Falling Down is a gritty look at the granular realities of modern life. William Foster's trek across L.A. shows us a non-homogeneous look at the city. Douglas's Foster is an anti-hero. You root for him but can't quite ignore the danger of his break. His pathetic life becomes superimposed on other people's pathetic little lives, any of which probably strike too close to home for many viewers. You may identify with at least one of the characters way too much to be comfortable for you. Robert Duvall does some of his best work as Detective Prendergast who has to deal with his burden of boorish co-workers and shrewish wife (played very well by Tuesday Weld). Rachel Ticotin is Prendergast's partner, Detective Sandra (that's it, no last name), who is the kind of co-worker we all wish we could have. (An aside here, Ticotin is one of those actors who doesn't come to mind when you think of the great ones, but look at her work. It is always good, maybe so good that she becomes lost in the character instead of maintaining her own identity. Isn't that the mark of a great actor?) Falling Down is a bittersweet look at the end of one man's life attended by people with similar lives who handled their challenges differently.
Review of Falling Down
