Falling Down - Movie Review Example

Falling Down Introduction After taking some time and watching Falling down a couple of times, one’s mind seems to keep pulling new information. I first saw this movie as a crazy man roaming around Los Angles, but after the third viewing I could see who this man really was and what he cared about most. At times he still came off crazy, but in his point of view he was the normal one. Joel Schumacher did an excellent job of showing the image and unconscious underbelly of society throughout this film. This essay examines the film through a deep analysis of its narrative and associated elements. The essay also offers a personal perspective on the film, and considers it as compared to Paul Haggis’ Crash and Mathieu Kassovitz La Haine. Analysis At the beginning of the film it draws us into the world of the main character through specific examples in the traffic jam. We see the main character run his hand over the air conditioner and the viewer feels a bodily response to the heat that the driver is experiencing from being in the sun in the traffic jam. The film is then edited so that the viewer sees De-fens trying to roll down his window and it failing. The film then is edited so that you see the steam in the background. The final effect of this montage is to give the viewer the emotional response of feeling trapped just like the main character. The viewer becomes to see the film through the perspective of the main character. The cinematography of the very first shot of the film is even focused on De-fens. As De-fens becomes more and more agitated the editing of the film speeds up and makes the film seem like it is a symphony building towards a climax. There is finally a montage which contains quickly edited together shots of children, lips, and then a close-up of a Garfield toy. While if this sequence occurred at the beginning of the film the viewer would be confused, the film has been intellectually preparing the viewer for this scene. When De-fens finally gets out of the car the viewer complete understands his psychological pain and annoyance. The article “Race, Gender, and Critique: African- American women, white women, and domestic violence in the 1980’s and 1990’s” brought up points that were also demonstrated in the movie.1 Race throughout the movie was seen within the first five minutes. Walking into the conveniences store that a Korean man owned started trouble for De-fens. He was mad and angry with the world. He could not figure out why this Korean man was charging so much money for a coke and donuts. De-fens brought up the point, “My country has given your country so much money” (Schumacher, 1993). Race is a problem still to this day; our society has yet to fully accept all races for being equal. The way people talk can affect the way you look at them also. When the Korean store owner Nick could not pronounce the numbers correctly, he was punished by De-fens. The Korean convenience store scene is also notable as it demonstrates a cultural clash between what a large majority of people believe are the ‘true’ Americans and what they perceive as mere immigrants. Throughout the film the mise-en-scene includes shots of American flags. In the Korean convenience store there is a split between cultures as the mainstream American culture, exemplified in the Coca-Cola can, and the mini-American flags for sale comes into conflict with the Korean immigrant. When De-fens refuses to pay for the drink and attacks the owner it is not only demonstrating his frustration but the frustration of the traditional ‘American’ exemplified by Coke and the American flag taking its angst out against the minority culture of that is exemplified by the Korean store owner. Notably, this scene was denounced by the Korean Coalition of America as they believed it represented the celebration of abuse toward this minority culture.2 The film keeps and directs the viewer’s attention through a number of techniques. Throughout the film there is a consistent narrative that follows De-fens from situation to situation. The extremeness and action packed nature of these scenes draws the viewer’s interest. The nature of the film as dealing with ethnic conflicts and issues that are not typically addressed in society is also a very riveting part of the story that keeps and directs the viewer’s attention. The film cuts between De-fens on his rampage and then directs the viewer’s attention to police chief. The viewer begins to understand and expect that they will later come into direct contact with each other. Another example of the cultural clash that is occurring in society occurs when De-fens enters in the gang territory. The scene opens with him sitting on a stone slab by himself. In the background the viewer notices the Los Angeles skyline. The mise-en-scene of the skyline in the background makes the Michael Douglas character seem incredibly small and isolated. As the gang members approach the cinematography creates the an emotional and psychological effect in the viewer by spinning the camera in circles and then finally cutting to a medium close up of the gang members from the perspective of the Michael Douglas character. The sound is slightly off kilter and makes the scene seem surreal. De-fens criticizes the gang members from the perspective of white society. When they