be going through a REAL tough time. Spot on analysis of one of my favorite movies!

[@1stMarDiv4341]

This movie truly hits different the older you get. I remember first seeing it with my dad when I was 10, and thought Michael Douglas was this insane madman. But now, I think to myself "Okay, he may be going a bit overboard....but I get it."

[@Locadel2003]

Michael Douglas finest performance. Really overlooked role by him

[@jonsmith6496]

Too bad he’s a douche nozzle now

[@dasboom7133]

It was great how you related with him until you realize he's a villain.

[@klaus1085]

​@@dasboom7133 But was he the villain?

[@ElDuderino999]

Yep, same with Jeff Bridges‘ portrayal of Obadiah Stane in Iron Man… sometimes an actor really impresses on a role so much that one starts asking himself „is it even acting, or is he just having the blast of his life bringing the character to life?“

[@YikersGrossout]

​@@klaus1085villian of the story victim of society

[@invox9490]

As a over 40 person that always followed the rules and doesn't own a house, doesn't own a car, and doesn't have a steady job... This. Hits. Deep.

[@nighthowell]

No offense, but something had to go wrong with your journey. You haven’t been able to get a car at 40? Even the housing market, which hasn’t been great in a long time, didn’t really go nuts until ~2017 resulting in the catastrophe we see today. And while the prices had blown up by 2020, the interest rates were a golden ticket. Now, it’s a nightmare in both categories sadly.

[@gavinpowell4607]

You never own anything in life. That's a misconception.

[@Cerdo_asqueroso]

I understand you dude By the way, don't worry about tje other two guys that commented here, I already reported them to KZbin for bothering you.

[@tjbooker8585]

​@@nighthowell'no offense" the perfect prerequisite to being offensive 😂

[@supamalleo64]

​@gavinpowell4607 you know the reason right?

[@jdevine42]

This is one of the best critiques I have ever read/watched in my 68 years on this planet

[@gedhession]

To me it was a film very much of its era. The end of the Cold War saw many highly skilled, highly educated, highly experienced people see their jobs get outsourced and downsized, particularly in defense. I had just graduated from uni and hit the perfect storm, no being able to get a job for love nor money. I finally got a technician job and quite a few of my colleagues were ex-defense. For the record, I lost that job after twenty years. On the day I was let go my boss said to me, "Look Ged, in five years time nobody will be doing what we do". Well guess what, five years later all my colleagues were fired and the facility shut down.

[@rustyhowe3907]

"I'm the bad guy?" "Yeah" "How'd that happen? I did everything they told me to". That exchange gets my soul deeper every time because it's so relevant to my own life.

[@dmanias4901]

Bro. Unplug and go for a walk without shoes. It’s not your fault. Don’t get bitter. Today is your first day. Now go…

[@slevinchannel7589]

..,Stuck in Traffic? Hmm, if only Adam-Something and Climate-Town had videos about this

[@ThatOneCastleGuy]

I know. It’s crazy how relatable those couple of works are now.

[@el_killorcure]

Problem is WHO did you decide to obey. Japanese have a saying: spend half of your life looking for a sensei worth following...

[@user-jh5sf5ey2d]

Same here, brother. Fortunately I figured out the whole system a lie to keep the cattle placated. You should do some research on Christian apologetics. Once you realize that evolution and old-Earth theory is all complete and utter BS, it'll blow your mind. EVERYTHING we were sold was counterfeit goods. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Genesis Science Network is a great place to start.

[@stevecarey2030]

To add a little more context to the story, From the 1940s (i.e., WW2) until 1989 (the fall of the Soviet Union) the LA economy was almost equally driven by Hollywood and the Areospace/defense industry. You were just as likely to bump into an aerospace engineer in LA as you were an aspiring actor. Well, once the Soviet Union collapsed, the amount of money the pentagon spent on Aerospace subcontractors fell and the industry in LA began laying off workers and consolidating. So the timing of the film met the reality on the ground. The protagonist was clearly one of those laid off aerospace engineers who was unlikely to find a similar job in the shrinking industry in LA. Combine that with his divorce and he just lost it.

[@commentarytalk1446]

It's an important context and no doubt the movie's theme was significantly influenced by this transition or "down-sizing" to use the euphemism of deception. Excellent to see this context mentioned. Very good film also and very good film essay here too.

[@theguybehindyou4762]

The divorce aspect is even more important in modern times, as divorce itself has become a racket, whereby honest family men are utterly destroyed and their children traumatized so judges and lawyers can line their own pockets.

[@GH-ub7qz]

​@@theguybehindyou4762feminist rulz... equal minus anything real...why you never marry someone morally bankrupt...easy to spot usually

[@pylotheric9777]

​@@theguybehindyou4762the judges and lawyers is filling their pockets is just a side effect of the way the system is set up... You will always lose You leave --> you pay They leave --> you pay

[@agentsmith6492]

@@theguybehindyou4762 excellent point. That's why you have the MGTOW movement. It happened to my brother. He's not a drunk. He's not violent. He doesn't sleep around. Works hard to provide for his kids who he loves deeply..but the mother of 2 of his 3 daughters decided that she didn't love him anymore and that was that. SHE made HIM sleep on the couch, then moved out into some dump of a flat with damp and mould and he was left heartbroken, depressed and destroyed while she got to keep the house and the kids. It's times like that that made me see the system for exactly what it is. Men stand absolutely no chance!!

[@leemontree1]

I died when I was 26. I've been living the American lie ever since. Now at 68 I just don't really care anymore that everything is so false, You can't take nothing with you, so ease up and just go out and live. One day at a time I'm learning to love it.

[@NanoBurger]

He fired an M72 LAW (Light Antitank Weapon), not a bazooka. They are both anti-tank rockets but the LAW is a single-use, collapsable weapon whereas the bazooka is a multi-use weapon with a long tube.

[@bobblowhard8823]

Now THAT is useful information.

[@genuineappeal3458]

To think he wasted that ammo which is desperately needed today just so he could complain about a monetary system he cannot comprehend.

[@rachelblack3816]

Damn. I always get my anti-tank weapons confused. Just the other day, I was getting ready for vacation and picked up what I thought was my bazooka, but it was actually my M72-bb3K LAF anti-fortified personnel carrier! Image my embarrassment when I pulled it out at my favorite fishing spot, when I realized my mistake! I felt like such an idiot! To keep that from happening again, I've taken pictures of each anti-tank and shoulder-fired weapon I have, and taped it to the crates where I keep them, so I won't make that silly mistake again in front of snickering strangers... I've never been so embarrassed in my life. Oh, what a day that was! I felt so silly, as you can surly imagine.

[@daveduffy2823]

And not to be further confused with the 90mm recoilless rifle. It’s not a bazooka either.

[@Lonovavir]

The "not economically viable" scene hits harder and harder every year. A man who did everything right gets arrested the day he stops being "useful". This happens too frequently IRL.

[@jacevicki]

When I saw this as a teenager I assumed it was just racism. I assumed it was a guy who was denied a loan or something for his skin colour. But no, it was just the system chewing him up and spitting him out. Probably some executive gave himself a bonus for reducing headcount. Not caring about how many lives it ruins.

[@jonlannister345]

If you speak out against the system at best they'll label you insane, but they might just say you're 'belligerent' and throw you in prison. It's the same way abusive parents are with their children.

[@paulpatterson7737]

The part when he makes eye contact with Michael Douglas as he's in the back of the car and is about to drive away, he says "Don't forget me". I always figured he just meant, hey remember me and my story. Which I suppose he really does. However it just dawned on me that the film is basically saying to Bill, don't forget what the system did to you! As he's basically seeing it play out again in front of his very eyes, from another perspective(he obviously sees himself in the guy who is literally dressed exactly the same as he was and is also disenfranchised). So fricking cool how deep this film actually is.

