Whenever someone says an old movie "aged badly" because of changing fashions or attitudes, keep in mind that it's also possible that the movie is actually fine and it's society that aged badly.
10 years ago my ex wife lied to a judge. And my daughter was removed from my life. I paid child support and received no visits for years. But the truth was on my side. Today her mother is in trouble with the law and next week my daughter is coming to live with me. Never give up
I went through something similar four years ago, but my daughter took my side, and I came out of 17 years of marriage with a backpack full of clothes, zero dollars, and all the love I will ever need in my life. I wish you and your daughter the best!!!
Guess you just have to endure it. Hope everything resolves to your way in a good way and that your daughter appreciates you and that you both have a great rest of your days.
What amazes me is, I remember watching this movie as a happy go lucky teenager and not being able to relate but enjoying the storyline. Then rewatching as an adult and totally getting it. Plus it's uncanny how relevant the themes are today.
It's crazy but I just wanted to write the exact same comment. I also watched the movie as a kid and literally didn't understand it and even hated it. But when I grew up I specifically re-watched it.
@@NoobMasterGamer2759 yeah, I have beware thinking about it recently. A bunch of movies i enjoyed but was probably a little young to appreciate fully. American Psycho is a great example. Some of the dark comedies or comedy action movies form the 90s as well…I’d appreciate one but not the other, you know?
That scene of Foster in the fast-food restaurant comparing the real life burger to the advertisement was probably the greatest criticism towards mass media commercialism I’ve seen
To be honest, it doesn't matter much to me. A cheeseburger is a cheeseburger. When I would eat a burger from, say, Wendy's, I never thought about how the food should look. My only concerns were practical: whether the beef patty was properly cooked, whether the cheese had melted to the correct consistency, etc. I never had the illusion that I was dining in a Michelin-rated restaurant.
This movie holds up well. Privileged white man blames everyone but himself and the top 1% for the situation he is in and hurts everyone including his family in the process. He doesn't see himself or the 1% of elites that put him in this position as bad. ** Waits for the post to get censored **
This film was designed to prepare the voters to tell their Congressmen to pass the tough-on-crime bills that came out the following year. The emphasis of the film was that this man was abusive, always was, and cannot be reformed.
every guy who worked overtime at the office and never missed a deadline no matter how many working week ends spent without family only to be fired by the company to increase the stock value one quarter can understand this.
Yep, same with Jeff Bridges‘ portrayal of Obadiah Stane in Iron Man… sometimes an actor really impresses on a role so much that one starts asking himself „is it even acting, or is he just having the blast of his life bringing the character to life?“
A friend at work (who I had worked with at 3 different jobs) used to joke that I was "falling down" whenever I got mad on the job. His words were a way to calm me down before my anger could escalate. He was a good friend.
i just turned 70, both my parents died around 72-74 so i wonder at what moment i'll be popping my clogs, it is an interesting feeling. i'm an artist though and i say that i'm still getting used to being 17, i still hear mum calling up to me when i wake up "time to go to school" but these days i can ignore her and stay in bed till 11 every day. but i just took up sculpture, i still go on photographic expeditions to a new place as often as i can, i just started playing fallout 4 (level 122 already) and although my health could be a lot better, at least my son thinks i'll be around for a long time. i have been incredibly lucky in lots of ways my whole life, so maybe i'm the exception, but to me life is what you make of it, the crap stuff just has to be dealt with but the enjoyable stuff needs to be appreciated, i'm an optimist. let's get to mars is what i say, i want to draw martian sand dunes.
To add a little more context to the story, From the 1940s (i.e., WW2) until 1989 (the fall of the Soviet Union) the LA economy was almost equally driven by Hollywood and the Areospace/defense industry. You were just as likely to bump into an aerospace engineer in LA as you were an aspiring actor. Well, once the Soviet Union collapsed, the amount of money the pentagon spent on Aerospace subcontractors fell and the industry in LA began laying off workers and consolidating. So the timing of the film met the reality on the ground. The protagonist was clearly one of those laid off aerospace engineers who was unlikely to find a similar job in the shrinking industry in LA. Combine that with his divorce and he just lost it.
It's an important context and no doubt the movie's theme was significantly influenced by this transition or "down-sizing" to use the euphemism of deception. Excellent to see this context mentioned. Very good film also and very good film essay here too.
The divorce aspect is even more important in modern times, as divorce itself has become a racket, whereby honest family men are utterly destroyed and their children traumatized so judges and lawyers can line their own pockets.
@@theguybehindyou4762the judges and lawyers is filling their pockets is just a side effect of the way the system is set up... You will always lose You leave --> you pay They leave --> you pay
@@theguybehindyou4762 excellent point. That's why you have the MGTOW movement. It happened to my brother. He's not a drunk. He's not violent. He doesn't sleep around. Works hard to provide for his kids who he loves deeply..but the mother of 2 of his 3 daughters decided that she didn't love him anymore and that was that. SHE made HIM sleep on the couch, then moved out into some dump of a flat with damp and mould and he was left heartbroken, depressed and destroyed while she got to keep the house and the kids. It's times like that that made me see the system for exactly what it is. Men stand absolutely no chance!!
Yah. This movie has lived rent free in my head forever. Just the way the Douglas says, "When did I become the bad guy?" nearly breaks me every time. So good.
For me it was the protestor was being arrested. He looks at Bill and says, "Remember me." Bill nods silently and as the man is taken away, it infers that something about Bill is seen by him...because he looks terrified.
Plus if you look deeply into the movie, His wife was making bogus accusations against him. Douglas might have had a temper but he never raised his hands against his wife.
@@malificajones7674 The story of way too many good fathers that were screwed by a system that still thinks mothers are important and fathers a side-note.
I grew up in the '70s and IMO this review is spot-on. The "American Dream" actually existed for more than 60% of Americans back then, and it had been on the rise. My dad raised a family of 4 in the suburbs of the SF By Area with a living standard that increased by the year until the late '70s. By then I was on my own making my own way. I've done okay, but when I look back and ask myself, could my father have raised the same family today that he was able to do then, the answer is an obvious no. In fact I can't think of a family in our neighborhood that could do the same today either. So much has been lost, and I mean really lost. So gone that I believe that current generations, for the most part, have no idea what they have lost. Of what has been taken from them. Virtually every younger family I meet today that owns a home in my area required a massive gifting of cash from their parents to make it possible. Home ownership, marriage, and household formation rates in the U.S. collapsed more than 15 years ago and it is unlikely that they will recover any time soon. American lifespans (that gold standard of the health of any population) have been in steady decline for more that a decade running and the trend is still negative. This is what you get in a "winner take all" society. The Hunger Games, and that is an understatement.
Hi there, I’m a Bay Area native too 🙋🏽♀️ I grew up in San Mateo County in the 80s and 90s and it was quite idyllic, but by the time I shipped off to college, things were already headed downwards. My hometown is still lovely but that may change eventually too I guess. Your words are 100% spot-on. To me, it has become clear as day: the more America abandoned or erased the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ (and Israel), the worse we became as a country. Now I don’t even recognize this greedy God-less globalist wasteland, and sadly, it’s only going to get worse from here. I pray for the people of America to return to God 🙏🏽✝️🇺🇸✝️🙏🏽
That scene when the cops come to arrest the guy demonstrating in front of the bank still hits hard to this day, especially when he makes eye contact with Bill and says "don't forget me." I can't tell you how many times I've had moments like this with complete strangers, where no words were needed... just a glimpse, a nod... that their suffering was acknowledged by SOMEONE. Thank you Drinker for bringing this timeless classic back to the forefront.
My moment was a few months ago walking out of a Costco. At the front was a guy my age (younger millenial) trying to sell something related to houses. He looks at my girl and I and says "You two look like a pair of young new homeowners!" I laughed and simply replied by saying "NOPE" and shaking my head. He laughed too and said "Same here, brother." What else are we to do but laugh?
That was the saddest “Go away now” I’ve ever heard Drinker utter. I felt that in my soul. You know shit is dire in America when a Scot on the other side of the pond is lamenting America’s slow descent into ruin.
Felt the same. Eventually every man ages to the point he realizes the future is looking kinda bleak. "Is this it?" Movies like this remind us of that fact.
Can somebody do a health and wellness check on Drinker? Cause, damn, felt the same way on that sign off. He's been taking arrows and grenades for us all for a long time analyzing this nonsense being put out. But I'm glad he's there shining the light and calling out the Message.
@@waltk7624I have not heard the Drinker sound so dejected since his review of Doctor Who, with the incarnation of the 13th doctor. Now THAT was a sad day for the Drinker and all other Whovians around the world.
The "not economically viable" scene hits harder and harder every year. A man who did everything right gets arrested the day he stops being "useful". This happens too frequently IRL.
When I saw this as a teenager I assumed it was just racism. I assumed it was a guy who was denied a loan or something for his skin colour. But no, it was just the system chewing him up and spitting him out. Probably some executive gave himself a bonus for reducing headcount. Not caring about how many lives it ruins.
If you speak out against the system at best they'll label you insane, but they might just say you're 'belligerent' and throw you in prison. It's the same way abusive parents are with their children.
The part when he makes eye contact with Michael Douglas as he's in the back of the car and is about to drive away, he says "Don't forget me". I always figured he just meant, hey remember me and my story. Which I suppose he really does. However it just dawned on me that the film is basically saying to Bill, don't forget what the system did to you! As he's basically seeing it play out again in front of his very eyes, from another perspective(he obviously sees himself in the guy who is literally dressed exactly the same as he was and is also disenfranchised). So fricking cool how deep this film actually is.
It's the lie that if you work hard one day you can apply for a loan and start your own business, but the reality is that society wants to keep its working drones.
When I was 17, I came home after a shitty work week and complained during dinner about what’s the point, my dad smiled and recommended we watch the movie together. I’ll always remember it
@@denimchicken104 The point is you get to hang out with those you love while they are around. Such as his father and him sharing a movie. The point is whatever you make it. Some people would rather just cry about how unfair life is then actually make it better for themselves. Most people actually.
"I'm the bad guy?" "Yeah" "How'd that happen? I did everything they told me to". That exchange gets my soul deeper every time because it's so relevant to my own life.
Same here, brother. Fortunately I figured out the whole system a lie to keep the cattle placated. You should do some research on Christian apologetics. Once you realize that evolution and old-Earth theory is all complete and utter BS, it'll blow your mind. EVERYTHING we were sold was counterfeit goods. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Genesis Science Network is a great place to start.
One thing missed by non-LA residents of this movie is the location shooting is absolutely 100% on point. Wherever Bill is supposed to be in the city, that's where they filmed, and you can actually easily map out the path he takes. Very, very few movies worry about map accuracy but this one got it right the best I've seen on film before, traveling from East LA to Santa Monica.
That was one of the things I loved about Steve McQueen's "Bullit". I used to live in San Francisco, and all during the chase through the city he is exactly where he should be everytime he makes a turn...
I've traveled and seen quite a few places where films were made and it's bonkers how wrong everything is. Like the movie Friday with Ice Cube. Ms parkers house was 2 streets over. The road that smokey, big worm, and the cholesterol spoke? Not even the road infront of Craig's house. 😂
If you like LA geography got to watch Chinatown with Jack Nicholson. Seeing places like MacArthur park in a historic context is a trip and it makes you appreciate all the old LA architecture.
@@Hexadeci The biggest thing Chinatown misses, through no fault of their own, is that the movie takes place in the '30s. The Chinatown depicted should be Old Chinatown in the area around Union Station. Unfortunately, the whole area was demolished by the mid-'40s.
America is currently plagued by the hydra-headed evil duo of inflation and recession. The worst part about this recession is that consumers are racking up credit card debt. In April alone, credit card debt went up 20% while rates have doubled in a year. Inflation is so high that consumers are literally taking debt for basic life necessities. Collapse has indeed begun..
Collapse is generous 1st time in our history with a full generation that wasn't taught financial literacy, civics, Google fixes their problems if their parents don't do it for them. Reckoning for participation trophies is incoming.
Asking for advice or assistance from a consultant or investment coach is the best line of action if you lack market understanding. Even though it sounds cliche or apparent, talking to a consultant has helped me stay afloat in the market and increase my portfolio to roughly 65% since January 2023. That, in my opinion, is now the most successful strategy for entering the market.
‘’Aileen Gertrude Tippy’’ is her name. She is regarded as a genius in her area and works for Empower Financial Services. She’s quite known in her field, look-her up.
An underrated gem of 90’s cinema and still relevant 31 years later. It holds a mirror up to society and shows that we are all one bad day away from snapping. And Michael Douglas turns in a career best performance.
It's not "one bad day", it's more "you can break anyone with the right pressure on the right spot. " It's more universal than people make it out to be.
It's about misplaced aggression. He was used and discarded and his child cut off by his wife. I can't feel sorry for tradcons like this anymore after years of warning about hypergammy and his blameshifting onto the "Left and wokeness".
You may not be old enough to remember the trailers for this film before it was released in theaters. It basically portrayed a working class white guy unable to simply get home to his kid for her birthday because every Ahole in LA was in his way. _And he wasn't going to take it anymore!_ Either the director or the studio was punking us all into going to see "revenge of the law abiding white guy." It turned out the movie was about his fractured mental state and breakdown. They didn't show that part in the trailers.
That briefcase is a symbol of success in corporate America; professionalism, power, success, respect for work, status, authority, and preparation. The irony is that he just has a sandwich and an apple in it, the most basic elements a human needs to live on, kind of a remanent of what the dream turned out to be, just survival, the daily grind while the clock runs out. That scene, where we first get to see what was in it broke my cold heart, and it still does to this day.
Great interpretation of the briefcase. It also fits nicely to the moment where he handed over those basic necessities, maybe foreshadowing that this will be his last day.
Id like to add to it by saying that the irony of him giving it to a homeless person, yet the homeless person throws it away out of disappointment since he was expecting money. Symbolizing the fact that the homeless man is still stuck in "the lie".
Thank you for reviewing such a great movie. I was “that guy” many years ago. A great job, pocket protector, briefcase and all. Then a layoff. I was devastated. My life and family were in turmoil. My comment however is not about this movie. I greatly appreciate your reviews of newly released movies, but I’d like to see more reviews of the classic movies, and why they were great.
No offense, but something had to go wrong with your journey. You haven’t been able to get a car at 40? Even the housing market, which hasn’t been great in a long time, didn’t really go nuts until ~2017 resulting in the catastrophe we see today. And while the prices had blown up by 2020, the interest rates were a golden ticket. Now, it’s a nightmare in both categories sadly.
The part where he is on the phone and says hes "past the point of no return" and that means "it takes longer to go back than to go forward" was delivered exactly halfway through the run time. Masterpiece of a movie.
It's not just the half way point of the movie, it's also after his first murder. He is no longer just a man defending himself, now he can never go back.
That "go away now" has to be the saddest line uttered in a while, and I think summarises the Drinker's complete anger toward society right now, in addition to his poignent and great summary of a fantastic movie that still holds up today, especially more than ever. Thank you Drinker, you great man.
I was thinking the exact same thing. Usually he utters that line as an ironic send-off. Keeping "in character" as a curmudgeon. But this time I heard nothing but weary sincerity and a "too damn tired of it all to sustain the fury" kind of anger. And that, more than anything else, is very telling. I think we all know EXACTLY what that feels like now.
A beautifully scripted review. Dissected with care and apt for all of who can identify with the suffering of the character. A great movie as you say, as poignant today as it was 30 years ago. Having seen it multiple times but now have experienced my own variant of this story. Thanks for pointing out certain tropes I’d not digested before.