attempt to take his brief case he attacks them with his baseball bat and they scatter. Similar to the scene in the Korean grocery store this scene shows the tension that has developed between these two different ethnic groups and their physical fight occurs out of growing tension and frustration with each other. One of the most emotionally gripping scenes in the film occurs when De-fens phones his ex-wife. The film explores his past-family life and the viewer learns that he is now separated from his wife and that it is his daughter’s birthday. More and more the viewer has come to realize that De-fens life has fallen apart. As Beth refuses to let De-fens visit his daughter the film cross cuts to the gang members in a car discussing the earlier incident and then back to De-fens on the phone arguing with his wife about visiting his daughter. Similar to the opening scene when De-fens originally gets out of his car the editing in this scene buildings like a symphony to develop an emotional, intellectual, and psychological response from the viewer. At one instant the viewer’s attention is direct toward the impending action of the gang members as they plan to kill De-fens and at the next they are emotionally drawn into his family world. Finally, as De-fens gets off the phone the gang members start their drive by shooting and the worlds come together in an exciting climax moment. We as a society need to realize people are from everywhere and it does not matter we should all take the time and get to know people that do not look exactly the same as us or talk the same. “ .. Lead lives of pain, frustration, and passion, lives that are directly linked to historically rooted racism, patriarchy, the privileging of white skin, and the new economy, as well as the current dismantling of the urban public sector.”3 This quote is true in my mind and represented the movie while considering Los Angeles as an urban public sector. Nick had to go through pain and frustration because he was Korean, De-fends had the privilege of his white skin and white t-shirt, and the Mexican gangs had passion to get revenge on someone that hurt and scared them away the first time. The gang members aren’t able to kill De-fens and in a seemingly symbolic case of divine retribution their car spins out and they are almost all killed. The mise-en-scene in this scene is highly surreal as De-fens enters the frame and behind him the cinematography shows a picture of Jesus Christ painted on the wall. It’s an odd juxtaposition of murder and religion and mercy that when coupled with the off kilter sound gives the scene its surreal feel. As De-fens takes the gun from the ground and points it at the gang member who tried to kill him the viewer is led to root him on to take vengeance for the attempted murder. This is an example of where the film’s diegetic elements allow the viewer to make a connection to the world we live in since many people, especially in early 1990s Los Angeles where the Rodney King riots broke out during the filming of Falling Down, hold deep-rooted and unconscious anger like that felt by De-fens. The scene acts as a sort of therapeutic way for the viewer to play out some of their unresolved annoyances and tension and through fantasizing about taking revenge and being in power. “Can we all get along.”4 Rodney King spoke these words as the Los Angeles riots ravaged the city. “With the not-guilty verdicts and the initial acquittal of the four white police officers accused of beating… ensuring eruption that ravages Los Angeles.”5 It’s clear that the film is the cultural embodiment of many of the tensions that surfaced in these riots. Later in the film De-fens walks across a large hamburger and stops on the pickle to check his shoe. While the scene has little narrative significance outside of indicating that De-fens is headed to the fast food restaurant the mise-en-scene is very artistic and gives the viewer the impression of De-fens isolation in the large city. As he enters the fast food restaurant and demands to be able to be served breakfast the film changes from examining ethnic tensions to examining general annoyances of the entire population. This is because in this scene the conflict isn’t between the white majority and the Korean or Latino gang culture but between De-fens and the similarly white convenience store employee. Similar to the revenge scene the viewer puts themselves in the place of De-fens and relates to his annoyance at not being able to purchase breakfast when the time is only just over. However, as De-fens pulls the gun out the viewer sees that his stability and relative sanity have further deteriorated. The camera places the viewer in his position and from the shaky cinematography we feel the psychological instability and queasiness that De-fens has fallen into. In a sense this is the film first comedy scene as De-fens makes his way awkwardly makes his way around the restaurant and the viewer is privy to the dark comedic absurdity of the situation – the gun accidently goes off, one woman pukes her lunch when questioned by De-fens, and De-fens even changes his order to lunch after creating the intense commotion in the restaurant after being refused breakfast. Later the viewer discovers that De-fens paid for the food and left. The film includes this point because it further