[@JeanLaffite-ec9em]

It's the lie that if you work hard one day you can apply for a loan and start your own business, but the reality is that society wants to keep its working drones.

[@rasklaat2]

@@paulpatterson7737 He says that to all of us.

[@marcuscicero5033]

This movie represents what the elites fear the most. It's not the crim on the south side of Chicago; it's the realization of the suburbanite from "Anytown USA" that the managerial state can't keep their promises anymore.

[@Jean-PaulMichell]

Bingo. And the inevitable retaliation.

[@FourOf92000]

the managerial revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race

[@c1ph3rpunk]

The current state of this is the obsessive drive for us to “return to the office”. Mind you, the same people told us in 2020 to adjust to “the new normal”, so we did, now they’re not selling office real estate and the places around are dead. I’m not going back to sitting in a car or train 10-15 hours a week. Did that for 25 years.

[@_Melian_Dialogue_]

​@@FourOf92000more of a coup than a revolution. We the people weren't anything oppressive to revolt against.

[@PsycoDwarf9]

The criminal joke is: They never could. What the elite of any society at any time want us peasants to forget is that THEY live on OUR surplus and sufferance. That whole "Consent of the Governed" issue.

[@wellspokenman81]

This is the best thing you've made in a while. Thanks for the analysis - I never noticed that the snow globe was playing "London Bridge is falling down" 😅

[@TomNoles007]

I never would have thought when I watched this brilliant movie as a young man that I would watch this fantastic movie analysis one day and see so many similarities with my life. Excellent video mate.

[@miketocci]

I kinda did.

[@davemurphy7575]

Like Office Space and Idiocracy, this film gets increasingly more valid and prescient with each year

[@walterjunovich6180]

Along with Easy Rider and Cool hand Luke.

[@sargatanas91]

@@walterjunovich6180 And don't forget Demolition Man.

[@GOFLuvr]

@@sargatanas91 The thing that made Demolition Man so brilliant, was that it featured a person in a place and time in which he had no business being in.

[@T3t4nu5]

Man, I just left almost the same comment before seeing this.

[@David-iv6je]

Why do you think it gets worse?

[@kortyEdna825]

More and more people might face a tough time in retirement. Low-paying jobs, inflation, and high rents make it hard to save. Now, middle-class Americans find it tough to own a home too, leaving them without a place to retire.

[@KaurKhangura]

The increasing prices have impacted my plan to retire at 62, work part-time, and save for the future. I'm concerned about whether those who navigated the 2008 financial crisis had an easier time than I am currently experiencing. The combination of stock market volatility and a decrease in income is causing anxiety about whether I'll have sufficient funds for retirement.

[@carssimplified2195]

This is precisely why I like having a portfolio coach guide my day-to-day market decisions: with their extensive knowledge of going long and short at the same time, using risk for its asymmetrical upside and laying it off as a hedge against the inevitable downward turns, their skillset makes it nearly impossible for them to underperform. I've been utilizing a portfolio coach for more than two years, and I've made over $800,000.

[@PatrickFitzgerald-cx6io]

How can I reach this person?

[@carssimplified2195]

‘’Marisa Michelle Litwinsky’ maintains an online presence. Just make a simple search for her name online.

[@PatrickFitzgerald-cx6io]

I checked Marisa up out of curiosity and i must say i am impressed by her Credentials. i emailed her already, waiting on her response.

[@yewknight]

Every man worth having a beer with has had days where they realize they are one or two bad circumstances away from D-Fens’s fate

[@user-xl2ke3pw9t]

I was a kid. People would still smoke in movie theaters when i saw this. One of the best flix I still watch.

[@FracturedPixels]

The rousing anger of the conclusion against the defeated, low-energy "Go away now..." was an extremely powerful way to end this video.

[@pewymcpewerson1395]

I felt that to. It hit deep.

[@jlk313ify]

I hit the like button and had actually started to scroll but went back when I realized that I almost cheated myself out of the "Go away now" expecting to hear some variation of the "standard" version, but..

[@topazfire974]

I remember watching this movie way back then and I remember him working for the defense for 30 years and after 30 years it was gonna cut and loose that's what started him to purge on what he was fed up with , And the thing is before you work for the government you have to have some sort of psychological exam in order to work for them , He left his job on a mental breakdown .

[@timdietz350]

nah it was pretty vapid.

[@eroc1024]

Yeah that one hit different....

[@slyjester3315]

You see, children, this is called "Inference." It's when you find deeper meaning through context clues, without making it all about yourself. This is what makes us appreciate art.

[@siege9065]

Absolutely. It's the movies that get better with further viewings that I look out for.

[@elLooto]

@@siege9065 Like in Fight Club, when you finally get the twist. Not only is Tyler, Jack. So is Marla.

[@jondorsey2043]

Hear hear

[@BluntmanEXE]

Heh, I didn't even know that was a word.

[@RallyTheTally]

Kid bashing lol, cringe.

[@ronpolaris5883]

For a while, Falling Down was my favorite movie. After watching it several times, I also finally realized that the movie is about the fall of the American Dream. The American Dream included a job, a family with children, a house, a car, and a dog. As we go through the movie, we learn that William Foster loses his job, his family, his house with a dog, and the last thing he loses is his car. Consequently, he has nothing to lose but his life. Throughout the movie, he lashes at the vicious world with the same viciousness, trying to gain what he lost. But, in the end, he loses the last thing he had - his life. The final scene at the pier has always squeezed my throat. It might be interesting to note that, when I was a teacher, I used this movie as a follow-up to the topic “Do we need guns?” Remember how William Foster panics when his ex-wife kicks his last gun in the water? Like most of people in the movie, he was powerless to do anything about being oppressed by the societal structure. But, all of a sudden, he realized that guns gave him power and forced life around him to flow the way he would want it to for a change. Many people see William as a psychotic maniac who was going to kill his wife and daughter in the end. I disagree - remember how terrified he became when he thought that he hurt that little girl at the pool? I believe that many of us might act like William if life and society were to strip us of all we have - giving us the ultimate freedom of having nothing to lose. Unfortunately, society does not want people who regained and became aware of their freedom and it discarded of William putting him in the position where he had no choice but to sacrifice his life for the well being of his daughter.

[@genuineappeal3458]

words ... uh, uh huh huh huh huh, huh, huh --- Butthead 1993

[@wilsonchan1597]

“Because Bill is everyone!” Yep, I felt like Bill when I watched the movie. Thank you very much for the Movie Essay 😊

[@wolfsigma]

Yah. This movie has lived rent free in my head forever. Just the way the Douglas says, "When did I become the bad guy?" nearly breaks me every time. So good.

[@daynechastant]

For me it was the protestor was being arrested. He looks at Bill and says, "Remember me." Bill nods silently and as the man is taken away, it infers that something about Bill is seen by him...because he looks terrified.

[@NinjapowerMS]

Plus if you look deeply into the movie, His wife was making bogus accusations against him. Douglas might have had a temper but he never raised his hands against his wife.

[@colinmckay8336]

So true me too. Kills me that line.

[@malificajones7674]

@@NinjapowerMS Yep, and that basically ruined his life. Taking away access to his daughter left him a broken man.

[@LemuriaGames]

@@malificajones7674 The story of way too many good fathers that were screwed by a system that still thinks mothers are important and fathers a side-note.

[@TheMonkeygoneape]

It baffles me how Joel Schmaucher can both make some pretty solid movies, and then make Batman Forever and Batman and Robin

[@theunknowncommenter725]

I love both his Batman movies, but you have to understand he was also under the pressure of the studio because they wanted something more family-friendly and merchandise friendly.