Mr Drinker, black man from Los Angeles, USA here . I must say I’m very proud of you and I know that sounds strange. You’re one of the few creators on UA-cam with a righteous moral compass. Your content is always thought provoking, funny and it’s great that you don’t pull punches on all the hypocrisy. This video is a perfect example of that. You deserve all your success and I wish you lots more. Please keep the torch lit, keep fighting the good fight and thank you for all you do. The tide will turn someday thanks to men like you. Hope to meet you one day, if I do, the entire night’s drinking is on me
I agree with all you said except “the tide will turn one day.” The pattern has remained for as long as history has been recorded that the next generation of kids will be worse in every way than the last. And its exactly how it always plays out because parents suck. They never seem to want a child to grow up to be their own person. Maybe you’re right and if you are, big ups on your optimism, but I’ve seen plenty to tattoo the idea in my mind that people don’t deserve what we’ve been given, but since we will eventually kill our own kind and self destruct our own species right out of existence, whatever we have been given and taken advantage of will end up benefitting whomever comes next.
This movie represents what the elites fear the most. It's not the crim on the south side of Chicago; it's the realization of the suburbanite from "Anytown USA" that the managerial state can't keep their promises anymore.
The current state of this is the obsessive drive for us to “return to the office”. Mind you, the same people told us in 2020 to adjust to “the new normal”, so we did, now they’re not selling office real estate and the places around are dead. I’m not going back to sitting in a car or train 10-15 hours a week. Did that for 25 years.
The criminal joke is: They never could. What the elite of any society at any time want us peasants to forget is that THEY live on OUR surplus and sufferance. That whole "Consent of the Governed" issue.
You see, children, this is called "Inference." It's when you find deeper meaning through context clues, without making it all about yourself. This is what makes us appreciate art.
This narrator did an excellent job of talking about the depths of the film. Most people who watch it will not look under the surface or read between the lines. Of what is the true message of this film. They will Just see some unstable guy who snaps under a lot of stresss and goes on a rampage . There is so much more to this movie then that
I love both his Batman movies, but you have to understand he was also under the pressure of the studio because they wanted something more family-friendly and merchandise friendly.
The films he made immediately before ( this ) and after ( 8mm ) his Batman movies not only show he could've done dark Batman films but we're also his best films. 8mm is a masterpiece film, which even features the future Joker.
@@theunknowncommenter725That’s true. Schumacher wanted to do a dark Batman movie, but WB suits overruled him. And let’s be honest, The Dark Knight Trilogy is miles better than both of Schumacher’s combined.
@@LexingtonDeville984 The Dark Knight is the only one of those three even worth watching. They absolutely bore me to tears and there is no way to take Bale seriously in those.
One time not too long ago, I was asked how my day was going at work. I said “have you ever seen Falling Down?” thinking the guy has never seen it and all he said was “oh shit” 😂😊😊😊😊
I hit the like button and had actually started to scroll but went back when I realized that I almost cheated myself out of the "Go away now" expecting to hear some variation of the "standard" version, but..
I remember watching this movie way back then and I remember him working for the defense for 30 years and after 30 years it was gonna cut and loose that's what started him to purge on what he was fed up with , And the thing is before you work for the government you have to have some sort of psychological exam in order to work for them , He left his job on a mental breakdown .
I always loved this film from back in 1993. Having rewatched it recently from a 68 year old male perspective I must say that your "Essay" resonates with my own feelings. Well spoken, Thank You.
The one thing that bothered me towards the end of the movie, is how the police expended so much energy to find Bill, and arrest him, when all kinds of violence and chaos was going on in the city the whole time, and suddenly the one guy who becomes their priority is the dillusioned, fed up average guy who decides to even the score for one day. That line at the end, where he looks confused and asks Robert Duvall "So I'm the bad guy?" Yeah. In a world gone crazy, the average man just trying to get through life is the bad guy.
That's how police work. They apply overwhelming forces and resources to whatever is most in the public eye at the time. Used to be if you were a moonshiner running from the cops, you'd get a fair chase. Now if you run from a cop you get 52 cars, 14 roadblocks, stop sticks, and three helicopters that cost $15,000 an hour to operate. Why? To further the illusion that cops and the system are not made of human beings who do in fact bleed and can in fact be defeated and buried
A swindling shopowner, a frauding fastfood, a lying bum, a bunch of triggerhappy gangsters, a neo-nazi, a greedy city planning Basically the only 'innocent' victim that Dfense had a hand in, was the old dude
Might have had something to do with Bill committing about a dozen felonies, including popping off gunshots in a crowded restaurant and being at least indirectly responsible for the deaths of two people.
Fun Fact: Michael Douglas has stated his role in Falling Down was his favourite role of his career, and you can see why. He really made this role his own, understanding the feelings of his character and being willing to push boundaries in order to do his character justice. If actors now put that much effort into their roles like he did, the crap Hollywood makes now would at least be halfway decent. Awesome video, you should definitely make more analytical reviews like this because you’re bloody great at it.
But then again they would have to make something original for that to happen. It's like we're stuck in a time loop where they keep making the same thing over and over again because they can't get it right, or just simply lack creativity and are in their positions because of nepotism.
*Saw it summer 1993 in cinema as a 14 year old alone because no friend of mine had interest to watch it, i felt this movie so hard, after i left the theater i felt i skyrocketed right into adulthood. this movie stucked with me till this day, i watch it every 2 years and recommend it to people, there also feel it. i think it touches a man´s soul on a deeper level. The "dont forget me" from the arrested protester hits me everytime. love from germany*
@@sargatanas91 The thing that made Demolition Man so brilliant, was that it featured a person in a place and time in which he had no business being in.
Spot on, Drinker. I remember joining the military after 9/11, only to realize that we were lied to about everything. Then I came home a decade later, only to be forgotten by the same country I had given years of my life for. And when I brought this up on social media, my accounts were banned. I guess I wasn't "economically viable."
I was signed up to join the military (UK) around that time, but saw the lie. Lost a few good friends out there. I joined the Police instead but that just opened my eyes more to the BS that we're fed. Hope you're doing okay now brother.
Same, got out after 5 years because it was all B.S. You'd think the military wouldn't have the "office politics" of corporate America but Goddamn it might have been worse. I remember being overseas in 2012 (election year) and Obama "brought the soldiers home." Yeah he took half our personnel but we were required to cover the same amount of ground which meant we just had to work harder. They're ALL full of it.
Americans were lied to about Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iran. Also 9/11 is directly related to USA support of Israeli terrorism in the middle East. The Zionists control America like a lapdog.
Your summary is spot on. All it takes is one bad day. Few recognise how narrow the path is that we follow and how easy it is to ‘fall down’, and how hard it is to get back up again when the system turns against you.
I’ve been an accountant and finance manager for 30 years now, I’ve seen the movie easy 7 times, I work 10+ hours per day for my bosses to get richer, I feel so close to Bill, but I’m probably more coward or I have 3 kids and need to carry on… The movie is a marvel and relaxes me… Thanks Michael!
Bro…you’re a social hero. Personal sacrifice for family is what everything hinges on. We all got here by generations of sacrifice. They all felt the same way. You’re doing them all proud.
You always have a choice to do something else. It's your decision not choose to work as slave but something else what you like and what gives value to the world. Also what you do shows always a pattern to your kids. So if you stay in slave work, there is a high chance they will do the same.
You’re not a coward, you know it’s not the right way to deal with things, it makes you strong that you do what you need to do for your family, that’s a strong man in my eyes & a family man, don’t ever feel weak for providing for your family, don’t ever think that. Sacrificing your own time & even your happiness for your family’s wellbeing and growth is what makes you a good man & don’t let society make you feel any less of a man or provider, as men we do what we must and do what we can & expect nothing in return and no recognition, sometimes that’s hard to cope with but just know every other man on this planet especially fathers will never see you as a coward but a hero.
dude, all I can say is well done. You're analysis of this movie, and the way you apply it to today's world, in my humble opinion, is flawless. Thank you for making this video, and reminding me what a fantastic movie, and statement it truly is! I think I'm gonna look it up, and watch it right now- 🔥💪❤️
Every one mentions the quote of, "I'm the bad guy?", but I genuinely feel that the second question said by Foster, "How'd that happen?" is the most impactful and sets up his monolog extremely well.
I’ve noticed that many famous quotes, upon researching it, have even a better second line like -god is dead - and then the second line - and we killed him.
Seems like a story about a guy who helped to build a society but that very "society"he helped to build eventually turns against him and for no good reason other than peer based idiocy and marketing analysis.
"How'd that happen?" .. Super easy.. ALL plebs get pushed around, you can only push a person just so far before they break and push back _(standing up for yourself)._ Push-back is then viewed as Anger Anger is instantly renamed Aggression Aggression is immediately called Violence "Violence" nomenclature is intended to justify a Disproportionate Response _(physical attack)_ to your original complaint Disproportionate Response escalates your verbal push-back to an instinctual Survival Response to the unexpected "Disproportionate Response" Natural Survival Response is then redefined as Resisting Arrest Voila! You're now a Violent Criminal and being held down until ya suffocate _(or just shot)_ to death; your original complaint is then forever ignored. Out of nearly 3/4s of a million laws and regulations criminally enforceable, *_someone_* is bound to make at least *_one_* posthumous accusation stick well enough for the Media..
I was an extra in this movie in the pier scene where Michael Douglas is being chased by the police. It was a big Warner Bros production with multiple cameras including a helicopter flying overhead so everytime they had to do a take it would take more than an hour to reset everything. I was standing near Michael when he was talking to his wife in the movie in between takes. He was so calm, talking about going to the gym to lift weights, his new diet, this is right before he's doing a scene where he gets shot and killed by a cop, great actor under pressure. The movie did reflect my impression of living in Los Angeles too where alot of people seem to be out for themselves and only talk to you if it benefits them or to insult and make fun of people.
@aliciabell6688 I've been living in Thailand since 2013 where most people are very approachable, friendly and often complimentary even with their limited English speaking ability.
Today, America Is A Complete Sht Hole... You Were Right To Have Left, I Would Of Loved To Have Left In 2016, Heck Even Jan 1st 2020... But The System Just Hates You Enough That You Can't Get Out If Your Not Born With Money... I Had Just Started Turning My Life Around In Late 2019, & In Jan 1st 2020 Was When All This BS Started Happening, :( The Thing Is This: America Isn't The Problem, It's Not, The Problem Is Politics... And No Politician Is Willing To Admit This, Not Even Today As America Is Ripped Apart Into Pieces, Politicians Are Still Refusing To Admit That Politicians Are The Problem, ~_~ They Bicker Over How We Will Live Through Our Future, & We Are Sitting Here, Like Thinking That We Have The Most Rediculously Stupid Dum Shts Running For Office, ~_~ 1.) We Need Someone To Run America, We Need Someone, Because America Can't Run It's Self, People Are Too Stupid... ~_~ 2.) We Need Law & Order Handling America, Police, Because People Are Again Too Stupid, & Consealed Carry Is Driving People Into FEAR, Causing People To Want Guns For Bad Reasons, Not Because They Enjoy Them, & I Don't Like That, ~_~ 3.) 70% Of America Want Someone Younger, With Newer Fresher Ideas, & A Younger Mindset To Run For Office, Yet Neither One Of These Crazy Politicians Are Willing To Give Up Their Political Stance In American Politics Today, & Their Conflict Is Killing America, Not Them, It's Just The Conflict Between Them That Is Killing America... 70% Of People Don't Wanna Vote At All, & Because Of How Crazy Things Are Getting, Someone Is Gonna End Up Being Voted For, & It's Gonna Be The Guy Who Wants To Send America Right Back Into Where This Movie Took Place, Falling Down, Basically "Trump"... But If We Vote For The Other Guy "Biden", He's Letting Satanizm, Cults, & Death, & Bloodshed Ramp Down Our Streets, & Destroy Everything, Which Is Far Worst Then What We Would End Up With If We Voted For "Trump", ~_~ Somehow The Freedom People Of America, Decided They Didn't Like Human Life Anymore, & We All Started Turning Our Attention To The People Of Republicans, Like "Trump"... Con Man, Lies, Whatever You Call It Today "Trump"?? There Is No Way, I'm Funding Someone "Biden Nomic Supporters" To Spill Blood In The Streets Of America, & Think That Is How We Build Better Countries, Especially For Stupid Reasons, ~_~ Soooo, At The End Of The Day?? Even Though 70% Of America Doesn't Wanna Vote, Someone Is Gonna Vote, & People Are Suspecting Trump Will Win The Election, Simply Because Joe Biden Is Turning America Into A Sespool Of Disgust, & Death, & Joe Biden Is Even Attacking His Own Supporters Now... Mind You, The Very Guy "Joe Biden" Was The Only One Who Ever Mentioned, & Admitted That America Had Issues Like Racism, & ECO System, & Society Issues When He First Came Into Office... It's Just Too Bad His Solution Was Just To Have The World Exterminated, & He Would Laugh As Peopled Died, & That Joe Biden Wasn't The Answer We Needed To Solve, Fix, & Deal With These Issues, ~_~ You Living Around People Who Care, Treat You Better?? America Was Great Until 2020 Kinda, That Is When America Fell Apart Really... Good Thing You Don't Live In America Anymore, ~_~
I remember watching this gem in the theater with my wife. There were scenes where a lot of audience cheered, including myself… I loved it… and she hated every bit of it, and I don’t think she ever viewed me in the same way afterwards. No wonder we eventually divorced.
Well said. One of my favorite movies. Stayed with me through time as an example not to trust the promises of a corrupt, broken consumerist system that destroyes anything it touches, even men. But I think it's not Bill who's falling down, it's society, that's why your analysis, that Bill is everyone, is spot on. Bill is everyone, because society is falling down. The capitalis society is destroying itself with no way back. A brilliant picture painted by a true genius. A film underestimated and forgotten, but more relevant than ever.
When this movie came out I was only 19 years old, and at that time I did not see Bill as "the bad guy." I was rooting for him all the way. 30 years later and I root for Bill even more enthusiastically. You said it perfectly: this movie is more poignant, meaningful and relevant today than ever.
Although afaik that's missing the point, at least according to the director and the lead actor. Both of which iirc said that they wanted the main character to be relatable to some extent, but not glorified.
"more poignant ......today than ever". It will become more relevant because it's true. 1993 was a relatively early stage in the unwinding of American society. During the interim period, the process has gone much further. The United States 🇺🇸 is based on what James Burke called Social Darwinism. The devil take the hindmost. The survival of the fittest, for which read richest. Corporations have no responsibility for their workers and can hire and fire at will. Bill Foster is a victim of the system. His skill set, whatever it was, became superfluous, or else his corporate employer could replace him with cheaper outsourced workers. Skilled technical workers can be hired at one tenth the price of an American worker in India ir elsewhere. That's why I'm a socialist, or at least a Social Democrat. A government must have some RESPONSIBILITY for the welfare of its people, and legislate for employers to treat their people responsibly. America doesn't do that.
Holy crap same story for me. I knew the dude wasnt guilt free, but a victim of the changing world, which was changing for the worst. And of course, the virtue signaling critics of the day were critical of it.
I walked out of the theater shaken at how good this film was. One of the best moments is when the guy protesting at the bank is being taken away. He looks at Douglas and says, "don't forget me." It sent shivers down my spine.
Phew... You're not kidding. The entire movie is riddled with such intense, emotion evoking scenes but that one always stood out to me. It's such a pivotal point in the movie too. It's almost like D-FENS is finally moving past that point in his life and moving on toward his inevitable end but the kindly stranger reminds him, "Don't forget me." almost as to remind him that he _is_ a good person and what his actions were motivated by. Sometimes, it's all just too much..
I doubt you even saw it in the theater, there sure are a lot of liars in the comments. Pretending they have some deep insightful connection to this movie, suddenly now that this review is out lol
@@BudFuddlacker @BudFuddlacker Dude, you're late! Where the _fuck_ have you been!? You were supposed to show up with the "You never even saw it, blah blah blah, ambiguous bullshit, followed by your generations call sign, the 'lol' " comment right after the _first_ comment, not the third you dunce! I'm paying you good money to not suck at trolling but _this_ is all you can come up with!? You're fired. At least you don't have to worry about paying rent at your parents house.
