FALLING DOWN (DVD/ST&WS/INTERACTIVE/SCENE ACCESS/TRAILER/ENG&FREN-SUB) DVD

Falling Down
It's just not William Foster's (Michael Douglas) day. Laid off from his defense job, Foster gets stuck in the middle of the mother of all traffic jams. Desirous of attending his daughter's birthday party at the home of his ex-wife (Barbara Hershey), Foster abandons his car and begins walking, encountering one urban humiliation after another (the Korean shopkeeper who obstinately refuses to give change is the worst of the batch). He also slowly unravels mentally, finally snapping at a fast-food restaurant that refuses to serve him breakfast because it's "too late." Running amok with an arsenal of weapons at the ready, Foster -- also known as "D-FENS" because of his vanity license plate -- rapidly becomes a source of terror to some, a folk hero to others. It's up to reluctant cop Prendergast (Robert Duvall), on the eve of his retirement, to bring D-FENS down. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Michael Douglas as D-Fens/William Foster Robert Duvall as Prendergast Barbara Hershey as Beth Rachel Ticotin as Sandra Tuesday Weld as Mrs. Prendergast Frederic Forrest as Surplus Store Owner Lois Smith as D-Fens' Mother

Crew Larry Fulton - Art Director Ebbe Roe Smith - Associate Producer William S. Beasley - Associate Producer Marion Dougherty - Casting Stephen Brown - Co-producer Nana Greenwald - Co-producer Dan Kolsrud - Co-producer Marlene Stewart - Costume Designer Joel Schumacher - Director Paul Hirsch - Editor Arnon Milchan - Executive Producer James Newton Howard - Composer (Music Score) William S. Beasley - Production Designer Barbara Ling - Production Designer Andrzej Bartkowiak - Cinematographer Herschel Weingrod - Producer Mike Jackman - Producer Arnold Kopelson - Producer Timothy Harris - Producer Brad Ricker - Set Designer Jann K. Engel - Set Designer Cricket Rowland - Set Designer Michael Runyard - Stunts Ebbe Roe Smith - Screenwriter

Falling Down
Joel Schumacher's social commentary features an exceptional performance from Michael Douglas as D-Fens, a man who unravels under the weight of the nerve-wracking oppression of the Establishment. Balancing precariously on the edge of convention, D-Fens' sense of the "American way" is increasingly undermined as one frustration after another materializes during his mission through the urban jungle of Los Angeles. In the course of his plunge into a profound, sociopathic disillusionment, D-Fens strips away society's constructs to reveal internally flawed social and economic mechanisms. The host of caricatures he encounters, from a stingy Korean store owner to uncompromising fast-food employees, turf-conscious gangbangers and a neo-Nazi army-surplus store owner (played with gleeful ickiness by Frederic Forrest), are products of a dehumanizing social and economic system, and are used to symbolize capitalism's darker side. Schumacher does well to pinpoint the flaws of the system, but unfortunately he offers nothing in the way of solutions. Meanwhile, both Douglas and the peerless Robert Duvall nail their respective roles and find their grooves within a well-written script. This street-smart film is as entertaining as it is biting, but ultimately suffers from a denouement not nearly as spectacular as its build-up; what could have been a modern masterpiece is downgraded to exceedingly above-average cinema. ~ Mike DiBella, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, French Sound Processing: 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects 2: PCM stereo Additional Features: Interactive menus Theatrical trailer Scene access Languages & subtitles: English & Français MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 113 min   DVD Chapters: Scene Selections 0. Scene Selections 1. Heavy traffic (credits). [6:52] 2. My rights as a consumer. [6:02] 3. The desk jockey's last day. [2:57] 4. Love and London Bridge. [2:03] 5. Territorial dispute. [4:01] 6. Mr. Lee's statement. [2:17] 7. Ganging up on D-Fens. [5:24] 8. Farewell talk with the captain. [3:03] 9. A propensity for violence. [3:14] 10. A choice of bags. [2:51] 11. A white guy in gangland? [2:11] 12. Late for breakfast. [4:43] 13. Could have been anything. [3:02] 14. Not economically viable. [3:08] 15. Out of order. [:30] 16. Duelling phone calls. [2:34] 17. Nick's pitch. [3:21] 18. "All the guns in the...world." [2:23] 19. Nick's back room: "I'm with you." [5:37] 20. Pretending he's a cop. [2:38] 21. The other side of the moon. [2:12] 22. "D-Fens!" [2:03] 23. Something to fix. [3:32] 24. Glass house. [1:45] 25. Passing through. [2:52] 26. The news from work. [2:33] 27. Obsolete; like it was before. [4:06] 28. Two homes in turmoil. [6:28] 29. Officer down. [2:35] 30. The pier: all points converge [4:48] 31. "I'm the bad guy?" [4:27] 32. Still a cop. [2:23] 33. End Credits. [3:36] Side #2- Widescreen 0. Scene Selections 1. Heavy traffic (Credits). [6:52] 2. My rights as a consumer. [6:02] 3. The desk jockey's last day. [2:57] 4. Love and London Bridge. [2:03] 5. Territorial dispute. [4:01] 6. Mr. Lee's statement. [2:17] 7. Ganging up on D-Fens. [5:24] 8. Farewell talk to the Captain. [3:03] 9. A propensity for violence. [3:14] 10. A choice of bags. [2:51] 11. A white guy in gangland? [2:11] 12. Late for breakfast. [4:43] 13. Could have been anything. [3:02] 14. Not economically viable. [3:08] 15. Out of order. [:30] 16. Duelling phone calls. [2:34] 17. Nick's pitch. [3:21] 18. "All the guns in the...world." [2:23] 19. Nick's back room: "I'm with you." [5:37] 20. Pretending he's a cop. [2:38] 21. The other side of the moon. [2:12] 22. "D-Fens!" [2:03] 23. Something to fix. [3:32] 24. Glass house. [1:45] 25. Passing through. [2:52] 26. The news from work. [2:33] 27. Obsolete; like it was before. [4:06] 28. Two homes in turmoil. [6:28] 29. Officer down. [2:35] 30. The pier: all points coverage. [4:48] 31. "I'm the bad guy?" [4:27] 32. Still a cop. [2:23] 33. End Credits. [3:36]