[@williamarnold9821]

The films he made immediately before ( this ) and after ( 8mm ) his Batman movies not only show he could've done dark Batman films but we're also his best films. 8mm is a masterpiece film, which even features the future Joker.

[@LexingtonDeville984]

@@theunknowncommenter725That’s true. Schumacher wanted to do a dark Batman movie, but WB suits overruled him. And let’s be honest, The Dark Knight Trilogy is miles better than both of Schumacher’s combined.

[@Gorgonzeye]

@@LexingtonDeville984 The Dark Knight is the only one of those three even worth watching. They absolutely bore me to tears and there is no way to take Bale seriously in those.

[@ahabduennschitz7670]

​You disqualified yourself with your very first sentence

[@paguerro1696]

Excellent analysis. I am 55 years old and the more I live and see how things are going since the 70s, the more it makes sense. The newer generations will inherit a country where greed and selfishness is the norm.

[@sokolmihajlovic1391]

Great vid bro, especially your emotional rant in the end, was retty telling.Thank you. Road blocks ... in the supposed to be "the land of the free" is, for me, the running theme of the picture. Road blocks create traffic jams, where people jam themselves even more. Everybody is stuck, so is the main character. He tries to break out, but he can't. Everybody tries to rob him, even though he has not much, barely anything. Ultimately the government, in form of the retired policeman, takes away his life, robs him, because he dared to step out of the line and ignore the red tape. Actually tried to destroy the road block. Everybody is stuck in this jammed society, kind of anemic figures. Like fish in an aquarium. This movie has a message, which has resonated in films like Matrix, 1984 and others. We are all stuck, actually jammed in a system. Not just in America.

[@kitsandham7001]

Brilliant.

[@pumpkinknight5732]

"I think we got off on the wrong foot. This is your home, and a man's home is his home... so, if you'll just back up a little bit... I'll take my problems somewhere else." He tried so hard.

[@froufroufeatherstone6291]

Exactly. _He tried so hard._

[@MR-MR-ud5oo]

The complexity of a Man's Mind & Heart while trying to over the world pinned against him.

[@snow_tacknives2024]

What I've figured out in my 61 years of life is you don't have to go looking for trouble, it will inevitably and or eventually come to you!

[@onesong2001]

@@froufroufeatherstone6291 This movie could have been called "Try Hard"

[@onesong2001]

@@snow_tacknives2024 it's come to all of us in 2024

[@Tpanda85]

When I was 17, I came home after a shitty work week and complained during dinner about what’s the point, my dad smiled and recommended we watch the movie together. I’ll always remember it

[@stalhandske9649]

A perceptive man, your father. Good on him.

[@denimchicken104]

If anything, wouldn’t that only serve to make you MORE miserable? What IS the point?

[@maybeitsyou1317]

@@denimchicken104 The point is you get to hang out with those you love while they are around. Such as his father and him sharing a movie. The point is whatever you make it. Some people would rather just cry about how unfair life is then actually make it better for themselves. Most people actually.

[@denimchicken104]

@@maybeitsyou1317 sounds pretty dumb honestly

[@hogie9]

​@@denimchicken104 sounds like you got shoe size IQ

[@a.j.santiago303]

I was scrolling through and was going to skip right by until something told me to watch this video, and man, I'm glad I did. You explain many nuances I either already saw in the film or just learned now. I also appreciate how you explain how each moment and situation leads into the next, and how so much of the film ties together. Guess I'll have to watch more of your videos! Great work, man.

[@socialstoic2099]

Wonderful work and analysis. I first watched this back in 1994 as a 9 year old on VHS and loved it, now as a grown man, I adore it!

[@BlazingOwnager]

One thing missed by non-LA residents of this movie is the location shooting is absolutely 100% on point. Wherever Bill is supposed to be in the city, that's where they filmed, and you can actually easily map out the path he takes. Very, very few movies worry about map accuracy but this one got it right the best I've seen on film before, traveling from East LA to Santa Monica.

[@jimbarino2]

That was one of the things I loved about Steve McQueen's "Bullit". I used to live in San Francisco, and all during the chase through the city he is exactly where he should be everytime he makes a turn...

[@DS-lk3tx]

I've traveled and seen quite a few places where films were made and it's bonkers how wrong everything is. Like the movie Friday with Ice Cube. Ms parkers house was 2 streets over. The road that smokey, big worm, and the cholesterol spoke? Not even the road infront of Craig's house. 😂

[@Valiantes_]

Agree, as a lifelong Angelino this movie got LA right in terms of geography, feeling and look.

[@Hexadeci]

If you like LA geography got to watch Chinatown with Jack Nicholson. Seeing places like MacArthur park in a historic context is a trip and it makes you appreciate all the old LA architecture.

[@veggiedisease123]

@@Hexadeci The biggest thing Chinatown misses, through no fault of their own, is that the movie takes place in the '30s. The Chinatown depicted should be Old Chinatown in the area around Union Station. Unfortunately, the whole area was demolished by the mid-'40s.

[@ChristianPauchet]

That briefcase is a symbol of success in corporate America; professionalism, power, success, respect for work, status, authority, and preparation. The irony is that he just has a sandwich and an apple in it, the most basic elements a human needs to live on, kind of a remanent of what the dream turned out to be, just survival, the daily grind while the clock runs out. That scene, where we first get to see what was in it broke my cold heart, and it still does to this day.

[@Fetteremo]

Great interpretation of the briefcase. It also fits nicely to the moment where he handed over those basic necessities, maybe foreshadowing that this will be his last day.

[@billbillson3129]

Wow! Good call thanks for sharing with us!

[@MrTobi013]

Whoa...that's some powerful insight you've got!😮

[@frequenco5545]

"The Big Apple"

[@vitalixy3578]

Id like to add to it by saying that the irony of him giving it to a homeless person, yet the homeless person throws it away out of disappointment since he was expecting money. Symbolizing the fact that the homeless man is still stuck in "the lie".

[@myconpodship]

Your outro juxtaposed with the usual way you say it was a very nice touch, the chef's kiss.

[@nathanpearl2321]

When I was growing up (school years 1959-1972) the situation for my parents and pretty much everyone was that if you worked hard at a normal 40 hr. a week job (and typically only dad had to work), and did not waste money, you could own a home, a car, and even send the kids to college. Mom sometimes worked part time doing sewing or baking or something like that from home, but nothing big. When the kids were old enough, they usually got summer jobs to maybe buy an old car or put towards college, but they did not have to take out massive loans for college- if they borrowed at all, it could be repaid in a year or two. Of course we did not have as many "things" as people have now, but we could not have stuff that was not yet invented, either. And BTW- we DID get along fine with landline phones and payphones. I know this is a lot of boomer nostalgia, but in most ways life was better then.

[@shinobirising8196]

The one thing that bothered me towards the end of the movie, is how the police expended so much energy to find Bill, and arrest him, when all kinds of violence and chaos was going on in the city the whole time, and suddenly the one guy who becomes their priority is the dillusioned, fed up average guy who decides to even the score for one day. That line at the end, where he looks confused and asks Robert Duvall "So I'm the bad guy?" Yeah. In a world gone crazy, the average man just trying to get through life is the bad guy.

[@XH1927]

That's how police work. They apply overwhelming forces and resources to whatever is most in the public eye at the time. Used to be if you were a moonshiner running from the cops, you'd get a fair chase. Now if you run from a cop you get 52 cars, 14 roadblocks, stop sticks, and three helicopters that cost $15,000 an hour to operate. Why? To further the illusion that cops and the system are not made of human beings who do in fact bleed and can in fact be defeated and buried

[@Nightdare]

A swindling shopowner, a frauding fastfood, a lying bum, a bunch of triggerhappy gangsters, a neo-nazi, a greedy city planning Basically the only 'innocent' victim that Dfense had a hand in, was the old dude

[@timnor4803]

But kids or young adults with a 10 page rap sheet are always portrayed as the nicest kid ever...

