Falling Down (1993)

Falling Down never decides whether it’s warning you about William Foster or cheering him on, and that wobble is the whole movie. Michael Douglas, in a buzz cut, glasses and a short-sleeved shirt with a tie, abandons his car in traffic and walks across Los Angeles, and every stop is a fresh grievance. Some of those stops lean on lazy stereotypes about the people he meets, and they play even uglier now. When it’s satire, it’s sharp. His argument at a burger counter over a breakfast cutoff that passed minutes ago is the most relatable meltdown in the film. Robert Duvall is the heart as Prendergast, a gentle desk cop on his last day whose anxious wife keeps calling. It made $40.9 million at the domestic box office on a reported $25M. A 6.4 because Douglas is magnetic and the film flirts with its antihero far too long. $79.71 says the next time a drive-through says breakfast is over, you hear Michael Douglas in your head and order a burger like a calm adult.

What works: Michael Douglas makes Foster frightening and pathetic at once, and Robert Duvall’s quiet, decent cop gives the movie a steady center.

What doesn’t: The film leans on ugly stereotypes for the people Foster meets, and it lingers in his grievances for too long before admitting what he is.

Who it’s for: Viewers who like tense, uncomfortable thrillers about a man convinced the whole city owes him an apology.