Falling Down (1993) on Netflix
On his daughter's birthday, William Foster leaves his car in a Los Angeles traffic jam and walks toward his estranged family. Sergeant Martin Prendergast works his last day before retirement.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.5/10229,305 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes75%
Trailer
Plot summary
William Foster sits in a Los Angeles traffic jam on a hot day, his air conditioning failing, and leaves the car with his briefcase to walk. It is his daughter's birthday, and he means to reach the home of his estranged ex-wife, Beth. At a convenience store the owner refuses to break a bill for a phone call and orders him out with a baseball bat; Foster takes the bat and wrecks the displays. Two gang members later threaten him with a knife and demand the briefcase. Sergeant Martin Prendergast, on his final day of duty before retirement, follows a string of reports that the other detectives dismiss.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Falling Down (1993)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Falling Down was being filmed in various locations in Lynwood, California when the 1992 Los Angeles riots began; by April 30 the riots were disruptive enough to force filming to stop early that day, and the crew produced more footage inside Warner Bros. Studios Burbank as the riots continued.
- The Korean American Coalition and Korean Grocers Association protested the film for its treatment of minorities, especially the Korean grocer, and Warner Bros. Korea canceled the release of Falling Down in South Korea following boycott threats.
- Michael Douglas's father, the actor Kirk Douglas, called the performance his son's best piece of work to date and defended the film against critics who claimed it glorifies lawbreaking, insisting the character is not a hero but "the villain and the victim".
- Frank Grimes, the one-off character in The Simpsons episode "Homer's Enemy", is modeled after Foster, with the same flat-top haircut, white shirt-and-tie, and briefcase.
- The Iron Maiden song "Man on the Edge" is a basic summary of Falling Down, beginning with the opening traffic jam and ending with the birthday present Foster buys for his daughter.