[@el_killorcure]

Because "evening the score" goes against the plan

[@bobcobb3654]

Might have had something to do with Bill committing about a dozen felonies, including popping off gunshots in a crowded restaurant and being at least indirectly responsible for the deaths of two people.

[@Falconer22]

I saw this film as a teenager and what stuck with me is seeing how closely (probably) many men live close to the edge, and it gave me a new respect for my father and brothers.

[@arthurpendragon3000]

We are lions in a cage. The cage is rattled and we roar or we don’t notice because we have given up. The door is opened and the wild side is let out for most.

[@kegfreak3728]

The society we live in relatively free of violence and the lack of fear of even feeding your family is a blip in history. History shows us that the world is violent and hard. We are currently reverting to the mean.

[@elLooto]

There is an old saying: "Most men live lives of quiet desperation"

[@mofftarkin78]

@@elLooto Henry David Thoreau, Walden. Good quote.

[@dekaywill4572]

Oh we are on the edge more than ever right now....

[@ScienceMagicStudios]

I cannot explain how amazing and important this video is to explain a state of being, an idea, without going on a rant

[@peterwilson5528]

Wow! You nailed it. The words you spoke were like bittersweet poetry. The man keeps getting kicked in the head and nuts. The Man sets out to become a Kamikaze. A divine wind for a moment of finality and immortality.

[@LauraTheRed]

My high school Psychology teacher showed this in his class in 11th grade in 1996, and it's been one of my favorites ever since. ❤❤

[@toh6261]

God, I miss the 90s.

[@johnconstantine1604]

What was your Psych Teacher’s thoughts of this movie?

[@DeflatingAtheism]

@@toh6261 Nowadays they’d force you to write an essay about White Rage!

[@poeticsilence047]

​@@DeflatingAtheism or how does the lack of inclusion make you feel?

[@Dime_time333]

Dont care We know we run things. Yall squabbling for 2nd place. ​@poeticsilence047

[@caesar349]

The part that gets me the most- when he sees the other guy protesting the bank wearing the exact same outfit- and gets hauled away by police - “don’t forget me”…

[@danm5911]

I love that part. They connect with each other without a word. By the time he says that, they were already brothers.

[@AndriyValdensius-wi8gw]

They're both in the same boat. They are both middle class white collar workers, educated, probably college graduates, who have become "surplus to requirements" and therefore "not economically viable." So they end up on the street. Probably their jobs still exist, but are now done by somebody in Mexico or Hyderabad in India. Their bosses do it because they CAN. A few years ago, here in France, where I live, Goodyear, the American tyre company, had a factory which they wanted to shut. I think they wanted to relocate to Eastern Europe, because of cost. The factory was efficient and productive, but being France, it was strongly unionised, and workers were well paid, with good benefits etc. When the workers found out about management's plans, they shut themselves inside the factory and took the factory bosses hostage. They looked after them well, feeding them etc, but they wouldn't let them go. There was a stand off. Finally, Goodyear management was forced to come to the negotiation table, and the factory stayed open. Jobs were saved. That's how it's done. Unfortunately, since the Reagan era, American workers have given up the rights that their fathers and grandfathers fought so hard for. Hence all the Bill Fosters of America.

[@mrbigglezworth42]

@@AndriyValdensius-wi8gw American unions often have bad reputations because far too often they happen to be run by unscrupulous groups who use said unions to browbeat and steal a portion of the wages of the "union members" while doing little to actually help the average worker. The worst ones were the ones controlled by the mob, where the union really was just a legal method of extortion. So it often ends up being a double whammy of incompetence or outright malice under the guise of being "for workers rights" that most Americans would rather not have unions that be taken for a ride.

[@johnbowles5399]

Yes, that is such a powerful scene I think. The way the guy sees him and says, "Don't forget me." In such a poignant way, followed by the nod as D-Fens acknowledges him gets me every time. Nobody wants to be forgotten.

[@AndriyValdensius-wi8gw]

@mrbigglezworth42 So I've heard. Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters, etc. It's unfortunate that there is such corruption. Once the mob / Mafia gets involved it all goes to hell. The principle of unions is good and very valuable. At times they were essential for fighting for workers' rights. But if the union itself becomes too powerful and / or corrupt, then the cure might be worse than the disease. All I can say is that a union should belong to its members, and the members should have a system of electing their representatives democratically. People who will genuinely work in their members' interests, rather than help launder the proceeds of crime.

[@thekjub]

man one of best esseys .... I wish that directors made this about their plots more often ... but you unraveled it by such pace .... hands down. Thx

[@DomainofKnowlegdia]

Bill is similar to me in many ways. He has a moral code, finds meaning, and recognizes the corruption and exploitation in society. He defends and protects his values.

[@LexingtonDeville984]

An underrated gem of 90’s cinema and still relevant 31 years later. It holds a mirror up to society and shows that we are all one bad day away from snapping. And Michael Douglas turns in a career best performance.

[@dbsommers1]

It's not "one bad day", it's more "you can break anyone with the right pressure on the right spot. " It's more universal than people make it out to be.

[@BrokenDiety1]

It's about misplaced aggression. He was used and discarded and his child cut off by his wife. I can't feel sorry for tradcons like this anymore after years of warning about hypergammy and his blameshifting onto the "Left and wokeness".

[@user-sm3th7ow5w]

You may not be old enough to remember the trailers for this film before it was released in theaters. It basically portrayed a working class white guy unable to simply get home to his kid for her birthday because every Ahole in LA was in his way. _And he wasn't going to take it anymore!_ Either the director or the studio was punking us all into going to see "revenge of the law abiding white guy." It turned out the movie was about his fractured mental state and breakdown. They didn't show that part in the trailers.

[@dagfinissocool]

@@user-sm3th7ow5w They can't have people thinking it could happen to anyone

[@PerputuallyCensored]

The Game is also a great performance by him.

[@ReaperTheRager]

Falling Down, American Psycho, Office Space, and Fight Club. The four horsemen of disenfranchisement. Edit: I love the engagement yall but you're gonna have to keep the conversation going without me cause I am not reading all that lol

[@brianaguilar8283]

What about Joker?

[@sonicdash9652]

American Pyscho is just meh. The other I agree

[@ReaperTheRager]

@@brianaguilar8283 You could include Joker but I'd argue his character isn't really disenfranchised because he never had a chance of being "normal" to begin with. His psychosis is well known to him and he only lies to other people about his mental stability, not himself.

[@thoughfullylost6241]

Don't forget Idiocracy

[@ReaperTheRager]

@@sonicdash9652 American Psycho and Fight Club use the same story structure of "it was all pointless". The only difference being in the tangible results of the characters' actions.

[@LBRSpeed]

This movie is also one of my all-time favorites. I appreciate it for all the reasons you mentioned, and you obviously put a ton of thought and care into organizing the attributes of the film and describing all the characters' changes as each new situation gives something to next as the intensity rises. Yet you manage to keep it entertaining by delivering your analysis with humor, attitude, and opinion. I just subscribed. Look forward to more.

[@imnitguy]

This video is absolutely fantastic. I love this movie but never had I considered all the nuances of it. Spectacular acting, writing and delivery - both the movie and you synopsis. Keep up the great work!

[@Cowboycomando54]

Every one mentions the quote of, "I'm the bad guy?", but I genuinely feel that the second question said by Foster, "How'd that happen?" is the most impactful and sets up his monolog extremely well.

[@blueskies1237]

I’ve noticed that many famous quotes, upon researching it, have even a better second line like -god is dead - and then the second line - and we killed him.

