The 1993 film falling down provides a look into two separate men’s lives in the course of one day. Although the movie was highly acclaimed for it’s portrayal of the new human situation, the covert and overt racism, sexism, and classism leave a sour taste in this viewer’s mouth. The movie comes across as a lame attempt to show the “White man’s ever growing burden.” The audience is expected to feel a compassion for both lead characters. The message that is supposed to be portrayed is similar to films of today such as fight club and American beauty. All three pointing at what they see as specific flaws yet offering up no real solutions to these problems. With these flaws in this system pointed out Michael Douglas’ character William Foster is held up as a martyr. He is not portrayed as a real villain through out the story.Both men feel the strain of society the difference is the way each chooses to express this frustration. The first scene both main characters are stuck in a huge traffic jam. Sick of waiting William Foster leaves his car in search of a way to “come home” to his wife. After leaving his car the second main character, Detective Pendergast, is shown commenting that it is his last day on the force. The two are contrasted Pendergast is able to work within societies boundaries while Bill has rejected the society that has rejected him. In this time there is an obvious comparison between the two that will become reoccurring through out the story.It is clear that this story is supposed to be a representation of what happens when a man cracks under all the pressure of being a white male. A critique of societies pressure on the working class man and his struggle with the new world around him. The movie is supposed to question society as a whole yet it left me questioning who had written a story so specific that no one besides white males could identify with it.Altho...
