Falling Down (1993)

The critic calls it a storming portrait of urban alienation, commending Schumacher's bold direction, Douglas's superb performance, and Duvall's excellent supporting role, while noting it loses momentum at the end.

Ebert sees the film as portraying a profound sadness turning into madness in a man who feels obsolete after years of work. He praises the subtlety of Michael Douglas's performance and the way the story avoids easy revenge-movie clichés.

Canby calls the film a wickedly mischievous and entertaining suspense thriller about one man's slide into madness. He highlights the clever tricks in its storytelling and Michael Douglas's thin-lipped authority in the lead role.

The review notes the film transcends typical vigilante stories by addressing broader social issues, praising the cast's respectability and the unnerving quality, while criticizing loose ends and tonal inconsistencies.

Turan finds the film greedy in wanting audiences to both cheer the protagonist and disapprove of him as a loose cannon. He notes its slick, commercial script and direction effectively point out stresses in modern city life but lack deeper substance.

Rafferty describes the film as a crude vigilante picture disguised as social satire, with the city presented as an obstacle course frustrating middle-class citizens. He criticizes the high-minded statements from the filmmakers that clash with its exploitative approach.

The critic calls it a remarkably tense thriller and thumping good story that avoids episodic pitfalls through deft cross-cutting, despite reservations about its ideological handling. It is far and away Schumacher's best film, with Michael Douglas singled out as a genuine risk-taker.

The critic examines the film's portrayal of a white male's rage against perceived societal wrongs, arguing it precisely captures a specific demographic consciousness rather than a universal everyman tale. She praises its demographic precision and contrasts it with other backlash fantasies.

The critic finds the film entertaining but ultimately confusing in its attempt to address urban ills and social issues, with its social parable devolving into melodrama. It singles out Robert Duvall's performance as the cop for praise as a memorable character.

The critic describes it as a disturbing, well-modulated rant and bizarre cocktail of paranoid anger and political correctness that wants to be Taxi Driver but struggles with ideological ambivalence. The screenplay is praised for its meticulous structure and symmetry between characters, while Schumacher is faulted for failing to convey the protagonist's state of mind purely cinematically.

The critic finds the film a powerful evocation of corporate neurosis and societal decay, with Michael Douglas delivering an astonishing, low-key performance as the rage-filled protagonist. Schumacher is praised for exposing the moral sewage beneath Los Angeles and crafting a compelling, Taxi Driver-like portrait of alienation.