[@badlaamaurukehu]

Seems like a story about a guy who helped to build a society but that very "society"he helped to build eventually turns against him and for no good reason other than peer based idiocy and marketing analysis.

[@michaeldavid6832]

It was the premise of the entire movie in 2 sentences: How does an average man become a bad guy?

[@acepirosu5871]

And I'm most partial to the third line "I did everything they told me to"

[@Dr.JustIsWrong]

"How'd that happen?" .. Super easy.. ALL plebs get pushed around, you can only push a person just so far before they break and push back _(standing up for yourself)._ Push-back is then viewed as Anger Anger is instantly renamed Aggression Aggression is immediately called Violence "Violence" nomenclature is intended to justify a Disproportionate Response _(physical attack)_ to your original complaint Disproportionate Response escalates your verbal push-back to an instinctual Survival Response to the unexpected "Disproportionate Response" Natural Survival Response is then redefined as Resisting Arrest Voila! You're now a Violent Criminal and being held down until ya suffocate _(or just shot)_ to death; your original complaint is then forever ignored. Out of nearly 3/4s of a million laws and regulations criminally enforceable, *_someone_* is bound to make at least *_one_* posthumous accusation stick well enough for the Media..

[@TheBeerHunter7]

One of my favourite movies from all those years ago, showed my girlfriend a year or 2 ago and she couldn't believe it was 1993 as so relevant - great to see you revisiting classics like this - highly reccomend this to anyone

[@troyalexsmith1]

Wow. Well done. I love that movie, and you did a great job extracting the meaning from it. It sure does feel like we really are all one bad day away from becoming him. Even more proof that he is more of a man reduced to a symbol is that his name is not actually Bill in the credits - it's D-fens, which is his license plate on his car in the beginning of the movie. I caught that when it watched it at the theater in '93, and it thought it was quite powerful and telling. I totally related to him then, and I totally relate to him now. Nice job, as usual!

[@emirlsanchos6302]

Michael Douglas has, on record, declared "Falling Down" one of the most brilliant scripts he ever read and main roles he had the pleasure to take on. Additionally, he added some profound insight into the main character's desire to go home. Paraphrasing, that he desires a place where he feels "at home", a period in time where white-collar, middle-class working men like him were valued, desired, and rewarded for their contributions. Something that, in the character's mind, made sense.

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

So he actually had some input on the script?

[@immikeurnot]

@@Thomasmemoryscentral Probably him reading the script and deciding on the why of what his character is doing. Y'know... motivation.

[@theshadowman1398]

A timeless classic that I watch once every few years. And by getting older I fully understand what he was going through and why he snapped.

[@AKeyearea8]

Pos movie that wants to make white males look bad

[@MadJustin7]

It's one of those movies you understand more as you get older.

[@Lonovavir]

Falling Down hot takes. 20s: This man is crazy!!!! 40s: I understand him.

[@AKeyearea8]

It's an anti white film

[@m0-m0597]

@@AKeyearea8 It's not

[@jeanjessup8375]

I loved this movie. My Dad was Michael Douglas's character - an unemployed engineer with a military haircut. Impressive review! A movie people should watch after the collapse.

[@hampter6207]

I just watched this last night and now I find you've made a video on this just 3 weeks ago? Hell yeah!

[@dominiquecharriere1285]

I’ve been an accountant and finance manager for 30 years now, I’ve seen the movie easy 7 times, I work 10+ hours per day for my bosses to get richer, I feel so close to Bill, but I’m probably more coward or I have 3 kids and need to carry on… The movie is a marvel and relaxes me… Thanks Michael!

[@kevinfinnegan310]

You're not a coward...

[@Buzz-rh4dz]

Listen, I did 4 tours overseas in the Corps, 2 in Iraq. You are not a coward.

[@NotableSavage2]

Bro…you’re a social hero. Personal sacrifice for family is what everything hinges on. We all got here by generations of sacrifice. They all felt the same way. You’re doing them all proud.

[@cmbbfan78]

You always have a choice to do something else. It's your decision not choose to work as slave but something else what you like and what gives value to the world. Also what you do shows always a pattern to your kids. So if you stay in slave work, there is a high chance they will do the same.

[@bruhdon4748]

You’re not a coward, you know it’s not the right way to deal with things, it makes you strong that you do what you need to do for your family, that’s a strong man in my eyes & a family man, don’t ever feel weak for providing for your family, don’t ever think that. Sacrificing your own time & even your happiness for your family’s wellbeing and growth is what makes you a good man & don’t let society make you feel any less of a man or provider, as men we do what we must and do what we can & expect nothing in return and no recognition, sometimes that’s hard to cope with but just know every other man on this planet especially fathers will never see you as a coward but a hero.

[@JG7772]

I once worked with a guy in a warehouse-type setting, and this guy was literally the hardest working guy there. Years and years prior, he had come home to find his wife with another man, and naturally a bit upset. A verbal fight/argument ensued, which ulitmately wasn't that bad, but his nail in the coffin mistake was uttering the words "You're lucky I haven't killed you yet" to the guy, and the wife used this as an actual death threat, and forced him to pay child support for three children over like 13 years. It was also a situation where the female judge decided to "make an example", and even women working at the courthouse had the nerve to call him a dead beat, when he was the hard-working dad doing everything right, and ultimately got screwed by the system.

[@lain2600]

That's why men should refuse relationships in the US. 50% end in divorce and of that 50%, over 30% is because of infidelity on the women's side.

[@BillyBobBoBilly]

It's stories like this that make me sincerely hope there's punishment in the afterlife. Christ. How many of us have been damaged directly and/or indirectly by the family courts?

[@XH1927]

​@@BillyBobBoBilly Most judges are like most cops and teachers: high school bullies who made their dreams come true by getting into positions of authority where their cruelty would be approved of by a brainwashed society.

[@user-ti3fe6gg4s]

It happened to me in 1990 .

[@genuineappeal3458]

everybody knows Family Court has no credibility ...

[@jpalberthoward9]

It's a relief to see that there are still hunans left on planet earth who can see clearly enough and are articulate enough to make such a spot on commentary that really nails all of the important points. This is a very disturbing movie, for all the reasons you have pointed out, and it rattled me prey good the first time I saw it. I was 33 when it came out, and things are no better now they were back then. Most people nowadays are so ignorant, inarticulate, and emotional that they can't even understand what you have said here, much less think of any of it on their own. This whole thing was very well said. Hats off to you, sir. CHEERS!!

[@user-ne5rz8kx4j]

I really enjoyed your commentary on what is also one of my favorite movies as well. The icing on the cake though? Ending your essay with "go away now"! Chef's kids!

[@newjerseydamo]

That "go away now" has to be the saddest line uttered in a while, and I think summarises the Drinker's complete anger toward society right now, in addition to his poignent and great summary of a fantastic movie that still holds up today, especially more than ever. Thank you Drinker, you great man.

[@RunToEternity]

I never heard a "go away now", said like that before by the Drinker.

[@JohnGoeagle-ob6iy]

How do we have fix the America Society if we have good leader or agency against them?

[@logandarklighter]

I was thinking the exact same thing. Usually he utters that line as an ironic send-off. Keeping "in character" as a curmudgeon. But this time I heard nothing but weary sincerity and a "too damn tired of it all to sustain the fury" kind of anger. And that, more than anything else, is very telling. I think we all know EXACTLY what that feels like now.

[@NativeNewMexican]

I heard it as a defeated sadness... but that's me

[@marcoddy6812]

I felt it too. The drinker is a great and insightful man indeed.