The three pens in his pocket are red white and blue. A lot of thought went into this film. "Do you know how much money my country's given to you" "How much" "You know I don't know...but it's gotta be a lot" My favourite part.
That's a good observation about the pens, thanks for pointing it out. Makes me wonder what other details I've missed out on. What about the hole in his shoe? What do you think that represents? EDIT: I'm going to take a stab at answering my own question and say it means the bottom has fallen out.
@@rrice1705 shoe= not quite. Its the sole of his shoe. His soul. has a hole. missing his family, his daughter, his "normal" life... This is something that is hard for normies to get, but once you've been through an ugly divorce, been deployed overseas and seen how much opulence we have here in USA... and he was losing all of it. This is my interpretation of it. It is just one more step in his downfall.
It occurred to me that he has 3 pens and "not economically viable" guy only had one. Seemed to me like it was a suggestion of military rank, like he'd put up with this shit for years, and the other guy was just getting started. Or maybe they only had 4 pens ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The part that gets me the most- when he sees the other guy protesting the bank wearing the exact same outfit- and gets hauled away by police - “don’t forget me”…
They're both in the same boat. They are both middle class white collar workers, educated, probably college graduates, who have become "surplus to requirements" and therefore "not economically viable." So they end up on the street. Probably their jobs still exist, but are now done by somebody in Mexico or Hyderabad in India. Their bosses do it because they CAN. A few years ago, here in France, where I live, Goodyear, the American tyre company, had a factory which they wanted to shut. I think they wanted to relocate to Eastern Europe, because of cost. The factory was efficient and productive, but being France, it was strongly unionised, and workers were well paid, with good benefits etc. When the workers found out about management's plans, they shut themselves inside the factory and took the factory bosses hostage. They looked after them well, feeding them etc, but they wouldn't let them go. There was a stand off. Finally, Goodyear management was forced to come to the negotiation table, and the factory stayed open. Jobs were saved. That's how it's done. Unfortunately, since the Reagan era, American workers have given up the rights that their fathers and grandfathers fought so hard for. Hence all the Bill Fosters of America.
@@AndriyValdensius-wi8gw American unions often have bad reputations because far too often they happen to be run by unscrupulous groups who use said unions to browbeat and steal a portion of the wages of the "union members" while doing little to actually help the average worker. The worst ones were the ones controlled by the mob, where the union really was just a legal method of extortion. So it often ends up being a double whammy of incompetence or outright malice under the guise of being "for workers rights" that most Americans would rather not have unions that be taken for a ride.
Yes, that is such a powerful scene I think. The way the guy sees him and says, "Don't forget me." In such a poignant way, followed by the nod as D-Fens acknowledges him gets me every time. Nobody wants to be forgotten.
@mrbigglezworth42 So I've heard. Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters, etc. It's unfortunate that there is such corruption. Once the mob / Mafia gets involved it all goes to hell. The principle of unions is good and very valuable. At times they were essential for fighting for workers' rights. But if the union itself becomes too powerful and / or corrupt, then the cure might be worse than the disease. All I can say is that a union should belong to its members, and the members should have a system of electing their representatives democratically. People who will genuinely work in their members' interests, rather than help launder the proceeds of crime.
I absolutely love the "Not Economically Viable" scene. It really resonates with me more now as an adult. It's completely melancholy, and the way the cops arrest and cart away this guy who merely dares to peacefully protest outside a bank, the symbol of state financial power, is chilling.
Yeah it was also a polar mirror opposite of D-Fens, it was brilliant how he was dressed the same too, and told D-Fens to remember him. It was a surrealistic moment, but basically that was the branching bifurcation moment for Bill, where he would either be carted away for standing his ground, or fall down standing his ground. He chose to fall on his own terms.
The other side of this scene is that they are dressed similarly, the white guy outside of the bank walking away and ignoring the black man with the sign is also dressed similarly. It's a scene that shows skin colour doesn't matter and that we are all just automatons set on a path of life by other peoples expectations. The major difference between the three men is that the black guy has found out the lie and is raging against it in a futile attempt to wake people up, Michael Douglas is just beginning to wake up to the reality and the anonymous guy outside the bank...he's still suffering through the delusion and believing the divisions and lies fed to us by the mainstream media. This is why the police arrest the protestor, the powers that be can't have him triggering critical thought among the general populace or the whole system will start falling down.
@@Billy-bc8pk I also love that the two men are essentially identical despite notably being a black man and a white man. The way in which they have been crushed transcends any race or identity politics, it's a symptom of the state system they bought into.
For me the best scene is the guy being arrested for protesting on the street with the "Not economically viable" sign and when the cop car gets to Foster, the guy says "Don't forget me" and he just nods to him. For some reason it stuck with me.
"Don't forget me" guy is a lot of us. I had to work with senior citizens relying on Social Security and Medicare and they're him. Can't work anymore? We'll give you a fraction of the money you need and wish you good luck old chap.
Falling down is an all-time favourite movie of mine. Watched it so many times. There's a lot of little nuances that may not be picked up on a single viewing.
I love how the movie palette looks warm. You can always see D-fens sweating, you can see the heat boiling off the road in the shots, the tone of the film looks very yellow/red/orange. The parallels it draws between modern society and the LA 90's heat is amazing. In real life, LA had lots of riots because of the heat at the time. It's like modern society is suffocating and all encompassing.
It’s gonna happen again and be worse soon. The power grid is going to be taxed by EV and Gas is gonna skyrocket sending everything else up in price. Then bam your ac is shut off while people are screaming global warming on smart phones and Tik tok hood culture.
Been watching the "Drinker", for maybe 5 years now... And that movie analysis was the most powerful, and brilliant thing, I've ever heard him expound upon.
So many video essays on this film out there . The Barking Years made one four months ago, bizarrely calling it American Propaganda. I'm ashamed that I had to comment here to let you know.
One of my favorite scenes in all movies, is where the protesting guy gets taken away by the cops, and when the car is driving away it briefly stops in near Bill and the man says "Dont forget me." and Bill nods. That exchange, that sad and tragic moment. The way it feels like the poor guy is just going to disappear within the corrupt system. It just hits me deep.
It wasn't mentioned, but they wear exactly the same clothes and identical tie, but he's black and Bill is white. I found that to be extremely poignant.
I've fallen down twice. I got up, dusted away the filth, and started over. I'm very happy today, and thank *God* I didn't fall off the deep end. This isn't my favorite movie of all time, but it's *damn* sure in the top 10. CD, thank you for your reassessment of this amazing film. 🙏❤️
@@haydnw869 It has changed over the years, but there is 1 constant: It's a Wonderful Life. Others include Back to the Future, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Blues Brothers. 👍
One of the best movies ever. Mike Douglas totally got that character Bill right. Brilliant acting by Douglas and great directing by Joel Schumacher. Great support cast Barbara Hershey,and Robert Duvall. In my top ten.
I always loved that movie. And had nothing but sympathy for Bill. His death at the end was one of the saddest I've seen. And one of his last lines just added to the sadness of it all: "I'm the bad guy?... how did that happen?"
For unknown reasons, Bill allowed his anger to lead him to insanity. As the Duvall character says to Bill, “Is that what this is about? They lie to everybody. “ Real men understand that. They recognize that the world owes them nothing. They make a difference one encounter at a time without violence. Duvall is the hero.
@@miguelservetus9534That’s easy to say if you still are allowed to see your children. Sometimes people’s children are the only reason people feel life is worth living for besides all the violence he used was in self defense
@@StMichael7 Notice that the movie does not explain why he is not allowed the access to his daughter. We are informed that he is delusional, heading to work when he is unemployed. Clearly he was mentally deranged. Courts, as a general rule, want both parents involved. Nowhere in the movie does it suggest that the ex wife did him wrong. Let’s assume she did, and got a PDA restricting his access. A sane man goes about behaving to convince the court he is safe with his child. Courts do not reverse decisions when you break their rules. We note that he drew on Predegrast. So all his violence is not in self defense. And the scene with the grocer was not justified. It is not how normal people behave.
It's impossible to understand this movie without understanding the history of Los Angeles. The 1990s saw the loss of the defense industry, probably the prime economic driver of the LA economy. Younger people don't remember it, or didn't live through it, but Los Angeles was the center of the MIC. All major defense contractors had factories, design studios, and corporate offices there. Not too far away from the big movie studios that pumped out American culture to the rest of the world - was the industry that pumped out bombs to the rest of the world. It provided a good income for everyone from someone on the shop floor who barely graduated high school, to the Ivy League cream of American society in the C-suite. People sent their entire family through college on regular manufacturing jobs far later than the rest of the US. The ethics of the defense industry aside, it allowed everyone (white, brown, black, etc) a stable income and a way to advance in a society that was clearly decaying. With the end of the Cold War in 1989, and the collapse of the USSR in '91, the entire industry collapsed. Corporate offices moved to Northern Virginia (to be closer to the political heart), the defense plants, which were anchored to the LA metro since WWI, moved to cheaper (and un-unionized) regions in the South. Downsizing meant a lot of jobs disappeared entirely. This is where we find D-FENS. He's one of the unlucky many who lost his job entirely, there was no move-to-Alabama option for him, it was completely over. Everything he worked for, everything he was taught, and everything he did proved to be completely pointless. It's fitting that the only two movies filming on location in Central Los Angeles on the day the Rodney King verdict came down were Falling Down and Demolition Man.
Did you know that in the 19-teens there was an oil spill in LA that wasn’t stopped for years on end. There’s tons of oil wells hidden inside big buildings Some of them adjacent to residences
@@fastinradfordable Yeah, oil is another dying industry in Los Angeles. I don't see it last much longer, especially with the new regulations on offshore drilling.
My mom and dad worked at McDonnell Douglas, all their friends did too. We lived in Santa Monica near it, and nearly every homeowner in the area worked there. I remember. They were all skilled, educated and living the dream, growing families under the hot overcast Santa Monica skies.
Pathetic & deplorable people succumb after merely one day, life is messy & seeded with suffering… but to accept corruption, gross incompetence/indifference, and thuggery for a prolonged period, is also pathetic, cowardly, and dangerous for civilization as a whole. Unfortunately too many people snap, and lash out at mostly innocent people, instead of the key perpetrators.
"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day." - The Killing Joke
I can tell you as someone who spent a career in law enforcement, once you see the system from the inside, you realize how broken it really is. One is the child support system. The judge can put you in jail for a set amount of time, no good behavior, nothing. You're only way out early is to pay off the entire amount. I saw a guy once who got put in jail for 90 days despite the fact he was paying child support, the very amount he owed every week, but the judge said he should pay it faster, so he put him in jail, which cost him his job and then couldn't pay it at all. Putting someone in jail for not paying child support on average where I am costs taxpayers about $90 a day for the room and food overall. So some guy who gets sentenced to 90 days in jail for child support costs taxpayers $8000. Not to mention, if you're in jail, you can't work. It's a rigged game. Now, there are some who won't pay their child support, but there are others with alimony and child support and the cost of living, well, how can they live themselves? And that's just one thing I've seen.
Imagine being a trucker, paying your child support, get injured so miss some work, get your license yanked so you can’t work. Met a couple homeless guys because of that.
This is the precise reason that feminist marriage laws cannot work alongside conservative marriage laws. You can’t weaponise the state against people who have no recourse or support, because the woman in question chose poorly.
i thing that even this is avoidance of true understanding; i mean, you are small, insignificant and basically nobody, no matter what you were raised to believe, and its ultimately good to realize that, but its also good to come to such realization in carefull and gradual manner, hence sudden realization of your true state can be unbearable burden for your psyche...only than you can embrace process of framing yourself, knowing its usefull lie and carry on, not blaming state, family, neither yourself...
Remember how protest was used by the state against the people in 2020 election cycle Then when the same people tried to protest a foreign state in 2024, the USA state sent in enforcers to beat them up while under sniper over watch? Dystopia is here
@7JeTeL7 agreed that we are all miniscule individually. But that doesn't mean we need to accept lies and manipulation by the powers that be. We can be a great force when combined, no need to bow our heads in nihilistic acceptance. Sure, in relation to the universe, all of us combined are nothing. But here on earth, the worker bees together can affect our hives.
The Western World that is, these issues are not prevalent in third world countries but they have their own issues which can be greater than being lied on a false promise.
@@RyanM-ke2gu oh, absoulutely; i just don´t think, that main character in this movie spiraled down because burger doesn´t look like some ad, or because "politicians lie", this was way deeper disillusionment via looking through "lies" of life...and no bowing, no nihilism; there is need for some story, only built on such acceptance
Thanks for doing a great critique on one of my favorites. A very good movie that strikes a chord with anyone who's been kicked in the balls by society through no fault of their own.
I remember when my dad went to see this in theatres back in 93. He came home, told us that it was good, but that the message was the best part. I was a bit too young to see it then but when I did as a teen, I didn't get it. Watched it in my 20s, started to understand it. Watched it when middle aged, now I totally get it. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
If the message of the film is the one Drinker got at here, then the message went right over your head, and you also had foresight to perversely interject your own views based on 21st century social movements as well as ignore key details of what it’s actually about
I was 13 when this movie came out and I didn’t get get all of the nuance in it but still loved it. 5 years later my parents lost everything. Their small business of 25+ years, our house, everything. They were damn near homeless for 8 years. After that this movie took on a whole new meaning. Thank you Drinker for nailing just how well this movie aged and why it was so poignant to this day.
Michael Douglas has, on record, declared "Falling Down" one of the most brilliant scripts he ever read and main roles he had the pleasure to take on. Additionally, he added some profound insight into the main character's desire to go home. Paraphrasing, that he desires a place where he feels "at home", a period in time where white-collar, middle-class working men like him were valued, desired, and rewarded for their contributions. Something that, in the character's mind, made sense.
I saw it at the theater with my brother when I was in my early twenties and I loved and never understood the negative criticism it got. You did a beautiful job of succinctly summarizing this movie. Thank you.
I think most of it came from the fact that every character in the movie is an exaggerated stereotype. They are, but that's what makes it so real and relevant to this day. There is an uncomfortable truth in them.
Jesus this hit like a ton of bricks. The last minute was a giant gut punch. For Michael Douglas, it was "When did I become the bad guy?". For me it was "When did I become him (minus the violence of course)". Drinkers final lines were filled with more emotion and pain than anything I've seen in cinema recently and damn near had me in tears
I think another reason this movie works too, is when you realize that while it's bringing up the issues that plagues this society, Foster is the last person to be trying to "do something about it". Because while understandable, Foster's methods are literally coming from insanity. Foster was suppose to be characterized as someone who's a total moral absolutist, even showing some misanthropic beliefs (Even if he claims otherwise.). He's shown to have a distaste for his home population, stemming from this. To him, there are good guys and bad guys, and he's suppose to be a good guy, right? Well, it's complicated. Because Foster's moral compass isn't all that sound given his past, he is shown to speak ill of his environment, especially considering how it's 90s Southern California. But he never holds, nor does he ever express any xenophobic or racist beliefs for those arguing against this movie. But based on his general misanthropy his distaste for the urban decay of the city, it may lead to how some should question their view of him (Both audiences and the characters throughout the movie.) But with that said, I don't think that was Falling Down's point, but more to show how any sort of absolute morality can be dangerous, depending on what moral scale you are using. So in hindsight, both sides have it wrong about Foster, in questioning to whether he was always meant to be portrayed as a toxic evil man, or claiming him to be the undisputed hero. Foster is simply an anxious, paranoid dude who needs to get some help.