develops the point that De-fens isn’t on a tirade for free food and merchandise but that his outburst is a result of the social ills of his culture. As De-fens enters the army surplus store he begins to search for a new pair of boots. The scene has a number of significances for the film’s narrative. First, it shows that De-fens is preparing to amp up his journey and draws a comparison between the tension and hell his is facing in Los Angeles with the American experience in Vietnam. As the store owner chases the homosexuals out of the store the film posits the store owner as a sort of foil to De-fens. In this regard, it seems that the store owner’s extreme political views such as Nazism, gay bashing, racism, and sexism as presented as a sort of perverted or more extreme version of De-fens rampage. As the owner takes De-fens into the backroom the viewer sees De-fens clear uneasiness at the Nazi literature and the owner’s racism. In this regard, the film is making a statement that while De-fens is angered at society’s ills his anger is not an element of racism or anti-Semitism but directed more at an underlining immorality that should be changed. The scene is very important in this regard because it tries to position the film’s message as not a racist tirade but as a valid and poignant statement on American culture. As De-fens sit in the army surplus store and calls his wife he informs her that he has passed the point of no return. This scene is symbolic of De-Fens character transformation from a man who has merely taken out his frustration on society to a man who has become a full fledged political vigilante for the betterment of society. As De-fens exits the army surplus store in full military regalia his tirade is now extended to society at large. He shoots the rocket launcher into the street because of his disgust with the waste of the road company. As he enters the golf course he attacks the old men because of the wasteful way they have monopolized the natural beauty of the land for a golf course. While at points the film portrays De-fens in a highly sadistic way, it is careful the balance these examples with scenes that demonstrate his humanity and play on the viewer’s emotional sympathy. As the old man on the golf course is dying De-fens takes delight in him not being able to find his medication. When De-fens enters the rich doctor’s backyard he grips the young girls hand so hard that he terrifies her, and throughout the film he continues to stalk and terrorize his family. Intercut with these scenes that portray De-fens as sadistic and insane are scenes that demonstrate to the viewer that De-fens has lost his job and that he has a mother that cares for him. One of the most humanizing scenes is when De-fens is watching home videos where he bought his daughter a puppy. The viewer feels his internal pain and comes to understand part of the reason he has gone on the rampage throughout the film. At the film’s conclusion De-fens reaches his daughter on the pier and as he embraces his wife he has now fallen into a further state of delusion. As Officer Pendergast encounters him the two have a conversation about their annoyances with life. The conversation presents the two men as foils. Pendergast is able to relate to De-fens disgust with the world and having lost his own daughter he can deeply understand the turmoil De-fens has experienced. However, the film presents seems to state that while Pendergast recognizes the social ills of the world he has learned to cope with them, while De-fens has become out of touch with reality and buckled under the weight of existence. Whether this is because of society or because De-fens is a bad person is left unclear, but as De-fens is shot and falls into the toxic water the film concludes with the clear message that even though life is cruel it’s the responsibility of humanity to work within it. Personal Experience on the Film My experience on the film changed as I saw the movie. I realized that there was a lot going on that was not clearly addressed. In the opening scene you can already tell that Americans are not patient people. They like to get to work without traffic, when the cars were all backed up; you could see Bill “De-fens” start to sweat which was shown with tight framing. When De-fens was on the Mexican gang’s territory it was a problem. In the world we live in today you should know where you can be safe and were you cannot be protected. Another topic Joel Schumacher addressed was divorced families and how it can affect the whole family not just one member. The turning point I had through this movie was when De-fens was in Whammy-Burger. When he got his burger he made a connection to the burger on the menu and the burger in front of him. The burger on the menu was juicy and big and looked amazing while the one in the box was flattened out and soggy. This scene showed me how fake the world is. You cannot trust what you see or hear. I now feel like nothing is true and no one should be trusted. Another thing that I gained from watching this film was how powerful a gun can be in any situation. De-fens were never planning on hurting anyone until they started to give him shit or make his life harder. He was about the leave the rock where the gang was but then the gang started to ask for his briefcase and that’s when De-fens noticed