[@mikechonburi7976]

I was an extra in this movie in the pier scene where Michael Douglas is being chased by the police. It was a big Warner Bros production with multiple cameras including a helicopter flying overhead so everytime they had to do a take it would take more than an hour to reset everything. I was standing near Michael when he was talking to his wife in the movie in between takes. He was so calm, talking about going to the gym to lift weights, his new diet, this is right before he's doing a scene where he gets shot and killed by a cop, great actor under pressure. The movie did reflect my impression of living in Los Angeles too where alot of people seem to be out for themselves and only talk to you if it benefits them or to insult and make fun of people.

[@candideggplant1575]

It is still like that in LA. LA has changed in some ways, but it is still the pit of artificiality that hollywood (hollyweird) is built upon

[@aliciabell6688]

Did you leave?

[@mikechonburi7976]

@aliciabell6688 I've been living in Thailand since 2013 where most people are very approachable, friendly and often complimentary even with their limited English speaking ability.

[@KenyoMurabu]

Today, America Is A Complete Sht Hole... You Were Right To Have Left, I Would Of Loved To Have Left In 2016, Heck Even Jan 1st 2020... But The System Just Hates You Enough That You Can't Get Out If Your Not Born With Money... I Had Just Started Turning My Life Around In Late 2019, & In Jan 1st 2020 Was When All This BS Started Happening, :( The Thing Is This: America Isn't The Problem, It's Not, The Problem Is Politics... And No Politician Is Willing To Admit This, Not Even Today As America Is Ripped Apart Into Pieces, Politicians Are Still Refusing To Admit That Politicians Are The Problem, ~_~ They Bicker Over How We Will Live Through Our Future, & We Are Sitting Here, Like Thinking That We Have The Most Rediculously Stupid Dum Shts Running For Office, ~_~ 1.) We Need Someone To Run America, We Need Someone, Because America Can't Run It's Self, People Are Too Stupid... ~_~ 2.) We Need Law & Order Handling America, Police, Because People Are Again Too Stupid, & Consealed Carry Is Driving People Into FEAR, Causing People To Want Guns For Bad Reasons, Not Because They Enjoy Them, & I Don't Like That, ~_~ 3.) 70% Of America Want Someone Younger, With Newer Fresher Ideas, & A Younger Mindset To Run For Office, Yet Neither One Of These Crazy Politicians Are Willing To Give Up Their Political Stance In American Politics Today, & Their Conflict Is Killing America, Not Them, It's Just The Conflict Between Them That Is Killing America... 70% Of People Don't Wanna Vote At All, & Because Of How Crazy Things Are Getting, Someone Is Gonna End Up Being Voted For, & It's Gonna Be The Guy Who Wants To Send America Right Back Into Where This Movie Took Place, Falling Down, Basically "Trump"... But If We Vote For The Other Guy "Biden", He's Letting Satanizm, Cults, & Death, & Bloodshed Ramp Down Our Streets, & Destroy Everything, Which Is Far Worst Then What We Would End Up With If We Voted For "Trump", ~_~ Somehow The Freedom People Of America, Decided They Didn't Like Human Life Anymore, & We All Started Turning Our Attention To The People Of Republicans, Like "Trump"... Con Man, Lies, Whatever You Call It Today "Trump"?? There Is No Way, I'm Funding Someone "Biden Nomic Supporters" To Spill Blood In The Streets Of America, & Think That Is How We Build Better Countries, Especially For Stupid Reasons, ~_~ Soooo, At The End Of The Day?? Even Though 70% Of America Doesn't Wanna Vote, Someone Is Gonna Vote, & People Are Suspecting Trump Will Win The Election, Simply Because Joe Biden Is Turning America Into A Sespool Of Disgust, & Death, & Joe Biden Is Even Attacking His Own Supporters Now... Mind You, The Very Guy "Joe Biden" Was The Only One Who Ever Mentioned, & Admitted That America Had Issues Like Racism, & ECO System, & Society Issues When He First Came Into Office... It's Just Too Bad His Solution Was Just To Have The World Exterminated, & He Would Laugh As Peopled Died, & That Joe Biden Wasn't The Answer We Needed To Solve, Fix, & Deal With These Issues, ~_~ You Living Around People Who Care, Treat You Better?? America Was Great Until 2020 Kinda, That Is When America Fell Apart Really... Good Thing You Don't Live In America Anymore, ~_~

[@shapesinaframe]

@@mikechonburi7976 hi from Chiang Rai 👋

[@aaronscholes1541]

Wow! Best video commentary ever! Deeply moving. Incredibly well written. Brutally honest. Poignant.

[@thewooginator83]

I always loved this movie. With a bit of self reflection, I think I’ve gone from loving this movie when I first saw it in college 20 years ago, to it being in my all time favorites now for all the reasons you describe. When I first saw it, I just loved the idea of a guy breaking down and suddenly not taking any shit from anyone. Nowadays as a middle aged professional on the hamster wheel, it hits hard. I wish more films these days were as nuanced as Falling Down and your analysis is fantastic and thought provoking. Keep up the great work amigo.

[@XDWX]

The part where he is on the phone and says hes "past the point of no return" and that means "it takes longer to go back than to go forward" was delivered exactly halfway through the run time. Masterpiece of a movie.

[@MykeLewisMusic]

I never stopped to notice that detail before. Thanks for pointing it out!

[@benstagdospain]

Totally agree the script was amazing. New films lack strong scrips

[@hilarywade687]

That happens in Macbeth, too

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

I'll keep that in mind once i gave my 2nd watch, thank you!

[@hohenzollern6025]

It's not just the half way point of the movie, it's also after his first murder. He is no longer just a man defending himself, now he can never go back.

[@PaulStewart-jr3gm]

I remember watching this gem in the theater with my wife. There were scenes where a lot of audience cheered, including myself… I loved it… and she hated every bit of it, and I don’t think she ever viewed me in the same way afterwards. No wonder we eventually divorced.

[@ItsaKindOfMagic86]

I hope you found someone better. She sounded like a bitter lemon dead weight.

[@jiggidyjam]

You’re better off without her

[@BWater-yq3jx]

That's because men submit themselves to this drudgery for their wives & kids, and women get uncomfortable when that reality is laid bare.

[@davidnguyen270]

Some people could never truly understand this movie.

[@categoricamente1753]

Its impossible for women to conect with this movie, because women are loved for being women. Men are the only thing in society loved by condition.

[@iwillnotgoquietly]

This movie is a work of genius and I've watched it multiple times over the decades. Your analysis was insightful. I thought pointing out the narrative is driven by 'because of' rather than 'and then' might be why this movie feels so perfectly put together. You also made me think this is the same narrative arc as 'Breaking Bad' condensed down to a 90-minute movie. Thanks for making me think.

[@ncadventure2451]

Outstanding review. I saw this film in the theatre when it came out and came away disappointed and unimpressed, despite an amazing performance by Michael Douglas. All these years later of work and toil has made this movie much more effective in what the underlying message was. Bad marketing at a time when the last gasp of the 80s action films were going away. Thank you for taking the time and energy to make this video. More relevant today than it was in 93.

[@jmuz9528]

Fun Fact: Michael Douglas has stated his role in Falling Down was his favourite role of his career, and you can see why. He really made this role his own, understanding the feelings of his character and being willing to push boundaries in order to do his character justice. If actors now put that much effort into their roles like he did, the crap Hollywood makes now would at least be halfway decent. Awesome video, you should definitely make more analytical reviews like this because you’re bloody great at it.

[@aldunlop4622]

Strangely, I just watched a really good deep dive into Basic Instinct. Seems like I'm in a Michael Douglas Vortex today.

[@whitemountainapache3297]

His dad's favourite role was in Lonely Are The Brave.

[@tspidey007]

Completely agree!

