A laid-off defense worker, kept from seeing his child on her birthday by a restraining order, looks at the landscape of moral decay in Los Angeles on one hot, congested day and, after being mugged, snaps. What follows is his bitter and pathetic mission of justice, vengeance and vindication that reads uncomfortably like too many news stories. Michael Douglas is identified only by his character's license plate, D-FENS, in this attack on social ills, a film originally seen as the displacement of power felt by many white American males.

The film that brought to the fore issues of white male paranoia in a changing, multi-cultural United States. A stressed-out former defense worker finally cracks when he's caught in a traffic jam. With gun in hand, he abandons his car and journeys on foot through Los Angeles, violently confronting the "alien" forces he holds responsible for his predicament.

Screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith received the 1994 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay from the Mystery Writers of America.

Filmed in Los Angeles, California. Shooting began March 25, 1992; completed June 11, 1992.

Estimated budget $30 million.

Released in USA February 26, 1993. Shown at Cannes (in competition) May 13-24, 1993. Released on video August 11, 1993.

Jane Bovingdon did the special photography.

Rated BBFC 18

Shot in Panavision.

Excerpt: "I'm the bad guy?" -- D-Fens

Blu-ray Disc Features:

Region [unknown]
Additional Release Material:
Featurette: Deconstructing D-Fens: A Conversation with Michael Douglas
Audio Commentary: Michael Douglas and Director Joel Schumacher
Trailer

Michael Douglas: Actor, THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO/WALL STREET
Robert Duvall: American Actor/Director
Barbara Hershey: American actress, PORTRAIT OF A LADY
Rachel Ticotin: American Actress
Frederic Forrest: American Actor
Tuesday Weld: American actress
DeDee Pfeiffer: American Film/TV Actress
Raymond J. Barry: American Actor

Joel Schumacher: American Director/Screenwriter

"...[Schumacher] gives this explosive drama a whiplash intensity that never lets up....FALLING DOWN puts a human face on a cold statistic and then dares us to look away..."
"...The movie stars Michael Douglas, in a performance of considerable subtlety and some courage....FALLING DOWN does a good job of representing a real feeling in our society today..."
"...[A] powerful portrait of social alienation....The film provides Douglas with a real performer's showcase, and he delivers a strong, intense portrayal of a walking time bomb..."
"...A wickedly mischievous, entertaining suspense thriller....Douglas is terrific..."
"...A technically proficient grabber....[A] consistently engrossing movie..."
"...Douglas' performance is effective. Letting his eyes well up with sadness and fury, he's an Ordinary American-turned-passionate zombie..."