What you said. Watched Drinker for years and I think this is the first time I heard him... Sound... Like this. Even more Frightening, even in the good parts of the states, I can see the cracks around me. ...and the ones forming in me.
I'm an American who saw this when it came out, just as I was finishing high school. I liked it on the surface level and thought of Bill in almost comical terms--a power fantasy where all of life's annoyances are dealt with in the most over-the-top way possible. In other words, I missed the point entirely. Watching it now, after 30 years of life's frustrations, disappointments, and grind--I get it. And it's brilliant to see a movie that called its shot from that far away.
Same here. I always loved this film and it always resonated me even when it first came out, but I've only further grown to appreciate it with each passing year. It becomes ever-more poignant with its messaging.
That is how good bit deeper fiction in general works. As young you see certain simples aspects of it due your experiences that far but then 5, 10, 20 years later when you encounter it again you see much more shades of gray which you could not see with your limited experience before. Simple analogy would be kids fiction which they will see funny bits and colors and simple ha-ha stuff and adults sees those but also jokes aimed at them that go straight over kids heads.
One of the most underrated performances by Michael Douglas. Even when he waves the gun around in the fast food restaurant, we were still rooting for him.
@@chickenlover657 because he's a psychotic criminal who smashed up and threatened a small store owner because he didn't like the price of a soda? This movie didnt just age badly, if someone likes this movie and agrees with the messaging you know for a fact they have main character syndrome
@@NeonValleys You obviously don't get the movie or the main character or the situation that brought him where it did. You obviously know zero psychology. Gimmie a call when you fix all that.
My dad is 75 and this is his favourite movie. Ironically, he was treated bad by society as well, but I chose to side with him instead of my mother when I was 17 because I knew the truth. The prejudice in modern society is so heavily skewed against working men, it just breaks my heart.
"But i did everything they told me to do." That line hits hard. i felt the same after being pushed into the real world, did my time in school, got a job, got my own place i was always told that would make me feel more free but i felt more trapped like i could never do anything else.
Same. Also his black doppelganger who gets arrested was another striking and pivotal moment of the film -- you either do everything they tell you to and become a victim of the system if you attempt to rebel, or you go the way of D-Fens and completely fall down, taking whoever you can with you as you fall. There is no way to win in the current machine.
@@TheWraith7 No, that's just more propaganda. Not surprising from a twilight zone nostalgist. If you took someone from the past they would be impressed by the tech and then disappointed by everything else, how small the world has become and how little freedom and privacy the average man has today compared to before. And then they'd die of modern disease.
@blank4227 it's the uncaring world that made him the villain he's a symptom of the machine like we all are. If anyone who speaks up about it or can relate to it is the bad guy i guess the good guy is the sheep who just consumes brainlessly and numbs and dehumanises themselves in your mind.
@@TheWraith7 why is this guy trying to be my therapist? let's pay attention to the weird language, it's of course an attempt at shaming but the specific tactic is to act like a psychological expert and paint the target as mentally unwell. weird stuff!
I walked out of Blockbuster with this movie on VHS with absolutely no idea what it was about, I just liked the cover (yeah, I'm VCR old). The slow burn, the gradual escalation, the way you can see him struggle to keep the threads together as they fray away... such a fantastic film!
I remember almost everybody had a stereo and a record player in the mid 80s, but maybe a little more than half had a VCR. By the time this movie came out you hardly ever saw a record player, and most houses had two or three VCRs. It's weird being VCR old, isn't it?
Bill may have had a security clearance as a defense industry employee, which likely would have been revoked due to the (unjustified) restraining order, thus his job lost for doing nothing but “following the rules”. This movie is a masterpiece.
In addition to the historical context. The collapse of the soviet union caused the spending on defence to contract, and thus, so many like bill in LA were out of work post collapse of the USSR, as their work was no longer needed.
My clearance was not revoked. He had a b.s. RO placed on him anyways. Supposed to only be for ppl with multiple arrests for domestic violence. The clearance investigators just go over it at re-investigation or CE.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot. This is your home, and a man's home is his home... so, if you'll just back up a little bit... I'll take my problems somewhere else." He tried so hard.
People not trusting the media is an improvement. They've been lying to us for a very long time. Anyone with even a basic understanding of American history is aware that yellow journalism is largely responsible for at least one war, specifically the Spanish-American War.
I mean, every time the whole "Government gots to have more power because misinformation on social media is so dangerous" line gets brought up, my first thought is literally "A hundred years ago nobody would take the word of a stranger over what's written in a newspaper, so doesn't that mean it's legacy media who screwed the pooch?" I mean, they had everyone's trust, journalist was a respected job, and they blew it. They blew it SO hard.
@@qcriverrat Yeah, it's all been lost in a haze of pop nostalgia, but people either don't know, or have forgotten what a real dark edge a lot of American culture in the 1990s had. A post-Cold War world after decades of being gaslit by various institutions and factions that some maniac with his finger on the trigger would wipe out the entire human race in a nuclear holocaust, followed by an existential and identity crisis bathed in cynicism, passive-aggressive sarcasm, and ironic self-detachment that didn't really start to resolve itself until the decade was nearly over.
The decade started in a recession. Pensions were entirely deleted by then (started in the 80s). Tech savvy were finding BBS and Usenet that were showing them the "conspiracy nuts" weren't that far off. We just had a war and were now occupying land. Oh, and terrorism had touched us. Most of what you think wasn't there, was just starting to bubble just beneath the surface. Jungle love and "politically correct" was all en-vogue.
I've always viewed this movie as a companion piece to Office Space. Both respond to the soulless materialism and corporate bureaucracy of 90s America, but where Office Space responds with absurdist comedy, Falling Down responds with tradegy and madness. As Fight Club put it, "we are the middle children of history"
"We have no great war. No Great Depression. Our war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives. We've all been made to believe we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars. But we won't and we are slowly learning that fact. And we are very, _very_ pissed off."
To me the briefcase always symbolized the middleclass upwardly mobile life we aspired to, grinded for, fought for only to find out at the end that it was just an empty lie that baited us into throwing away the things that really matter- family, friends, truly living in the moment and making the most if each moment. So many layers to this movie.
@@OffendEveryoneImmediately You weren't tricked. And nothing is designed to trap you. You're just being a whiny child. I'm not the "big man", though compared to the petulant children in the comments I can see how you'd think that. You're the most privileged generation in the history of the world, aside from perhaps Boomers who got an exceptionally good setup. So show some damned gratitude. You're commenting on UA-cam for God's sake. You know where your next meal is coming from and you own a smartphone. Grow up.
Our society continues to try to convince people they need to dedicate their lives to their careers. Companies want people who continuously want to "grow", take more responsibility, advance higher and higher. Be willing to relocate for new roles, put in nights and weekends to meet increasingly unreasonable demands. We're being brainwashed into believing that if we achieve enough "success", we will finally find what we're missing that will give us the happiness we desperately seek. I've personally spent enough time trying to find that job that will give my life meaning, any relationship with a company is ultimately one-sided
Fight Club is a film very similar to this one. It’s 25 years old this year, yet many young men relate to because it addresses their anger and resentment towards the American consumer culture and PC society. Both of which have only gotten worse since the 90s.
@@dustman96 Sure, while succinctly American, the overarching idea rings true for most Western countries. United States' issues are not exclusive to the United States.
Everything that D-Fens was tortured about in the early 90s when this movie was made/set... is basically the frustrations that have fueled the MAGA movement in America.
Had recently watched this movie during Covid and gotta say it’s not aged badly. People are just scared at how accurate this film shows our current society.
@@Shah-of-the-Shinebox, yes, and that's one reason I love the Joker movie. I wish our society didn't love turning a blind eye to the people's suffering and act shocked when a movie critiquing the rich and focusing on the everyman who becomes a criminal becomes popular with people.
Whenever someone says an old movie "aged badly" because of changing fashions or attitudes, keep in mind that it's also possible that the movie is actually fine and it's society that aged badly.
Fashions are better in old movies as well. No slobs in gym wear 😂
👏
Or it's the lack of appreciation for movies that aren't progressive enough for movie-goers who wouldn't know a good movie if it fell on their heads.
Amen!
@@paulconway384 you think micheal Douglas is dressed well in this film?
10 years ago my ex wife lied to a judge. And my daughter was removed from my life. I paid child support and received no visits for years. But the truth was on my side. Today her mother is in trouble with the law and next week my daughter is coming to live with me. Never give up
I went through something similar four years ago, but my daughter took my side, and I came out of 17 years of marriage with a backpack full of clothes, zero dollars, and all the love I will ever need in my life. I wish you and your daughter the best!!!
I honestly don't know how to express it but sorry about that and congrats.
Karma always comes, god chooses if you get to see it
IMO that's what this film is about.
Guess you just have to endure it. Hope everything resolves to your way in a good way and that your daughter appreciates you and that you both have a great rest of your days.
The way Douglas delivered the iconic line "I'm the bad guy?" with convincing confusion has stayed with me for the past 30 years.
The follow up question of "How'd that happen?" also ads some serious weight to the moment as well.
He's literally me......
and he realizes there is only one way out.... so he pulls a water pistol on Prendergast
He was, in fact, not the bad guy
Totally agree. That and his pained follow up line, "How did that happen?" was just haunting.
What amazes me is, I remember watching this movie as a happy go lucky teenager and not being able to relate but enjoying the storyline. Then rewatching as an adult and totally getting it. Plus it's uncanny how relevant the themes are today.
Same here, I was a young adult, 19/20. It didn’t hit like it does now.
100%. Well said
It's crazy but I just wanted to write the exact same comment. I also watched the movie as a kid and literally didn't understand it and even hated it. But when I grew up I specifically re-watched it.
I advise everyone to rewatch American Psycho.
@@NoobMasterGamer2759 yeah, I have beware thinking about it recently. A bunch of movies i enjoyed but was probably a little young to appreciate fully. American Psycho is a great example.
Some of the dark comedies or comedy action movies form the 90s as well…I’d appreciate one but not the other, you know?
That scene of Foster in the fast-food restaurant comparing the real life burger to the advertisement was probably the greatest criticism towards mass media commercialism I’ve seen
I love when he says "I wouldn't want you in my back yard either." :)
It's hilarious. And today i love to make similar comparisons with Facebook profiles.
That's one of my favorite scenes, along with the convenience store markups.
To be honest, it doesn't matter much to me. A cheeseburger is a cheeseburger. When I would eat a burger from, say, Wendy's, I never thought about how the food should look. My only concerns were practical: whether the beef patty was properly cooked, whether the cheese had melted to the correct consistency, etc. I never had the illusion that I was dining in a Michelin-rated restaurant.
This movie holds up well. Privileged white man blames everyone but himself and the top 1% for the situation he is in and hurts everyone including his family in the process. He doesn't see himself or the 1% of elites that put him in this position as bad.
** Waits for the post to get censored **
*“I’m the bad guy? How’d that happen? I did everything they told me to.”*
I think about that quote a lot these days
This film was designed to prepare the voters to tell their Congressmen to pass the tough-on-crime bills that came out the following year. The emphasis of the film was that this man was abusive, always was, and cannot be reformed.
@@genuineappeal3458 If thats the case it blew up in their faces immensely and has become a cultural icon directly targeting their elite motives
@@genuineappeal3458 abusive? Strange he fought against racism, classism, cronyism, all in one afternoon. And he was the bad guy according to you.
every guy who worked overtime at the office and never missed a deadline no matter how many working week ends spent without family only to be fired by the company to increase the stock value one quarter can understand this.
I think a lot of people are
Michael Douglas finest performance. Really overlooked role by him
Too bad he’s a douche nozzle now
It was great how you related with him until you realize he's a villain.
Yep, same with Jeff Bridges‘ portrayal of Obadiah Stane in Iron Man… sometimes an actor really impresses on a role so much that one starts asking himself „is it even acting, or is he just having the blast of his life bringing the character to life?“
@klaus1085villian of the story victim of society
@@dasboom7133 uh....
A friend at work (who I had worked with at 3 different jobs) used to joke that I was "falling down" whenever I got mad on the job. His words were a way to calm me down before my anger could escalate. He was a good friend.
"Most men die at 27. We just bury them at 72."
-Mark Twain
Omg this on steroids
This kind of hits home to me and I'm 30.
i just turned 70, both my parents died around 72-74 so i wonder at what moment i'll be popping my clogs, it is an interesting feeling. i'm an artist though and i say that i'm still getting used to being 17, i still hear mum calling up to me when i wake up "time to go to school" but these days i can ignore her and stay in bed till 11 every day. but i just took up sculpture, i still go on photographic expeditions to a new place as often as i can, i just started playing fallout 4 (level 122 already) and although my health could be a lot better, at least my son thinks i'll be around for a long time. i have been incredibly lucky in lots of ways my whole life, so maybe i'm the exception, but to me life is what you make of it, the crap stuff just has to be dealt with but the enjoyable stuff needs to be appreciated, i'm an optimist. let's get to mars is what i say, i want to draw martian sand dunes.
@@HarryNicNicholas what the f are you talking about?
@@Bobby-k2qlet bro cook
To add a little more context to the story, From the 1940s (i.e., WW2) until 1989 (the fall of the Soviet Union) the LA economy was almost equally driven by Hollywood and the Areospace/defense industry. You were just as likely to bump into an aerospace engineer in LA as you were an aspiring actor. Well, once the Soviet Union collapsed, the amount of money the pentagon spent on Aerospace subcontractors fell and the industry in LA began laying off workers and consolidating. So the timing of the film met the reality on the ground. The protagonist was clearly one of those laid off aerospace engineers who was unlikely to find a similar job in the shrinking industry in LA. Combine that with his divorce and he just lost it.
It's an important context and no doubt the movie's theme was significantly influenced by this transition or "down-sizing" to use the euphemism of deception. Excellent to see this context mentioned. Very good film also and very good film essay here too.
The divorce aspect is even more important in modern times, as divorce itself has become a racket, whereby honest family men are utterly destroyed and their children traumatized so judges and lawyers can line their own pockets.
@@theguybehindyou4762feminist rulz... equal minus anything real...why you never marry someone morally bankrupt...easy to spot usually
@@theguybehindyou4762the judges and lawyers is filling their pockets is just a side effect of the way the system is set up... You will always lose
You leave --> you pay
They leave --> you pay
@@theguybehindyou4762 excellent point. That's why you have the MGTOW movement. It happened to my brother. He's not a drunk. He's not violent. He doesn't sleep around. Works hard to provide for his kids who he loves deeply..but the mother of 2 of his 3 daughters decided that she didn't love him anymore and that was that. SHE made HIM sleep on the couch, then moved out into some dump of a flat with damp and mould and he was left heartbroken, depressed and destroyed while she got to keep the house and the kids. It's times like that that made me see the system for exactly what it is. Men stand absolutely no chance!!
Yah. This movie has lived rent free in my head forever. Just the way the Douglas says, "When did I become the bad guy?" nearly breaks me every time. So good.
For me it was the protestor was being arrested. He looks at Bill and says, "Remember me."
Bill nods silently and as the man is taken away, it infers that something about Bill is seen by him...because he looks terrified.
Plus if you look deeply into the movie, His wife was making bogus accusations against him. Douglas might have had a temper but he never raised his hands against his wife.
So true me too. Kills me that line.
@@NinjapowerMS Yep, and that basically ruined his life.
Taking away access to his daughter left him a broken man.
@@malificajones7674 The story of way too many good fathers that were screwed by a system that still thinks mothers are important and fathers a side-note.