[@brando7266]

I would have thought it was basic instinct, who wouldn't want to be naked with a young Sharon stone, ? Lol

[@generaleerelativity9524]

But then again they would have to make something original for that to happen. It's like we're stuck in a time loop where they keep making the same thing over and over again because they can't get it right, or just simply lack creativity and are in their positions because of nepotism.

[@octavianlacatusu9637]

That scene when the cops come to arrest the guy demonstrating in front of the bank still hits hard to this day, especially when he makes eye contact with Bill and says "don't forget me." I can't tell you how many times I've had moments like this with complete strangers, where no words were needed... just a glimpse, a nod... that their suffering was acknowledged by SOMEONE. Thank you Drinker for bringing this timeless classic back to the forefront.

[@MrBrndin]

he "was not economically viable!"

[@thelostcosmonaut5555]

My moment was a few months ago walking out of a Costco. At the front was a guy my age (younger millenial) trying to sell something related to houses. He looks at my girl and I and says "You two look like a pair of young new homeowners!" I laughed and simply replied by saying "NOPE" and shaking my head. He laughed too and said "Same here, brother." What else are we to do but laugh?

[@richwightman3044]

I never could understand why he was arrested.

[@intboom]

Like the bit where Alex Jones gets black bagged in scanner darkly

[@intboom]

​​@@richwightman3044because he was protesting... Sorry, I meant being a "public nuisance" and "disturbing the peace"

[@kilianhekhuis]

One of the best movies I've ever seen. So relatable. Don't understand anyone could've taken him for the bad guy. Brilliant performance by Michael Douglas, right up there with Gordon Gekko.

[@robo3915]

Wow that was a fantastic video! You absolutely nailed it. I remember when that movie came out and like you said the reviewers took a dim view of the protagonist in the process the entire point of the movie. This was really good. You gotta do more of these!

[@SerMattzio]

I absolutely love the "Not Economically Viable" scene. It really resonates with me more now as an adult. It's completely melancholy, and the way the cops arrest and cart away this guy who merely dares to peacefully protest outside a bank, the symbol of state financial power, is chilling.

[@Billy-bc8pk]

Yeah it was also a polar mirror opposite of D-Fens, it was brilliant how he was dressed the same too, and told D-Fens to remember him. It was a surrealistic moment, but basically that was the branching bifurcation moment for Bill, where he would either be carted away for standing his ground, or fall down standing his ground. He chose to fall on his own terms.

[@marcomaceri4161]

“Don’t forget me now.” And D-fens won’t.

[@r6854]

It always reminds me of that twilight zone episode with Burges Meredith, "I am not obsolete, I am a man!'

[@trainstrains1]

The other side of this scene is that they are dressed similarly, the white guy outside of the bank walking away and ignoring the black man with the sign is also dressed similarly. It's a scene that shows skin colour doesn't matter and that we are all just automatons set on a path of life by other peoples expectations. The major difference between the three men is that the black guy has found out the lie and is raging against it in a futile attempt to wake people up, Michael Douglas is just beginning to wake up to the reality and the anonymous guy outside the bank...he's still suffering through the delusion and believing the divisions and lies fed to us by the mainstream media. This is why the police arrest the protestor, the powers that be can't have him triggering critical thought among the general populace or the whole system will start falling down.

[@SerMattzio]

@@Billy-bc8pk I also love that the two men are essentially identical despite notably being a black man and a white man. The way in which they have been crushed transcends any race or identity politics, it's a symptom of the state system they bought into.

[@dekaywill4572]

93' and there I was 36 and an accounting manager at Enron when I first watched it. Man did it hit hard back then. I was one really bad day away...

[@alexanderpetrenko539]

And how might I ask does it feel looking back now? I'm 36 today, feel the world is going to sh*t. Trying my best though.

[@stephennenadov6709]

​@@alexanderpetrenko539Never give up trying to be a good person.

[@user-hl1ex6py8l]

@@alexanderpetrenko539 I am sixty now and its felt like the world has been going to shhh..you know what many times in my lifetime but it always gets better.

[@michaelsotomayor5001]

@@stephennenadov6709 How is it a good person that works as a slave in this society? Were slaves good people for following their masters authority? Stop telling people to be good and start asking capitalism to be good to people.

[@idmhead0160]

@@alexanderpetrenko539 I'm 53 and have known no politician that has run this country who wasn't a scumbag other than Jimmy Carter, who said his best accomplishment was that he started no wars.

[@Torq_Magebane]

F*** man, i didn’t expect to get emotional from a movie review. The tone change of your sign-off was the brutal icing on the cake.

[@user-hl6qv2tu5f]

With so many scathing reviews coming from the critical drinker I was beginning to wonder if he was judging movies unfairly just to create controversy as clickbait. I even thought about unsubscribing. Then I saw this review of Falling Down which has also been one of my favorites for a long time. Now I have to say, I think this is the best movie critique of any kind that I've ever seen. I've always felt that people didn't understand when they write Bill off as the bad guy who got gradually exposed, and to see that point so thoughfully challenged was inspiring. I had to watch the movie again. Twice in fact. He did leave out the low point for Bill's character which was when he told his ex-wife "Did you know, Beth, that in some South American countries it's still legal to kill your wife if she insults you?" That seems like a direct threat, but in the grand scope of things looks more like just lashing out at someone who hurt him with no real intent behind the threat. Once he catches up to them on the pier he obviously has no interest in hurting her. He just wants to see his little girl, and he is redeemed when he pulls the squirt gun on Prendergast. He was never going to hurt an innocent person. At any rate, I am am fully back on board with the channel and ready to put my trust in the Critical Drinker again.

[@user-qi6gl8nt3h]

For me the best scene is the guy being arrested for protesting on the street with the "Not economically viable" sign and when the cop car gets to Foster, the guy says "Don't forget me" and he just nods to him. For some reason it stuck with me.

[@wp2746]

Indeed

[@Lonovavir]

"Don't forget me" guy is a lot of us. I had to work with senior citizens relying on Social Security and Medicare and they're him. Can't work anymore? We'll give you a fraction of the money you need and wish you good luck old chap.

[@captainblood9616]

Yea that it is real moment in the film, true!

[@PeterParker-ff7ub]

you dont want to be forgotten

[@TheSeppentoni]

That line hit me so hard. I, for one, certainly did not forget him.

[@oldcollegetry0101]

Mr Drinker, black man from Los Angeles, USA here . I must say I’m very proud of you and I know that sounds strange. You’re one of the few creators on KZbin with a righteous moral compass. Your content is always thought provoking, funny and it’s great that you don’t pull punches on all the hypocrisy. This video is a perfect example of that. You deserve all your success and I wish you lots more. Please keep the torch lit, keep fighting the good fight and thank you for all you do. The tide will turn someday thanks to men like you. Hope to meet you one day, if I do, the entire night’s drinking is on me

[@yaniswashington8828]

I’m “black” lol stop it you white 😂

[@Film_Sushi]

This could prove to be quite an expensive night of drinking. :) Nice comment, well written. 👍

[@curtismcdonald6838]

I agree with all you said except “the tide will turn one day.” The pattern has remained for as long as history has been recorded that the next generation of kids will be worse in every way than the last. And its exactly how it always plays out because parents suck. They never seem to want a child to grow up to be their own person. Maybe you’re right and if you are, big ups on your optimism, but I’ve seen plenty to tattoo the idea in my mind that people don’t deserve what we’ve been given, but since we will eventually kill our own kind and self destruct our own species right out of existence, whatever we have been given and taken advantage of will end up benefitting whomever comes next.

[@yehyeh7856]

Cringe comment

[@gzz8551]

Are you ECONOMICALLY VIABLE!?

[@MichaelGarcia-cg9on]

Thanks for this video. I've seen the movie many times to try to break it down and analyze it. I could never figure out the dynamic of Pendergast and his wife and how it fit into the movie, until watching this video. So, this is a real treat.

