As an artform, cinema can be interpreted in a thousand different ways from film to film, but there are plenty of examples showcasing how huge sections of the audience can completely miss the point by sympathizing or glorifying the wrong characters or storylines. Almost 30 years later, and the classic thriller Falling Down has landed in the same boat.
Joel Schumacher’s incendiary tale of one man unraveling on the baking hot streets of Los Angeles was a sizeable critical and commercial hit when it first landed in theaters back in early 1993, earning close to $100 million at the box office, with Michael Douglas winning huge praise for his incredible turn as William Foster.
Unfortunately, a post designed to celebrate director Joel Schumacher’s tale of societal, cultural, personal, professional, and familial fracturing has ended up being roasted in the comments section by fellow Redditors for completely failing to understand that the central character is the bad guy all along.
Users piled in to point out that Foster isn’t “an average guy breaking out in frustration” that we’re supposed to empathize with, but an increasingly unhinged sociopath who finds himself placed under a restraining order by his estranged wife before the story even starts, and that’s without even mentioning the unsavory acts he indulges in throughout the 113-minute running time. Which includes wielding a rocket launcher in public, as you can see above.
It’s often easy to root for a magnetic star giving one of their career-best turns in a widely acclaimed feature, but if you know anybody that even remotely resembles Douglas’ Foster, then we’d advise you stay as far away from them as possible.
Published: Sep 8, 2022 10:38 am