I grew up in the '70s and IMO this review is spot-on. The "American Dream" actually existed for more than 60% of Americans back then, and it had been on the rise. My dad raised a family of 4 in the suburbs of the SF By Area with a living standard that increased by the year until the late '70s. By then I was on my own making my own way. I've done okay, but when I look back and ask myself, could my father have raised the same family today that he was able to do then, the answer is an obvious no. In fact I can't think of a family in our neighborhood that could do the same today either. So much has been lost, and I mean really lost. So gone that I believe that current generations, for the most part, have no idea what they have lost. Of what has been taken from them. Virtually every younger family I meet today that owns a home in my area required a massive gifting of cash from their parents to make it possible. Home ownership, marriage, and household formation rates in the U.S. collapsed more than 15 years ago and it is unlikely that they will recover any time soon. American lifespans (that gold standard of the health of any population) have been in steady decline for more that a decade running and the trend is still negative. This is what you get in a "winner take all" society. The Hunger Games, and that is an understatement.
Plus so many jobs going offshore to China ect.
On point. The empire is on fire and crumbling all around us and we're watching it happen in real time. On UA-cam.
Hi there, I’m a Bay Area native too 🙋🏽♀️ I grew up in San Mateo County in the 80s and 90s and it was quite idyllic, but by the time I shipped off to college, things were already headed downwards. My hometown is still lovely but that may change eventually too I guess. Your words are 100% spot-on.
To me, it has become clear as day: the more America abandoned or erased the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ (and Israel), the worse we became as a country. Now I don’t even recognize this greedy God-less globalist wasteland, and sadly, it’s only going to get worse from here. I pray for the people of America to return to God 🙏🏽✝️🇺🇸✝️🙏🏽
That scene when the cops come to arrest the guy demonstrating in front of the bank still hits hard to this day, especially when he makes eye contact with Bill and says "don't forget me." I can't tell you how many times I've had moments like this with complete strangers, where no words were needed... just a glimpse, a nod... that their suffering was acknowledged by SOMEONE. Thank you Drinker for bringing this timeless classic back to the forefront.
he "was not economically viable!"
My moment was a few months ago walking out of a Costco. At the front was a guy my age (younger millenial) trying to sell something related to houses. He looks at my girl and I and says "You two look like a pair of young new homeowners!" I laughed and simply replied by saying "NOPE" and shaking my head. He laughed too and said "Same here, brother."
What else are we to do but laugh?
I never could understand why he was arrested.
Like the bit where Alex Jones gets black bagged in scanner darkly
@@richwightman3044because he was protesting... Sorry, I meant being a "public nuisance" and "disturbing the peace"
That was the saddest “Go away now” I’ve ever heard Drinker utter. I felt that in my soul. You know shit is dire in America when a Scot on the other side of the pond is lamenting America’s slow descent into ruin.
That’s exactly how I felt 😞 hit me right there ❤️🩹
Felt the same. Eventually every man ages to the point he realizes the future is looking kinda bleak.
"Is this it?"
Movies like this remind us of that fact.
Britain has had it's own decline. We can empathise.
Can somebody do a health and wellness check on Drinker? Cause, damn, felt the same way on that sign off. He's been taking arrows and grenades for us all for a long time analyzing this nonsense being put out. But I'm glad he's there shining the light and calling out the Message.
@@waltk7624I have not heard the Drinker sound so dejected since his review of Doctor Who, with the incarnation of the 13th doctor. Now THAT was a sad day for the Drinker and all other Whovians around the world.
The "not economically viable" scene hits harder and harder every year. A man who did everything right gets arrested the day he stops being "useful". This happens too frequently IRL.
When I saw this as a teenager I assumed it was just racism. I assumed it was a guy who was denied a loan or something for his skin colour. But no, it was just the system chewing him up and spitting him out. Probably some executive gave himself a bonus for reducing headcount. Not caring about how many lives it ruins.
If you speak out against the system at best they'll label you insane, but they might just say you're 'belligerent' and throw you in prison. It's the same way abusive parents are with their children.
The part when he makes eye contact with Michael Douglas as he's in the back of the car and is about to drive away, he says "Don't forget me". I always figured he just meant, hey remember me and my story. Which I suppose he really does. However it just dawned on me that the film is basically saying to Bill, don't forget what the system did to you! As he's basically seeing it play out again in front of his very eyes, from another perspective(he obviously sees himself in the guy who is literally dressed exactly the same as he was and is also disenfranchised). So fricking cool how deep this film actually is.
It's the lie that if you work hard one day you can apply for a loan and start your own business, but the reality is that society wants to keep its working drones.
@@paulpatterson7737 He says that to all of us.
Thank you for this. I'm so sick of the youtubers who are crapping on this character.
The character is a stand-in for a lot of real people that they'd no doubt love to take a dump on.
When I was 17, I came home after a shitty work week and complained during dinner about what’s the point, my dad smiled and recommended we watch the movie together. I’ll always remember it
A perceptive man, your father. Good on him.
If anything, wouldn’t that only serve to make you MORE miserable? What IS the point?
@@denimchicken104 The point is you get to hang out with those you love while they are around. Such as his father and him sharing a movie. The point is whatever you make it. Some people would rather just cry about how unfair life is then actually make it better for themselves. Most people actually.
@@maybeitsyou1317 sounds pretty dumb honestly
@@denimchicken104 sounds like you got shoe size IQ
"I'm the bad guy?"
"Yeah"
"How'd that happen? I did everything they told me to".
That exchange gets my soul deeper every time because it's so relevant to my own life.
Bro. Unplug and go for a walk without shoes. It’s not your fault. Don’t get bitter. Today is your first day. Now go…
..,Stuck in Traffic? Hmm, if only Adam-Something and Climate-Town had videos about this
Problem is WHO did you decide to obey.
Japanese have a saying: spend half of your life looking for a sensei worth following...
Same here, brother. Fortunately I figured out the whole system a lie to keep the cattle placated. You should do some research on Christian apologetics. Once you realize that evolution and old-Earth theory is all complete and utter BS, it'll blow your mind. EVERYTHING we were sold was counterfeit goods. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Genesis Science Network is a great place to start.
There were never any rules.
One thing missed by non-LA residents of this movie is the location shooting is absolutely 100% on point. Wherever Bill is supposed to be in the city, that's where they filmed, and you can actually easily map out the path he takes. Very, very few movies worry about map accuracy but this one got it right the best I've seen on film before, traveling from East LA to Santa Monica.
That was one of the things I loved about Steve McQueen's "Bullit". I used to live in San Francisco, and all during the chase through the city he is exactly where he should be everytime he makes a turn...
I've traveled and seen quite a few places where films were made and it's bonkers how wrong everything is. Like the movie Friday with Ice Cube. Ms parkers house was 2 streets over. The road that smokey, big worm, and the cholesterol spoke? Not even the road infront of Craig's house. 😂
Agree, as a lifelong Angelino this movie got LA right in terms of geography, feeling and look.
If you like LA geography got to watch Chinatown with Jack Nicholson. Seeing places like MacArthur park in a historic context is a trip and it makes you appreciate all the old LA architecture.
@@Hexadeci The biggest thing Chinatown misses, through no fault of their own, is that the movie takes place in the '30s. The Chinatown depicted should be Old Chinatown in the area around Union Station. Unfortunately, the whole area was demolished by the mid-'40s.
America is currently plagued by the hydra-headed evil duo of inflation and recession. The worst part about this recession is that consumers are racking up credit card debt. In April alone, credit card debt went up 20% while rates have doubled in a year. Inflation is so high that consumers are literally taking debt for basic life necessities. Collapse has indeed begun..
Collapse is generous 1st time in our history with a full generation that wasn't taught financial literacy, civics, Google fixes their problems if their parents don't do it for them. Reckoning for participation trophies is incoming.
Asking for advice or assistance from a consultant or investment coach is the best line of action if you lack market understanding. Even though it sounds cliche or apparent, talking to a consultant has helped me stay afloat in the market and increase my portfolio to roughly 65% since January 2023. That, in my opinion, is now the most successful strategy for entering the market.
Would you mind recommending a specialist with a variety of investment options? This is extremely rare, and I eagerly await your response.
‘’Aileen Gertrude Tippy’’ is her name. She is regarded as a genius in her area and works for Empower Financial Services. She’s quite known in her field, look-her up.
Thanks a lot for this suggestion. I needed this myself, I looked her up, and I have sent her an email. I hope she gets back to me soon.
An underrated gem of 90’s cinema and still relevant 31 years later. It holds a mirror up to society and shows that we are all one bad day away from snapping. And Michael Douglas turns in a career best performance.
It's not "one bad day", it's more "you can break anyone with the right pressure on the right spot. " It's more universal than people make it out to be.
It's about misplaced aggression. He was used and discarded and his child cut off by his wife. I can't feel sorry for tradcons like this anymore after years of warning about hypergammy and his blameshifting onto the "Left and wokeness".
You may not be old enough to remember the trailers for this film before it was released in theaters.
It basically portrayed a working class white guy unable to simply get home to his kid for her birthday because every Ahole in LA was in his way.
_And he wasn't going to take it anymore!_
Either the director or the studio was punking us all into going to see "revenge of the law abiding white guy."
It turned out the movie was about his fractured mental state and breakdown.
They didn't show that part in the trailers.
@@Hay-x7p They can't have people thinking it could happen to anyone
@@dagfinissocool because then they all vote Trump😎
That briefcase is a symbol of success in corporate America; professionalism, power, success, respect for work, status, authority, and preparation. The irony is that he just has a sandwich and an apple in it, the most basic elements a human needs to live on, kind of a remanent of what the dream turned out to be, just survival, the daily grind while the clock runs out.
That scene, where we first get to see what was in it broke my cold heart, and it still does to this day.
Great interpretation of the briefcase. It also fits nicely to the moment where he handed over those basic necessities, maybe foreshadowing that this will be his last day.
Wow! Good call thanks for sharing with us!
Whoa...that's some powerful insight you've got!😮
"The Big Apple"
Id like to add to it by saying that the irony of him giving it to a homeless person, yet the homeless person throws it away out of disappointment since he was expecting money. Symbolizing the fact that the homeless man is still stuck in "the lie".
My high school Psychology teacher showed this in his class in 11th grade in 1996, and it's been one of my favorites ever since. ❤❤
God, I miss the 90s.
What was your Psych Teacher’s thoughts of this movie?
@@toh6261 Nowadays they’d force you to write an essay about White Rage!
@@DeflatingAtheism or how does the lack of inclusion make you feel?
Dont care
We know we run things. Yall squabbling for 2nd place. @poeticsilence047
Thank you for reviewing such a great movie. I was “that guy” many years ago. A great job, pocket protector, briefcase and all. Then a layoff. I was devastated. My life and family were in turmoil.
My comment however is not about this movie. I greatly appreciate your reviews of newly released movies, but I’d like to see more reviews of the classic movies, and why they were great.
As a over 40 person that always followed the rules and doesn't own a house, doesn't own a car, and doesn't have a steady job...
This. Hits. Deep.
No offense, but something had to go wrong with your journey. You haven’t been able to get a car at 40? Even the housing market, which hasn’t been great in a long time, didn’t really go nuts until ~2017 resulting in the catastrophe we see today. And while the prices had blown up by 2020, the interest rates were a golden ticket. Now, it’s a nightmare in both categories sadly.
You never own anything in life. That's a misconception.
I understand you dude
By the way, don't worry about tje other two guys that commented here, I already reported them to UA-cam for bothering you.
@@nighthowell'no offense" the perfect prerequisite to being offensive 😂
@gavinpowell4607 you know the reason right?
The part where he is on the phone and says hes "past the point of no return" and that means "it takes longer to go back than to go forward" was delivered exactly halfway through the run time. Masterpiece of a movie.
I never stopped to notice that detail before. Thanks for pointing it out!
Totally agree the script was amazing. New films lack strong scrips
That happens in Macbeth, too
I'll keep that in mind once i gave my 2nd watch, thank you!
It's not just the half way point of the movie, it's also after his first murder. He is no longer just a man defending himself, now he can never go back.
That "go away now" has to be the saddest line uttered in a while, and I think summarises the Drinker's complete anger toward society right now, in addition to his poignent and great summary of a fantastic movie that still holds up today, especially more than ever.
Thank you Drinker, you great man.
I never heard a "go away now",
said like that before by the Drinker.
How do we have fix the America Society if we have good leader or agency against them?
I was thinking the exact same thing. Usually he utters that line as an ironic send-off. Keeping "in character" as a curmudgeon. But this time I heard nothing but weary sincerity and a "too damn tired of it all to sustain the fury" kind of anger.
And that, more than anything else, is very telling. I think we all know EXACTLY what that feels like now.
I heard it as a defeated sadness... but that's me
I felt it too. The drinker is a great and insightful man indeed.
A beautifully scripted review. Dissected with care and apt for all of who can identify with the suffering of the character.
A great movie as you say, as poignant today as it was 30 years ago.
Having seen it multiple times but now have experienced my own variant of this story. Thanks for pointing out certain tropes I’d not digested before.
Mr Drinker, black man from Los Angeles, USA here . I must say I’m very proud of you and I know that sounds strange. You’re one of the few creators on UA-cam with a righteous moral compass. Your content is always thought provoking, funny and it’s great that you don’t pull punches on all the hypocrisy. This video is a perfect example of that. You deserve all your success and I wish you lots more. Please keep the torch lit, keep fighting the good fight and thank you for all you do. The tide will turn someday thanks to men like you. Hope to meet you one day, if I do, the entire night’s drinking is on me
I’m “black” lol stop it you white 😂
This could prove to be quite an expensive night of drinking. :) Nice comment, well written. 👍
I agree with all you said except “the tide will turn one day.” The pattern has remained for as long as history has been recorded that the next generation of kids will be worse in every way than the last. And its exactly how it always plays out because parents suck. They never seem to want a child to grow up to be their own person. Maybe you’re right and if you are, big ups on your optimism, but I’ve seen plenty to tattoo the idea in my mind that people don’t deserve what we’ve been given, but since we will eventually kill our own kind and self destruct our own species right out of existence, whatever we have been given and taken advantage of will end up benefitting whomever comes next.
Cringe comment
Are you ECONOMICALLY VIABLE!?
This movie represents what the elites fear the most. It's not the crim on the south side of Chicago; it's the realization of the suburbanite from "Anytown USA" that the managerial state can't keep their promises anymore.
Bingo. And the inevitable retaliation.
the managerial revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race
The current state of this is the obsessive drive for us to “return to the office”. Mind you, the same people told us in 2020 to adjust to “the new normal”, so we did, now they’re not selling office real estate and the places around are dead.
I’m not going back to sitting in a car or train 10-15 hours a week. Did that for 25 years.
@@FourOf92000more of a coup than a revolution. We the people weren't anything oppressive to revolt against.
The criminal joke is: They never could. What the elite of any society at any time want us peasants to forget is that THEY live on OUR surplus and sufferance. That whole "Consent of the Governed" issue.
You see, children, this is called "Inference." It's when you find deeper meaning through context clues, without making it all about yourself. This is what makes us appreciate art.
Absolutely. It's the movies that get better with further viewings that I look out for.
@@GamingGardeningAndLayingSiege Like in Fight Club, when you finally get the twist.
Not only is Tyler, Jack. So is Marla.
Hear hear
Heh, I didn't even know that was a word.
Kid bashing lol, cringe.
This narrator did an excellent job of talking about the depths of the film.
Most people who watch it will not look under the surface or read between the lines. Of what is the true message of this film.
They will
Just see some unstable guy who snaps under a lot of stresss and goes on a rampage .
There is so much more to this movie then that
It baffles me how Joel Schmaucher can both make some pretty solid movies, and then make Batman Forever and Batman and Robin
I love both his Batman movies, but you have to understand he was also under the pressure of the studio because they wanted something more family-friendly and merchandise friendly.
The films he made immediately before ( this ) and after ( 8mm ) his Batman movies not only show he could've done dark Batman films but we're also his best films. 8mm is a masterpiece film, which even features the future Joker.
