Falling Down, 1993. Starring Michael Douglas. More relevant today?

I saw it when it originally came out and recently watched on TV.

It was controversial at the time for what were alleged to be negative ethnic stereotypes in the wake of the 1992 LA Riots and seen as giving licence to violence due to white grievance. While on the surface those criticisms seem plausible they are unfair.

The movie was not about any one ethnic group but how all of them - including whites - were part of the incivility and hostility of everyday life. Director Joel Schumacher shone a light on everyone's culpability in the nastiness of society and showed how thin the veneer of civility is.

Rather than condoning the lead character's actions it ultimately shows them to be morally wrong. "Am I the bad guy?"

It also cleverly inverted certain cop movie tropes to good effect.

I think the movie is more relevant in today's hyper-partisan tribal world than it was at the time of release.

Thoughts?

Submitted May 20, 2018 at 06:58PM by aurelorba https://ift.tt/2IAZMKS