Michael Douglas ’90s R-Rated Crime Thriller Classic Needs Saving
If you’ve never seen the Michael Douglas suspense drama Falling Down, you’re missing one of the best performances of the legendary actor’s career. However, the 1993 classic needs saving, not because it’s being rebooted or anything like that, but because it’s not available to stream. It doesn’t have a 4K physical release, but you can rent it through VOD on Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, or Microsoft Store online.
Falling Down Predicted The Future
Michael Douglas got positive reviews for his performance as William “D-Fens” Foster in Falling Down. The thriller, directed by film great Joel Schumacher, follows a man who’s frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society and begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.
One of the most well-known scenes has to be when he goes to into a fast food burger joint and asks for breakfast. The cashier informs him they’re not serving breakfast anymore and have switched over to the lunch menu. It’s an annoyance we have all experienced, however, what we do not do is take out a gun.
Break Bad
That is, in fact, what Douglas’s character does. In the midst of the craziness, “D-Fens” goes around, nicely asking those in the restaurant whether they’re enjoying their meals. One diner actually pukes, so guess not.
The movie was a controversial one. In fact, many studios in Hollywood turned down the script. However, when Michael Douglas came across the pages for Falling Down, he said the script was one of the best he’d ever read.
A Smash Hit
The film would go on to make $96 million, with a budget of $25 million. For its first two weeks of release in February into March of 1993, it took the top spot. It has a 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and an 84 percent audience score. It’s also become known as one of the best movies of Joel Schumacher’s career. 2023 marked the 30th anniversary of the film.
Michael Douglas took to Facebook to say Falling Down was one of his favorite roles of his entire career. That’s saying a lot, considering Douglas started acting more than 50 years ago and has quite the resume.
Hollywood Royalty
Michael Douglas is a Hollywood legacy. His father is film icon Kirk Douglas; however, Michael stepped out of the shadow of his famous father. His successes are just about too many to list, but they include Romancing the Stone, The Jewel of the Nile, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, Black Rain, and The War of the Roses. And those are just his films from the 1980s!
Falling Down was released in 1993, one year after Basic Instinct. In 1994 came Disclosure and then The American President. Nowadays, Douglas is 79 years young and is still acting. He’s part of the massive Marvel universe with Ant-Man as Dr. Hank Pym.
Falling Down Needs Saving
If you want to see a much different side of Michael Douglas, Falling Down may be the way to go. Audiences are still trying to decide whether to root for his character “D-Fens” or not. The film runs 1 hour 53 minutes and is rated R.