@@theunknowncommenter725That’s true. Schumacher wanted to do a dark Batman movie, but WB suits overruled him. And let’s be honest, The Dark Knight Trilogy is miles better than both of Schumacher’s combined.
@@LexingtonDeville984 The Dark Knight is the only one of those three even worth watching. They absolutely bore me to tears and there is no way to take Bale seriously in those.
You disqualified yourself with your very first sentence
One time not too long ago, I was asked how my day was going at work. I said “have you ever seen Falling Down?” thinking the guy has never seen it and all he said was “oh shit” 😂😊😊😊😊
Hahaha. Nice!
@ArianoKaurichshut
😂👍
@ArianoKaurich you are a sussy bot
Lol funny. He emphasized with you falling down 😂
The rousing anger of the conclusion against the defeated, low-energy "Go away now..." was an extremely powerful way to end this video.
I felt that to. It hit deep.
I hit the like button and had actually started to scroll but went back when I realized that I almost cheated myself out of the "Go away now" expecting to hear some variation of the "standard" version, but..
I remember watching this movie way back then and I remember him working for the defense for 30 years and after 30 years it was gonna cut and loose that's what started him to purge on what he was fed up with , And the thing is before you work for the government you have to have some sort of psychological exam in order to work for them , He left his job on a mental breakdown .
nah it was pretty vapid.
Yeah that one hit different....
I always loved this film from back in 1993. Having rewatched it recently from a 68 year old male perspective I must say that your "Essay" resonates with my own feelings. Well spoken, Thank You.
The one thing that bothered me towards the end of the movie, is how the police expended so much energy to find Bill, and arrest him, when all kinds of violence and chaos was going on in the city the whole time, and suddenly the one guy who becomes their priority is the dillusioned, fed up average guy who decides to even the score for one day. That line at the end, where he looks confused and asks Robert Duvall "So I'm the bad guy?"
Yeah. In a world gone crazy, the average man just trying to get through life is the bad guy.
That's how police work. They apply overwhelming forces and resources to whatever is most in the public eye at the time. Used to be if you were a moonshiner running from the cops, you'd get a fair chase. Now if you run from a cop you get 52 cars, 14 roadblocks, stop sticks, and three helicopters that cost $15,000 an hour to operate. Why? To further the illusion that cops and the system are not made of human beings who do in fact bleed and can in fact be defeated and buried
A swindling shopowner, a frauding fastfood, a lying bum, a bunch of triggerhappy gangsters, a neo-nazi, a greedy city planning
Basically the only 'innocent' victim that Dfense had a hand in, was the old dude
But kids or young adults with a 10 page rap sheet are always portrayed as the nicest kid ever...
Because "evening the score" goes against the plan
Might have had something to do with Bill committing about a dozen felonies, including popping off gunshots in a crowded restaurant and being at least indirectly responsible for the deaths of two people.
Fun Fact: Michael Douglas has stated his role in Falling Down was his favourite role of his career, and you can see why. He really made this role his own, understanding the feelings of his character and being willing to push boundaries in order to do his character justice. If actors now put that much effort into their roles like he did, the crap Hollywood makes now would at least be halfway decent.
Awesome video, you should definitely make more analytical reviews like this because you’re bloody great at it.
Strangely, I just watched a really good deep dive into Basic Instinct. Seems like I'm in a Michael Douglas Vortex today.
His dad's favourite role was in Lonely Are The Brave.
Completely agree!
I would have thought it was basic instinct, who wouldn't want to be naked with a young Sharon stone, ? Lol
But then again they would have to make something original for that to happen. It's like we're stuck in a time loop where they keep making the same thing over and over again because they can't get it right, or just simply lack creativity and are in their positions because of nepotism.
*Saw it summer 1993 in cinema as a 14 year old alone because no friend of mine had interest to watch it, i felt this movie so hard, after i left the theater i felt i skyrocketed right into adulthood. this movie stucked with me till this day, i watch it every 2 years and recommend it to people, there also feel it. i think it touches a man´s soul on a deeper level. The "dont forget me" from the arrested protester hits me everytime. love from germany*
Its Late October in 2024...... and this breakdown along with the film JUST KEEPS GETTING MORE AND MORE RELEVENT.
Like Office Space and Idiocracy, this film gets increasingly more valid and prescient with each year
Along with Easy Rider and Cool hand Luke.
@@walterjunovich6180 And don't forget Demolition Man.
@@sargatanas91 The thing that made Demolition Man so brilliant, was that it featured a person in a place and time in which he had no business being in.
Man, I just left almost the same comment before seeing this.
Why do you think it gets worse?
Spot on, Drinker. I remember joining the military after 9/11, only to realize that we were lied to about everything. Then I came home a decade later, only to be forgotten by the same country I had given years of my life for. And when I brought this up on social media, my accounts were banned. I guess I wasn't "economically viable."
I was signed up to join the military (UK) around that time, but saw the lie. Lost a few good friends out there. I joined the Police instead but that just opened my eyes more to the BS that we're fed.
Hope you're doing okay now brother.
My respect guys! Wow!
Same, got out after 5 years because it was all B.S. You'd think the military wouldn't have the "office politics" of corporate America but Goddamn it might have been worse.
I remember being overseas in 2012 (election year) and Obama "brought the soldiers home." Yeah he took half our personnel but we were required to cover the same amount of ground which meant we just had to work harder. They're ALL full of it.
@jonsmith1162 good on you, bud. You have my respect.
Americans were lied to about Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iran. Also 9/11 is directly related to USA support of Israeli terrorism in the middle East. The Zionists control America like a lapdog.
Your summary is spot on. All it takes is one bad day. Few recognise how narrow the path is that we follow and how easy it is to ‘fall down’, and how hard it is to get back up again when the system turns against you.
"I'm the bad guy? How'd that happen? I did everything they told me to."- Bill
Such a powerful video, Drinker. One of your best. Cheers!!!!
👍👏👏👏💪
Yes, not merely anger, but incomprehension.
I’ve been an accountant and finance manager for 30 years now, I’ve seen the movie easy 7 times, I work 10+ hours per day for my bosses to get richer, I feel so close to Bill, but I’m probably more coward or I have 3 kids and need to carry on… The movie is a marvel and relaxes me… Thanks Michael!
You're not a coward...
Listen, I did 4 tours overseas in the Corps, 2 in Iraq. You are not a coward.
Bro…you’re a social hero. Personal sacrifice for family is what everything hinges on. We all got here by generations of sacrifice. They all felt the same way. You’re doing them all proud.
You always have a choice to do something else. It's your decision not choose to work as slave but something else what you like and what gives value to the world. Also what you do shows always a pattern to your kids. So if you stay in slave work, there is a high chance they will do the same.
You’re not a coward, you know it’s not the right way to deal with things, it makes you strong that you do what you need to do for your family, that’s a strong man in my eyes & a family man, don’t ever feel weak for providing for your family, don’t ever think that.
Sacrificing your own time & even your happiness for your family’s wellbeing and growth is what makes you a good man & don’t let society make you feel any less of a man or provider, as men we do what we must and do what we can & expect nothing in return and no recognition, sometimes that’s hard to cope with but just know every other man on this planet especially fathers will never see you as a coward but a hero.
A timeless classic that I watch once every few years. And by getting older I fully understand what he was going through and why he snapped.
Pos movie that wants to make white males look bad
It's one of those movies you understand more as you get older.
Falling Down hot takes.
20s: This man is crazy!!!!
40s: I understand him.
It's an anti white film
@@AKeyearea8 It's not
dude, all I can say is well done. You're analysis of this movie, and the way you apply it to today's world, in my humble opinion, is flawless. Thank you for making this video, and reminding me what a fantastic movie, and statement it truly is! I think I'm gonna look it up, and watch it right now- 🔥💪❤️
Every one mentions the quote of, "I'm the bad guy?", but I genuinely feel that the second question said by Foster, "How'd that happen?" is the most impactful and sets up his monolog extremely well.
I’ve noticed that many famous quotes, upon researching it, have even a better second line like -god is dead - and then the second line - and we killed him.
Seems like a story about a guy who helped to build a society but that very "society"he helped to build eventually turns against him and for no good reason other than peer based idiocy and marketing analysis.
It was the premise of the entire movie in 2 sentences: How does an average man become a bad guy?
And I'm most partial to the third line "I did everything they told me to"
"How'd that happen?" ..
Super easy..
ALL plebs get pushed around, you can only push a person just so far before they break and push back _(standing up for yourself)._
Push-back is then viewed as Anger
Anger is instantly renamed Aggression
Aggression is immediately called Violence
"Violence" nomenclature is intended to justify a Disproportionate Response _(physical attack)_ to your original complaint
Disproportionate Response escalates your verbal push-back to an instinctual Survival Response to the unexpected "Disproportionate Response"
Natural Survival Response is then redefined as Resisting Arrest
Voila!
You're now a Violent Criminal and being held down until ya suffocate _(or just shot)_ to death; your original complaint is then forever ignored.
Out of nearly 3/4s of a million laws and regulations criminally enforceable, *_someone_* is bound to make at least *_one_* posthumous accusation stick well enough for the Media..
I was an extra in this movie in the pier scene where Michael Douglas is being chased by the police. It was a big Warner Bros production with multiple cameras including a helicopter flying overhead so everytime they had to do a take it would take more than an hour to reset everything. I was standing near Michael when he was talking to his wife in the movie in between takes. He was so calm, talking about going to the gym to lift weights, his new diet, this is right before he's doing a scene where he gets shot and killed by a cop, great actor under pressure.
The movie did reflect my impression of living in Los Angeles too where alot of people seem to be out for themselves and only talk to you if it benefits them or to insult and make fun of people.
It is still like that in LA. LA has changed in some ways, but it is still the pit of artificiality that hollywood (hollyweird) is built upon
Did you leave?
@aliciabell6688 I've been living in Thailand since 2013 where most people are very approachable, friendly and often complimentary even with their limited English speaking ability.
Today, America Is A Complete Sht Hole...
You Were Right To Have Left,
I Would Of Loved To Have Left
In 2016, Heck Even Jan 1st 2020...
But The System Just Hates You
Enough That You Can't Get Out
If Your Not Born With Money...
I Had Just Started Turning My
Life Around In Late 2019, &
In Jan 1st 2020 Was When All
This BS Started Happening, :(
The Thing Is This:
America Isn't The Problem, It's Not,
The Problem Is Politics... And No
Politician Is Willing To Admit This,
Not Even Today As America Is
Ripped Apart Into Pieces, Politicians
Are Still Refusing To Admit That
Politicians Are The Problem, ~_~
They Bicker Over How We Will Live
Through Our Future, & We Are Sitting
Here, Like Thinking That We Have
The Most Rediculously Stupid Dum
Shts Running For Office, ~_~
1.) We Need Someone To Run America,
We Need Someone, Because America
Can't Run It's Self, People Are Too Stupid... ~_~
2.) We Need Law & Order Handling America,
Police, Because People Are Again Too Stupid,
& Consealed Carry Is Driving People Into FEAR,
Causing People To Want Guns For Bad Reasons,
Not Because They Enjoy Them, & I Don't Like That, ~_~
3.) 70% Of America Want Someone Younger,
With Newer Fresher Ideas, & A Younger Mindset
To Run For Office, Yet Neither One Of These Crazy
Politicians Are Willing To Give Up Their Political
Stance In American Politics Today, & Their Conflict
Is Killing America, Not Them, It's Just The Conflict
Between Them That Is Killing America...
70% Of People Don't Wanna Vote At All,
& Because Of How Crazy Things Are Getting,
Someone Is Gonna End Up Being Voted For,
& It's Gonna Be The Guy Who Wants To Send
America Right Back Into Where This Movie
Took Place, Falling Down, Basically "Trump"...
But If We Vote For The Other Guy "Biden",
He's Letting Satanizm, Cults, & Death,
& Bloodshed Ramp Down Our Streets,
& Destroy Everything, Which Is Far Worst
Then What We Would End Up With If We
Voted For "Trump", ~_~
Somehow The Freedom People Of America,
Decided They Didn't Like Human Life Anymore,
& We All Started Turning Our Attention To
The People Of Republicans, Like "Trump"...
Con Man, Lies, Whatever You Call It Today "Trump"??
There Is No Way, I'm Funding Someone
"Biden Nomic Supporters"
To Spill Blood In The Streets Of America,
& Think That Is How We Build Better
Countries, Especially For Stupid Reasons, ~_~
Soooo, At The End Of The Day?? Even Though
70% Of America Doesn't Wanna Vote, Someone
Is Gonna Vote, & People Are Suspecting Trump
Will Win The Election, Simply Because Joe Biden
Is Turning America Into A Sespool Of Disgust,
& Death, & Joe Biden Is Even Attacking His Own
Supporters Now...
Mind You, The Very Guy "Joe Biden" Was The
Only One Who Ever Mentioned, & Admitted
That America Had Issues Like Racism, &
ECO System, & Society Issues When He First
Came Into Office... It's Just Too Bad His
Solution Was Just To Have The World
Exterminated, & He Would Laugh As Peopled Died,
& That Joe Biden Wasn't The Answer We Needed
To Solve, Fix, & Deal With These Issues, ~_~
You Living Around People Who Care,
Treat You Better?? America Was Great
Until 2020 Kinda, That Is When America
Fell Apart Really... Good Thing You Don't
Live In America Anymore, ~_~
@@mikechonburi7976 hi from Chiang Rai 👋
I remember watching this gem in the theater with my wife. There were scenes where a lot of audience cheered, including myself… I loved it… and she hated every bit of it, and I don’t think she ever viewed me in the same way afterwards. No wonder we eventually divorced.
I hope you found someone better. She sounded like a bitter lemon dead weight.
You’re better off without her
That's because men submit themselves to this drudgery for their wives & kids,
and women get uncomfortable when that reality is laid bare.
Some people could never truly understand this movie.
Its impossible for women to conect with this movie, because women are loved for being women. Men are the only thing in society loved by condition.
Well said. One of my favorite movies. Stayed with me through time as an example not to trust the promises of a corrupt, broken consumerist system that destroyes anything it touches, even men. But I think it's not Bill who's falling down, it's society, that's why your analysis, that Bill is everyone, is spot on. Bill is everyone, because society is falling down. The capitalis society is destroying itself with no way back. A brilliant picture painted by a true genius. A film underestimated and forgotten, but more relevant than ever.
When this movie came out I was only 19 years old, and at that time I did not see Bill as "the bad guy." I was rooting for him all the way. 30 years later and I root for Bill even more enthusiastically. You said it perfectly: this movie is more poignant, meaningful and relevant today than ever.
Although afaik that's missing the point, at least according to the director and the lead actor. Both of which iirc said that they wanted the main character to be relatable to some extent, but not glorified.
"more poignant ......today than ever". It will become more relevant because it's true. 1993 was a relatively early stage in the unwinding of American society. During the interim period, the process has gone much further. The United States 🇺🇸 is based on what James Burke called Social Darwinism. The devil take the hindmost. The survival of the fittest, for which read richest. Corporations have no responsibility for their workers and can hire and fire at will. Bill Foster is a victim of the system. His skill set, whatever it was, became superfluous, or else his corporate employer could replace him with cheaper outsourced workers. Skilled technical workers can be hired at one tenth the price of an American worker in India ir elsewhere. That's why I'm a socialist, or at least a Social Democrat. A government must have some RESPONSIBILITY for the welfare of its people, and legislate for employers to treat their people responsibly. America doesn't do that.
Holy crap same story for me. I knew the dude wasnt guilt free, but a victim of the changing world, which was changing for the worst. And of course, the virtue signaling critics of the day were critical of it.
I walked out of the theater shaken at how good this film was. One of the best moments is when the guy protesting at the bank is being taken away. He looks at Douglas and says, "don't forget me." It sent shivers down my spine.
It's also good foreshadowing too, considering what happens to Douglas!