[@murraykelm5691]

Agree with most everything he says, except the isolation part, so many people choose technology over people and the complain about being lonely.

[@justandardprocedure]

It's a sad state of affairs when the guy across the pond understands our situation better than most of our citizens. Well done Drinker.

[@dustman96]

A little easier to see when you aren't mired in it. I'll bet a lot of people around the world think we are morons.

[@DanielMcGillis-xs6rt]

Sadlly the world we live in today is the same, only magnafied times ten.

[@justandardprocedure]

​@@dustman96 Sure, while succinctly American, the overarching idea rings true for most Western countries. United States' issues are not exclusive to the United States.

[@rollout1984]

I fear Europe is in a far worse condition demographically especially.

[@mikeyerian2562]

The UK is in the exact same situation. In fact, the west is dying and has been for a very long time.

[@everythingisawesome76]

Released in 93. Pre internet, flip phones, social media, and mistrust in our media. Things have only gotten worse.

[@qcriverrat]

It really is incredible to consider how bad things were even before social media and smart phones.

[@z3r0_35]

People not trusting the media is an improvement. They've been lying to us for a very long time. Anyone with even a basic understanding of American history is aware that yellow journalism is largely responsible for at least one war, specifically the Spanish-American War.

[@Reddotzebra]

I mean, every time the whole "Government gots to have more power because misinformation on social media is so dangerous" line gets brought up, my first thought is literally "A hundred years ago nobody would take the word of a stranger over what's written in a newspaper, so doesn't that mean it's legacy media who screwed the pooch?" I mean, they had everyone's trust, journalist was a respected job, and they blew it. They blew it SO hard.

[@cmc5394oparva]

@@qcriverrat Yeah, it's all been lost in a haze of pop nostalgia, but people either don't know, or have forgotten what a real dark edge a lot of American culture in the 1990s had. A post-Cold War world after decades of being gaslit by various institutions and factions that some maniac with his finger on the trigger would wipe out the entire human race in a nuclear holocaust, followed by an existential and identity crisis bathed in cynicism, passive-aggressive sarcasm, and ironic self-detachment that didn't really start to resolve itself until the decade was nearly over.

[@f1y7rap]

The decade started in a recession. Pensions were entirely deleted by then (started in the 80s). Tech savvy were finding BBS and Usenet that were showing them the "conspiracy nuts" weren't that far off. We just had a war and were now occupying land. Oh, and terrorism had touched us. Most of what you think wasn't there, was just starting to bubble just beneath the surface. Jungle love and "politically correct" was all en-vogue.

[@paulcarstairs6978]

Every Man falls down over and over, but have not luckily had nothing left to get back up for. Great review you nailed it .

[@KathySmith-vb2xk]

I watched this movie years ago and I really missed this incredible metaphor that this critic brilliantly brings to light. As I got about halfway thru it I began to understand that it IS more relevant TODAY than 30 yrs ago. This is the most insightful and thought provoking review of anything I have ever seen or heard in my life. FANTASTIC REVIEW !!

[@jameschesterton]

The three pens in his pocket are red white and blue. A lot of thought went into this film. "Do you know how much money my country's given to you" "How much" "You know I don't know...but it's gotta be a lot" My favourite part.

[@michaeldavid6832]

Line would've been better: "They don't want us to know... but it's a lot."

[@jagdeepsingh3887]

And they are over his heart…….

[@rrice1705]

That's a good observation about the pens, thanks for pointing it out. Makes me wonder what other details I've missed out on. What about the hole in his shoe? What do you think that represents? EDIT: I'm going to take a stab at answering my own question and say it means the bottom has fallen out.

[@f1y7rap]

@@rrice1705 shoe= not quite. Its the sole of his shoe. His soul. has a hole. missing his family, his daughter, his "normal" life... This is something that is hard for normies to get, but once you've been through an ugly divorce, been deployed overseas and seen how much opulence we have here in USA... and he was losing all of it. This is my interpretation of it. It is just one more step in his downfall.

[@chrisbtoo]

It occurred to me that he has 3 pens and "not economically viable" guy only had one. Seemed to me like it was a suggestion of military rank, like he'd put up with this shit for years, and the other guy was just getting started. Or maybe they only had 4 pens ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@Bayan1905]

I can tell you as someone who spent a career in law enforcement, once you see the system from the inside, you realize how broken it really is. One is the child support system. The judge can put you in jail for a set amount of time, no good behavior, nothing. You're only way out early is to pay off the entire amount. I saw a guy once who got put in jail for 90 days despite the fact he was paying child support, the very amount he owed every week, but the judge said he should pay it faster, so he put him in jail, which cost him his job and then couldn't pay it at all. Putting someone in jail for not paying child support on average where I am costs taxpayers about $90 a day for the room and food overall. So some guy who gets sentenced to 90 days in jail for child support costs taxpayers $8000. Not to mention, if you're in jail, you can't work. It's a rigged game. Now, there are some who won't pay their child support, but there are others with alimony and child support and the cost of living, well, how can they live themselves? And that's just one thing I've seen.

[@josephracicot4443]

Not economicly viable...

[@benjamindover4337]

The truth is that there are two prisons. And we're all in one of them.

[@nickclague3942]

Is this for real? How is that ever allowed to happen. This world is fucked

[@jasonrussell5265]

Imagine being a trucker, paying your child support, get injured so miss some work, get your license yanked so you can’t work. Met a couple homeless guys because of that.

[@Xplora213]

This is the precise reason that feminist marriage laws cannot work alongside conservative marriage laws. You can’t weaponise the state against people who have no recourse or support, because the woman in question chose poorly.

[@mr.bishopesquire7449]

Damn....I'd actually advise everyone in the comments to share this video on all their socials. Most relevant video on YT this year hands down. Excellent vid Drinker. I'll watch your career with great interest.

[@thegoodsun4450]

Such an under rated classic. Douglas said it was his favourite role hes ever portrayed. Definitely one of my fav Douglas films along with Fatal Attraction. Your analysis seems spot on brother; well done, very much enjoyed your video. Recently found my original copy recorded from tv in an old bin of vhs at mum's place; super cool find

[@dorkf1sh]

To me the briefcase always symbolized the middleclass upwardly mobile life we aspired to, grinded for, fought for only to find out at the end that it was just an empty lie that baited us into throwing away the things that really matter- family, friends, truly living in the moment and making the most if each moment. So many layers to this movie.

[@SeraphsWitness]

Nobody made you abandon your family and friends. Take some damned responsibility for yourself.

[@MassageandReiki-ee5xg]

Yup. It’s all he has, even if empty. Also, it’s a brief “case”, his life :/

[@DarthCovider]

@@SeraphsWitness Kind of hard when most people are tricked into a life that was designed to trap them. Stop acting like you’re the ‘big man’.

[@SeraphsWitness]

@@DarthCovider You weren't tricked. And nothing is designed to trap you. You're just being a whiny child. I'm not the "big man", though compared to the petulant children in the comments I can see how you'd think that. You're the most privileged generation in the history of the world, aside from perhaps Boomers who got an exceptionally good setup. So show some damned gratitude. You're commenting on KZbin for God's sake. You know where your next meal is coming from and you own a smartphone. Grow up.

[@etrosknight2254]

Our society continues to try to convince people they need to dedicate their lives to their careers. Companies want people who continuously want to "grow", take more responsibility, advance higher and higher. Be willing to relocate for new roles, put in nights and weekends to meet increasingly unreasonable demands. We're being brainwashed into believing that if we achieve enough "success", we will finally find what we're missing that will give us the happiness we desperately seek. I've personally spent enough time trying to find that job that will give my life meaning, any relationship with a company is ultimately one-sided