these people were scum bags. People did not know when to leave a person alone. In this world there are many people like this. If the man that owned the Army store should have turned in De-fens, but he thought De-fens was like him, anti-government and a gay basher. He could relate to De-fens. Society has a different outlook on homosexuals than it did ten years ago, but it is still not fully accepted to be open about your different sexuality. It bothered me that when Beth would call the only people that are here to protect us they did not do anything. They would talk to Beth like she was stupid and did not believe she was in real trouble. Police officers need to take the time to believe someone that is asking for help. Because they did not believe her or stay with her Sandra was shot. That would have never happened if the Los Angeles officers would do their job. Another consideration that I experienced when watching the film concerned the nature of gender and society. Society likes to look at gender as equal but realistically gender is far from equal. Men are still getting paid more than women and women are looked upon as house wives. Beth, De-fen’s ex-wife, was seen cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her child the whole movie. She was not going to an office and working. Same with Detective Prendergast; his wife was always calling from home after cleaning the house or putting food in the oven. I think that this movie was degrading the female population. This became noticeable to me when Sandra the female cop was shot at the end by De-fens and she had to lay there until help arrived. Detective Prendergast the male in the situation came to the rescue and then became the hero running after De-fens and saving Adele and Beth. Beth and her daughter were saved and protected after they got away from De-fens. De-fens was not supposed to come near the two but still did. I don’t understand why people set distances apart when it is easy to break. De-fens had no trouble reaching out to her. “The problem was that none of the available men met their standards.”6 De-fens did not understand that Beth did not want anything to do with him. She was done and moved on while De-fens were still living in his surreal dream world. Comparison with Crash and La Haine Crash and La Haine are similar to Falling Down. Crash and Falling Down had the same outlook. They both look on the world as if everybody sees and notices but never talks about it. They both use their power to show who is in charge by their weapons or police badges. Officer John Ryan in Crash touched and felt up a woman on her car because he could. He has the power over anyone else during that time and moment. Anthony in Crash had a racism problem against whites. He thought that they were all out to get him because he was African American. He did not fully realize that not everyone is racist. He was a hypercritical person that judged white people before even getting to know them or ask them questions. Anthony also made it clear that time is money. This reminds me of Falling Downs first scene when the people started getting angry and mad about waiting in traffic. Both films had low-key lighting when you could tell someone was wrong. La Haine was produced in 1995, during a riot one of the main characters friends was hospitalized and a policeman lost his gun. Falling Down when Detective Prendergast looked to see his gun was gone because he had to return it, he was upset and lost without it, he did not have the power to do is job. That is that same feeling the officer has. They both lost the power. Vinz finds the policeman gun and claims he will kill a cop if Abdel dies. De-fens and Vinz do not take the time to think stuff out fully. They both jump to the chase. If something is in one of their ways they just have to whip out a gun and everything should be cleared up. Until someone gets hurt for good; which normally ends with someone being killed. Conclusion Ultimately the film represents the unconscious tensions existing in early 1990s Los Angeles and America at large. De-fens journey through the city is symbolic of these tensions and the violent way he takes out his aggressions is a way for viewers to vicariously identify with him and resolve some of their own tensions. In a sense it seems that the film’s conclusion is slightly contrived as it attaches a politically correct message to a film that has to that point sadistically delighted in De-fens vigilantism. Indeed, the film proved to be highly prescient as the motifs of aggression it explored would come to a boil with the Rodney King riots that broke out during the film’s shooting, making the film highly emblematic of the era and a significant document of American filmmaking. References Appelo, Tim. (1993) ‘Up in arms over Falling Down -- Laid-off workers are offended by the Michael Douglas film’ Entertainment Weekly. Ellman,Ira Mark. “Marital Roles and Declining Marriage Rates.” Family law Quarterly, Fall 2007, 455-489. King-kok Cheung. “(Mi)interpretations and (In)justice: The 1992 Los Angeles “riots” and “black-Korean conflict.” MELUS, no. 30 (2005):3-40. Weis,Lois. “Race, Gender, and Critique: African- American women, white women, and domestic violence in the 1980’s and 1990’s.” Signs: Journal of women in culture and society, no. 21 (2001):139-170. Read More