Don't forget about occupy wall Street
Phew... You're not kidding. The entire movie is riddled with such intense, emotion evoking scenes but that one always stood out to me. It's such a pivotal point in the movie too. It's almost like D-FENS is finally moving past that point in his life and moving on toward his inevitable end but the kindly stranger reminds him, "Don't forget me." almost as to remind him that he _is_ a good person and what his actions were motivated by. Sometimes, it's all just too much..
I doubt you even saw it in the theater, there sure are a lot of liars in the comments. Pretending they have some deep insightful connection to this movie, suddenly now that this review is out lol
@@BudFuddlacker @BudFuddlacker Dude, you're late! Where the _fuck_ have you been!? You were supposed to show up with the "You never even saw it, blah blah blah, ambiguous bullshit, followed by your generations call sign, the 'lol' " comment right after the _first_ comment, not the third you dunce! I'm paying you good money to not suck at trolling but _this_ is all you can come up with!? You're fired. At least you don't have to worry about paying rent at your parents house.
The three pens in his pocket are red white and blue. A lot of thought went into this film.
"Do you know how much money my country's given to you"
"How much"
"You know I don't know...but it's gotta be a lot"
My favourite part.
Line would've been better: "They don't want us to know... but it's a lot."
And they are over his heart…….
That's a good observation about the pens, thanks for pointing it out. Makes me wonder what other details I've missed out on. What about the hole in his shoe? What do you think that represents?
EDIT: I'm going to take a stab at answering my own question and say it means the bottom has fallen out.
@@rrice1705 shoe= not quite. Its the sole of his shoe. His soul. has a hole. missing his family, his daughter, his "normal" life... This is something that is hard for normies to get, but once you've been through an ugly divorce, been deployed overseas and seen how much opulence we have here in USA... and he was losing all of it.
This is my interpretation of it. It is just one more step in his downfall.
It occurred to me that he has 3 pens and "not economically viable" guy only had one. Seemed to me like it was a suggestion of military rank, like he'd put up with this shit for years, and the other guy was just getting started.
Or maybe they only had 4 pens ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
GREAT critigue.....and I agree completely!!!! "I'm the bad guy?" Yes, we are all one decision - good or bad, right or wrong - from 'FALLING DOWN'!
The part that gets me the most- when he sees the other guy protesting the bank wearing the exact same outfit- and gets hauled away by police - “don’t forget me”…
I love that part. They connect with each other without a word. By the time he says that, they were already brothers.
They're both in the same boat. They are both middle class white collar workers, educated, probably college graduates, who have become "surplus to requirements" and therefore "not economically viable." So they end up on the street. Probably their jobs still exist, but are now done by somebody in Mexico or Hyderabad in India. Their bosses do it because they CAN. A few years ago, here in France, where I live, Goodyear, the American tyre company, had a factory which they wanted to shut. I think they wanted to relocate to Eastern Europe, because of cost. The factory was efficient and productive, but being France, it was strongly unionised, and workers were well paid, with good benefits etc. When the workers found out about management's plans, they shut themselves inside the factory and took the factory bosses hostage. They looked after them well, feeding them etc, but they wouldn't let them go. There was a stand off. Finally, Goodyear management was forced to come to the negotiation table, and the factory stayed open. Jobs were saved.
That's how it's done. Unfortunately, since the Reagan era, American workers have given up the rights that their fathers and grandfathers fought so hard for. Hence all the Bill Fosters of America.
@@AndriyValdensius-wi8gw American unions often have bad reputations because far too often they happen to be run by unscrupulous groups who use said unions to browbeat and steal a portion of the wages of the "union members" while doing little to actually help the average worker. The worst ones were the ones controlled by the mob, where the union really was just a legal method of extortion. So it often ends up being a double whammy of incompetence or outright malice under the guise of being "for workers rights" that most Americans would rather not have unions that be taken for a ride.
Yes, that is such a powerful scene I think. The way the guy sees him and says, "Don't forget me." In such a poignant way, followed by the nod as D-Fens acknowledges him gets me every time. Nobody wants to be forgotten.
@mrbigglezworth42
So I've heard. Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters, etc. It's unfortunate that there is such corruption. Once the mob / Mafia gets involved it all goes to hell. The principle of unions is good and very valuable. At times they were essential for fighting for workers' rights. But if the union itself becomes too powerful and / or corrupt, then the cure might be worse than the disease. All I can say is that a union should belong to its members, and the members should have a system of electing their representatives democratically. People who will genuinely work in their members' interests, rather than help launder the proceeds of crime.
I absolutely love the "Not Economically Viable" scene. It really resonates with me more now as an adult. It's completely melancholy, and the way the cops arrest and cart away this guy who merely dares to peacefully protest outside a bank, the symbol of state financial power, is chilling.
Yeah it was also a polar mirror opposite of D-Fens, it was brilliant how he was dressed the same too, and told D-Fens to remember him. It was a surrealistic moment, but basically that was the branching bifurcation moment for Bill, where he would either be carted away for standing his ground, or fall down standing his ground. He chose to fall on his own terms.
“Don’t forget me now.” And D-fens won’t.
It always reminds me of that twilight zone episode with Burges Meredith, "I am not obsolete, I am a man!'
The other side of this scene is that they are dressed similarly, the white guy outside of the bank walking away and ignoring the black man with the sign is also dressed similarly. It's a scene that shows skin colour doesn't matter and that we are all just automatons set on a path of life by other peoples expectations. The major difference between the three men is that the black guy has found out the lie and is raging against it in a futile attempt to wake people up, Michael Douglas is just beginning to wake up to the reality and the anonymous guy outside the bank...he's still suffering through the delusion and believing the divisions and lies fed to us by the mainstream media.
This is why the police arrest the protestor, the powers that be can't have him triggering critical thought among the general populace or the whole system will start falling down.
@@Billy-bc8pk I also love that the two men are essentially identical despite notably being a black man and a white man. The way in which they have been crushed transcends any race or identity politics, it's a symptom of the state system they bought into.
For me the best scene is the guy being arrested for protesting on the street with the "Not economically viable" sign and when the cop car gets to Foster, the guy says "Don't forget me" and he just nods to him. For some reason it stuck with me.
Indeed
"Don't forget me" guy is a lot of us. I had to work with senior citizens relying on Social Security and Medicare and they're him. Can't work anymore? We'll give you a fraction of the money you need and wish you good luck old chap.
Yea that it is real moment in the film, true!
you dont want to be forgotten
That line hit me so hard. I, for one, certainly did not forget him.
Falling down is an all-time favourite movie of mine. Watched it so many times. There's a lot of little nuances that may not be picked up on a single viewing.
Have you caught onto the Corona virus reference in the Korean store?
@@Fawn-hv7mxhow did it go?
I love how the movie palette looks warm. You can always see D-fens sweating, you can see the heat boiling off the road in the shots, the tone of the film looks very yellow/red/orange.
The parallels it draws between modern society and the LA 90's heat is amazing. In real life, LA had lots of riots because of the heat at the time. It's like modern society is suffocating and all encompassing.
I like that too, its an art style, lots of people forget to have them these days
It’s gonna happen again and be worse soon. The power grid is going to be taxed by EV and Gas is gonna skyrocket sending everything else up in price. Then bam your ac is shut off while people are screaming global warming on smart phones and Tik tok hood culture.
Been watching the "Drinker", for maybe 5 years now... And that movie analysis was the most powerful, and brilliant thing, I've ever heard him expound upon.
he took inspiration from youtuber 'moon' who released something similar 6 days ago. Most brilliant my ass
So many video essays on this film out there . The Barking Years made one four months ago, bizarrely calling it American Propaganda. I'm ashamed that I had to comment here to let you know.
One of my favorite scenes in all movies, is where the protesting guy gets taken away by the cops, and when the car is driving away it briefly stops in near Bill and the man says "Dont forget me." and Bill nods. That exchange, that sad and tragic moment. The way it feels like the poor guy is just going to disappear within the corrupt system. It just hits me deep.
Damned right.
That scene was an amazing exchange.
it was "remember me"
@@NoNameAtAll2 Dumb thing to argue over, but no its not. "Remember me" is from pharaoh Bender.
It wasn't mentioned, but they wear exactly the same clothes and identical tie, but he's black and Bill is white. I found that to be extremely poignant.
One of my favorite movies of all time. Michael Douglas' greatest effort IMO.
"I'm the bad guy?" A truly heartbreaking line, delivered with the understatement to really drive home how broken everything is.
That's how most straight white dudes feel these days
He definitely was a bad guy
*RIP Frederic Forest*
His (Army Surplus Store owner)character in this movie,said nothing wrong
@@TheRetrostorian To be fair I don't FEEL that way despite being told constantly by morons that I SHOULD feel that way.
@@chalkandcheese1868 No he's a guy that made bad decisions. Prisons are full of guys who made bad decisions, reality is rarely so black and white.
I've fallen down twice. I got up, dusted away the filth, and started over. I'm very happy today, and thank *God* I didn't fall off the deep end. This isn't my favorite movie of all time, but it's *damn* sure in the top 10. CD, thank you for your reassessment of this amazing film. 🙏❤️
What are your top 10?
@@haydnw869 It has changed over the years, but there is 1 constant: It's a Wonderful Life. Others include Back to the Future, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Blues Brothers. 👍
I've seen 'Falling Down' when it first came out but, after 2019, I've gained a whole new appreciation for films like "Falling Down" and "They Live".
"They Live" was an underrated satire with Rowdy Roddy Piper. "Idiocracy" was another great one.
The Drinker should review They Live
"They Live" is a very poignant movie for our current time.
They Live is one of the greatest documentaries of all time.
I first watched them in 2008 when I was 20.. just randomly discovering movies... Same with , 'they live' , I saw them probably the same month
One of the best movies ever. Mike Douglas totally got that character Bill right. Brilliant acting by Douglas and great directing by Joel Schumacher. Great support cast Barbara Hershey,and Robert Duvall. In my top ten.
I always loved that movie. And had nothing but sympathy for Bill. His death at the end was one of the saddest I've seen. And one of his last lines just added to the sadness of it all: "I'm the bad guy?... how did that happen?"
For unknown reasons, Bill allowed his anger to lead him to insanity.
As the Duvall character says to Bill, “Is that what this is about? They lie to everybody. “
Real men understand that. They recognize that the world owes them nothing. They make a difference one encounter at a time without violence.
Duvall is the hero.
@@miguelservetus9534And yet Duvall kills the hero of the movie. That seemed violent to me…
@@marianmoses9604 Bill pulled first. Prendergast had no way to know it was a water gun and suicide by cop.
@@miguelservetus9534That’s easy to say if you still are allowed to see your children. Sometimes people’s children are the only reason people feel life is worth living for besides all the violence he used was in self defense
@@StMichael7 Notice that the movie does not explain why he is not allowed the access to his daughter. We are informed that he is delusional, heading to work when he is unemployed. Clearly he was mentally deranged.
Courts, as a general rule, want both parents involved. Nowhere in the movie does it suggest that the ex wife did him wrong.
Let’s assume she did, and got a PDA restricting his access. A sane man goes about behaving to convince the court he is safe with his child. Courts do not reverse decisions when you break their rules.
We note that he drew on Predegrast. So all his violence is not in self defense.
And the scene with the grocer was not justified. It is not how normal people behave.
It's impossible to understand this movie without understanding the history of Los Angeles. The 1990s saw the loss of the defense industry, probably the prime economic driver of the LA economy. Younger people don't remember it, or didn't live through it, but Los Angeles was the center of the MIC. All major defense contractors had factories, design studios, and corporate offices there. Not too far away from the big movie studios that pumped out American culture to the rest of the world - was the industry that pumped out bombs to the rest of the world. It provided a good income for everyone from someone on the shop floor who barely graduated high school, to the Ivy League cream of American society in the C-suite. People sent their entire family through college on regular manufacturing jobs far later than the rest of the US. The ethics of the defense industry aside, it allowed everyone (white, brown, black, etc) a stable income and a way to advance in a society that was clearly decaying. With the end of the Cold War in 1989, and the collapse of the USSR in '91, the entire industry collapsed. Corporate offices moved to Northern Virginia (to be closer to the political heart), the defense plants, which were anchored to the LA metro since WWI, moved to cheaper (and un-unionized) regions in the South. Downsizing meant a lot of jobs disappeared entirely. This is where we find D-FENS. He's one of the unlucky many who lost his job entirely, there was no move-to-Alabama option for him, it was completely over. Everything he worked for, everything he was taught, and everything he did proved to be completely pointless. It's fitting that the only two movies filming on location in Central Los Angeles on the day the Rodney King verdict came down were Falling Down and Demolition Man.
Did you know that in the 19-teens there was an oil spill in LA that wasn’t stopped for years on end.
There’s tons of oil wells hidden inside big buildings
Some of them adjacent to residences
@@fastinradfordable Yeah, oil is another dying industry in Los Angeles. I don't see it last much longer, especially with the new regulations on offshore drilling.
Great edifying comment!
I appreciate this breakdown so much. Born 1997 so I need this kind of context that isn’t often talked about
My mom and dad worked at McDonnell Douglas, all their friends did too. We lived in Santa Monica near it, and nearly every homeowner in the area worked there. I remember. They were all skilled, educated and living the dream, growing families under the hot overcast Santa Monica skies.
"Everyone has the potential to end up just like him. All it takes is one bad day." Well spoken, sir.
Pathetic & deplorable people succumb after merely one day, life is messy & seeded with suffering… but to accept corruption, gross incompetence/indifference, and thuggery for a prolonged period, is also pathetic, cowardly, and dangerous for civilization as a whole. Unfortunately too many people snap, and lash out at mostly innocent people, instead of the key perpetrators.
"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day." - The Killing Joke
@@boxcutter0 most things need to burn if society get to be dishonest so can the regular guy.
@@boxcutter0 The people most at fault for corruption are usually inaccessible, so you take it out on the closest thing you can.
*_Anyone_* will break if pushed enough.
This is a great movie. There was a 10 year period where Douglas was on fire. He always had a great eye for quality stories
I can tell you as someone who spent a career in law enforcement, once you see the system from the inside, you realize how broken it really is. One is the child support system. The judge can put you in jail for a set amount of time, no good behavior, nothing. You're only way out early is to pay off the entire amount. I saw a guy once who got put in jail for 90 days despite the fact he was paying child support, the very amount he owed every week, but the judge said he should pay it faster, so he put him in jail, which cost him his job and then couldn't pay it at all. Putting someone in jail for not paying child support on average where I am costs taxpayers about $90 a day for the room and food overall. So some guy who gets sentenced to 90 days in jail for child support costs taxpayers $8000. Not to mention, if you're in jail, you can't work. It's a rigged game. Now, there are some who won't pay their child support, but there are others with alimony and child support and the cost of living, well, how can they live themselves? And that's just one thing I've seen.
Not economicly viable...
The truth is that there are two prisons. And we're all in one of them.
Is this for real? How is that ever allowed to happen. This world is fucked
Imagine being a trucker, paying your child support, get injured so miss some work, get your license yanked so you can’t work. Met a couple homeless guys because of that.
This is the precise reason that feminist marriage laws cannot work alongside conservative marriage laws. You can’t weaponise the state against people who have no recourse or support, because the woman in question chose poorly.
That wasn't a review of the movie Falling Down. That was a review of the world we live in! Masterful!
i thing that even this is avoidance of true understanding; i mean, you are small, insignificant and basically nobody, no matter what you were raised to believe, and its ultimately good to realize that, but its also good to come to such realization in carefull and gradual manner, hence sudden realization of your true state can be unbearable burden for your psyche...only than you can embrace process of framing yourself, knowing its usefull lie and carry on, not blaming state, family, neither yourself...
Remember how protest was used by the state against the people in 2020 election cycle
Then when the same people tried to protest a foreign state in 2024, the USA state sent in enforcers to beat them up while under sniper over watch?
Dystopia is here
@7JeTeL7
agreed that we are all miniscule individually. But that doesn't mean we need to accept lies and manipulation by the powers that be. We can be a great force when combined, no need to bow our heads in nihilistic acceptance.
Sure, in relation to the universe, all of us combined are nothing. But here on earth, the worker bees together can affect our hives.
The Western World that is, these issues are not prevalent in third world countries but they have their own issues which can be greater than being lied on a false promise.
@@RyanM-ke2gu oh, absoulutely; i just don´t think, that main character in this movie spiraled down because burger doesn´t look like some ad, or because "politicians lie", this was way deeper disillusionment via looking through "lies" of life...and no bowing, no nihilism; there is need for some story, only built on such acceptance
Thanks for doing a great critique on one of my favorites. A very good movie that strikes a chord with anyone who's been kicked in the balls by society through no fault of their own.
I remember when my dad went to see this in theatres back in 93. He came home, told us that it was good, but that the message was the best part. I was a bit too young to see it then but when I did as a teen, I didn't get it. Watched it in my 20s, started to understand it. Watched it when middle aged, now I totally get it. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Exactly
So what's the message?
If the message of the film is the one Drinker got at here, then the message went right over your head, and you also had foresight to perversely interject your own views based on 21st century social movements as well as ignore key details of what it’s actually about
@@kbanghartit’s the system man! It’s the system!!!
He came home, took his briefcase, told you that he's going out to get some cigs and you've never seen him since.
I was 13 when this movie came out and I didn’t get get all of the nuance in it but still loved it. 5 years later my parents lost everything. Their small business of 25+ years, our house, everything. They were damn near homeless for 8 years. After that this movie took on a whole new meaning. Thank you Drinker for nailing just how well this movie aged and why it was so poignant to this day.
How did your parents lose everything?
Michael Douglas has, on record, declared "Falling Down" one of the most brilliant scripts he ever read and main roles he had the pleasure to take on. Additionally, he added some profound insight into the main character's desire to go home. Paraphrasing, that he desires a place where he feels "at home", a period in time where white-collar, middle-class working men like him were valued, desired, and rewarded for their contributions. Something that, in the character's mind, made sense.
So he actually had some input on the script?
@@Thomasmemoryscentral Probably him reading the script and deciding on the why of what his character is doing. Y'know... motivation.
When I first watched this movie back in the 90’s it home with me as I knew the American dream was dying. Great movie and a lot of folks can relate
I saw it at the theater with my brother when I was in my early twenties and I loved and never understood the negative criticism it got. You did a beautiful job of succinctly summarizing this movie. Thank you.
That's easy-- kill the messenger.
It got negative criticism because it told the truth, even in the early nineties.
He 100% nailed it….. 👍
I think most of it came from the fact that every character in the movie is an exaggerated stereotype. They are, but that's what makes it so real and relevant to this day. There is an uncomfortable truth in them.
Jesus this hit like a ton of bricks. The last minute was a giant gut punch. For Michael Douglas, it was "When did I become the bad guy?". For me it was "When did I become him (minus the violence of course)". Drinkers final lines were filled with more emotion and pain than anything I've seen in cinema recently and damn near had me in tears
This movie hits hard
Yeah. Those final lines are that of a weary man, tired of the fight. Goddamn.
I think another reason this movie works too, is when you realize that while it's bringing up the issues that plagues this society, Foster is the last person to be trying to "do something about it". Because while understandable, Foster's methods are literally coming from insanity.
Foster was suppose to be characterized as someone who's a total moral absolutist, even showing some misanthropic beliefs (Even if he claims otherwise.). He's shown to have a distaste for his home population, stemming from this. To him, there are good guys and bad guys, and he's suppose to be a good guy, right? Well, it's complicated.
Because Foster's moral compass isn't all that sound given his past, he is shown to speak ill of his environment, especially considering how it's 90s Southern California. But he never holds, nor does he ever express any xenophobic or racist beliefs for those arguing against this movie. But based on his general misanthropy his distaste for the urban decay of the city, it may lead to how some should question their view of him (Both audiences and the characters throughout the movie.)
But with that said, I don't think that was Falling Down's point, but more to show how any sort of absolute morality can be dangerous, depending on what moral scale you are using. So in hindsight, both sides have it wrong about Foster, in questioning to whether he was always meant to be portrayed as a toxic evil man, or claiming him to be the undisputed hero.
Foster is simply an anxious, paranoid dude who needs to get some help.
For whatever reason I want to compare this movie to breaking bad.
What you said.
Watched Drinker for years and I think this is the first time I heard him... Sound... Like this.
Even more Frightening, even in the good parts of the states, I can see the cracks around me. ...and the ones forming in me.
Dead on breakdown. You can’t imagine how many American men feel this movie now.
Totally agree, this movie is relevant to this day
For real
Especially if you are a straight white man.
Masterpiece. One the top 5 greatest, truest films of all time.
I'm an American who saw this when it came out, just as I was finishing high school. I liked it on the surface level and thought of Bill in almost comical terms--a power fantasy where all of life's annoyances are dealt with in the most over-the-top way possible.
In other words, I missed the point entirely.
Watching it now, after 30 years of life's frustrations, disappointments, and grind--I get it.
And it's brilliant to see a movie that called its shot from that far away.
Same here. I always loved this film and it always resonated me even when it first came out, but I've only further grown to appreciate it with each passing year. It becomes ever-more poignant with its messaging.
That is how good bit deeper fiction in general works. As young you see certain simples aspects of it due your experiences that far but then 5, 10, 20 years later when you encounter it again you see much more shades of gray which you could not see with your limited experience before.
Simple analogy would be kids fiction which they will see funny bits and colors and simple ha-ha stuff and adults sees those but also jokes aimed at them that go straight over kids heads.
Sometimes life feels like a long, hot traffic jam.
One of the most underrated performances by Michael Douglas. Even when he waves the gun around in the fast food restaurant, we were still rooting for him.
Why wouldn't we be rooting for him?
It is true, I was!
@@trysometruth What difference does it make that it was a burger joint?
@@chickenlover657 because he's a psychotic criminal who smashed up and threatened a small store owner because he didn't like the price of a soda? This movie didnt just age badly, if someone likes this movie and agrees with the messaging you know for a fact they have main character syndrome
@@NeonValleys You obviously don't get the movie or the main character or the situation that brought him where it did. You obviously know zero psychology. Gimmie a call when you fix all that.
My dad is 75 and this is his favourite movie. Ironically, he was treated bad by society as well, but I chose to side with him instead of my mother when I was 17 because I knew the truth. The prejudice in modern society is so heavily skewed against working men, it just breaks my heart.
Facts
No. It isn't skewed
@@danerook 🤖
@@danerook wrong
@@danerook It's FUCKNG skewed against men. Society had better watch it's back. MILLIONS of DFENS type men are growing.
THIS is how a movie should portray American issues. It’s so layered and isn’t preachy at all.
This is true cinema
"But i did everything they told me to do." That line hits hard. i felt the same after being pushed into the real world, did my time in school, got a job, got my own place i was always told that would make me feel more free but i felt more trapped like i could never do anything else.
if you actually understood the movie then you'd understand that you are indeed the villain, just like the main character of the film is.
Same. Also his black doppelganger who gets arrested was another striking and pivotal moment of the film -- you either do everything they tell you to and become a victim of the system if you attempt to rebel, or you go the way of D-Fens and completely fall down, taking whoever you can with you as you fall. There is no way to win in the current machine.
@@TheWraith7 No, that's just more propaganda. Not surprising from a twilight zone nostalgist. If you took someone from the past they would be impressed by the tech and then disappointed by everything else, how small the world has become and how little freedom and privacy the average man has today compared to before. And then they'd die of modern disease.
@blank4227 it's the uncaring world that made him the villain he's a symptom of the machine like we all are. If anyone who speaks up about it or can relate to it is the bad guy i guess the good guy is the sheep who just consumes brainlessly and numbs and dehumanises themselves in your mind.
@@TheWraith7 why is this guy trying to be my therapist? let's pay attention to the weird language, it's of course an attempt at shaming but the specific tactic is to act like a psychological expert and paint the target as mentally unwell. weird stuff!
I walked out of Blockbuster with this movie on VHS with absolutely no idea what it was about, I just liked the cover (yeah, I'm VCR old). The slow burn, the gradual escalation, the way you can see him struggle to keep the threads together as they fray away... such a fantastic film!
I remember almost everybody had a stereo and a record player in the mid 80s, but maybe a little more than half had a VCR. By the time this movie came out you hardly ever saw a record player, and most houses had two or three VCRs. It's weird being VCR old, isn't it?
I rented MANY movies on VHS back in the day just because of the cover.
Exactly same. Picked it after trying to figure out what to rent for like 30 minutes
Be proud of and thankful for your age. People who didn't experience life before the new millennium are lost souls without history and perspective.
Bill may have had a security clearance as a defense industry employee, which likely would have been revoked due to the (unjustified) restraining order, thus his job lost for doing nothing but “following the rules”. This movie is a masterpiece.
In addition to the historical context. The collapse of the soviet union caused the spending on defence to contract, and thus, so many like bill in LA were out of work post collapse of the USSR, as their work was no longer needed.
@@Destroyer_V0 ah, yes. The "peace dividend". The one we're still enjoying today!
@@y00t00b3r mmhmm. For while the US might have kept the most military industries, they still got rid of some of em.
My clearance was not revoked. He had a b.s. RO placed on him anyways. Supposed to only be for ppl with multiple arrests for domestic violence. The clearance investigators just go over it at re-investigation or CE.
I recently rewatched this great movie and it is timeless!
"I think we got off on the wrong foot. This is your home, and a man's home is his home... so, if you'll just back up a little bit... I'll take my problems somewhere else."
He tried so hard.
The complexity of a Man's Mind & Heart while trying to over the world pinned against him.
What I've figured out in my 61 years of life is you don't have to go looking for trouble, it will inevitably and or eventually come to you!
@@froufroufeatherstone6291 This movie could have been called "Try Hard"
@@snow_tacknives2024 it's come to all of us in 2024
@@snow_tacknives2024 This turns good men into the trouble for those looking for it.
Released in 93. Pre internet, flip phones, social media, and mistrust in our media. Things have only gotten worse.
It really is incredible to consider how bad things were even before social media and smart phones.
People not trusting the media is an improvement. They've been lying to us for a very long time. Anyone with even a basic understanding of American history is aware that yellow journalism is largely responsible for at least one war, specifically the Spanish-American War.
I mean, every time the whole "Government gots to have more power because misinformation on social media is so dangerous" line gets brought up, my first thought is literally "A hundred years ago nobody would take the word of a stranger over what's written in a newspaper, so doesn't that mean it's legacy media who screwed the pooch?"
I mean, they had everyone's trust, journalist was a respected job, and they blew it. They blew it SO hard.
@@qcriverrat Yeah, it's all been lost in a haze of pop nostalgia, but people either don't know, or have forgotten what a real dark edge a lot of American culture in the 1990s had. A post-Cold War world after decades of being gaslit by various institutions and factions that some maniac with his finger on the trigger would wipe out the entire human race in a nuclear holocaust, followed by an existential and identity crisis bathed in cynicism, passive-aggressive sarcasm, and ironic self-detachment that didn't really start to resolve itself until the decade was nearly over.
The decade started in a recession. Pensions were entirely deleted by then (started in the 80s). Tech savvy were finding BBS and Usenet that were showing them the "conspiracy nuts" weren't that far off. We just had a war and were now occupying land. Oh, and terrorism had touched us. Most of what you think wasn't there, was just starting to bubble just beneath the surface. Jungle love and "politically correct" was all en-vogue.
I've always viewed this movie as a companion piece to Office Space. Both respond to the soulless materialism and corporate bureaucracy of 90s America, but where Office Space responds with absurdist comedy, Falling Down responds with tradegy and madness.
As Fight Club put it, "we are the middle children of history"
"We have no great war. No Great Depression. Our war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.
We've all been made to believe we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars. But we won't and we are slowly learning that fact. And we are very, _very_ pissed off."
'Our Great Depression is our lives'
Try My Dinner with Andre
Office space is another good one
"We're the all singing, all dancing crap of the world"
Man I love this review! I happened to see this movie on the plane ✈️ and was shocked by how profound it was your analysis is spot on!
To me the briefcase always symbolized the middleclass upwardly mobile life we aspired to, grinded for, fought for only to find out at the end that it was just an empty lie that baited us into throwing away the things that really matter- family, friends, truly living in the moment and making the most if each moment. So many layers to this movie.
Nobody made you abandon your family and friends. Take some damned responsibility for yourself.
Yup. It’s all he has, even if empty. Also, it’s a brief “case”, his life :/
@@SeraphsWitness Kind of hard when most people are tricked into a life that was designed to trap them. Stop acting like you’re the ‘big man’.
@@OffendEveryoneImmediately You weren't tricked. And nothing is designed to trap you. You're just being a whiny child.
I'm not the "big man", though compared to the petulant children in the comments I can see how you'd think that.
You're the most privileged generation in the history of the world, aside from perhaps Boomers who got an exceptionally good setup.
So show some damned gratitude. You're commenting on UA-cam for God's sake. You know where your next meal is coming from and you own a smartphone. Grow up.
Our society continues to try to convince people they need to dedicate their lives to their careers. Companies want people who continuously want to "grow", take more responsibility, advance higher and higher. Be willing to relocate for new roles, put in nights and weekends to meet increasingly unreasonable demands. We're being brainwashed into believing that if we achieve enough "success", we will finally find what we're missing that will give us the happiness we desperately seek. I've personally spent enough time trying to find that job that will give my life meaning, any relationship with a company is ultimately one-sided
Fight Club is a film very similar to this one. It’s 25 years old this year, yet many young men relate to because it addresses their anger and resentment towards the American consumer culture and PC society. Both of which have only gotten worse since the 90s.
And feminism.
And DEI/LGBTQ policies.
Fight Club is a hundred times more potent now than when it came out.
Not just america, any English speaking capitalist country in the west can relate to the theme in this movie. Probably other countries too.
Neither movie is played anywhere anymore......there's a reason for this......
It's a sad state of affairs when the guy across the pond understands our situation better than most of our citizens.
Well done Drinker.
A little easier to see when you aren't mired in it. I'll bet a lot of people around the world think we are morons.
Sadlly the world we live in today is the same, only magnafied times ten.
@@dustman96 Sure, while succinctly American, the overarching idea rings true for most Western countries.
United States' issues are not exclusive to the United States.
I fear Europe is in a far worse condition demographically especially.
The UK is in the exact same situation. In fact, the west is dying and has been for a very long time.
You did an excellent job highlighting the complex threads this movie just kept building and building on. Excellent job
It's been 31 years since this film came out, and yet it still remains relevant today.
Everything that D-Fens was tortured about in the early 90s when this movie was made/set... is basically the frustrations that have fueled the MAGA movement in America.
@@a.d.3606 And there's nothing wrong with it, Grüße
More relevant today
Had recently watched this movie during Covid and gotta say it’s not aged badly. People are just scared at how accurate this film shows our current society.
Same thing could be said about Joker
@@Shah-of-the-Shinebox Joker? It's a recent movie - not really part of the discussion.
@@Shah-of-the-Shineboxjoker? 😂 Heath Ledger ruined all other jokers for me, besides the one from Full Metal Jacket.
@SanDiegoHarry1 I get that but the part about it holds a mirror to society applies
@@Shah-of-the-Shinebox, yes, and that's one reason I love the Joker movie. I wish our society didn't love turning a blind eye to the people's suffering and act shocked when a movie critiquing the rich and focusing on the everyman who becomes a criminal becomes popular with people.