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In Short: Basic edition of Joel Schumacher's L.A. drama. The Movie: Probably one of, if not the best film that director Joel Schumacher has ever made (and that's not saying much about the director of "Batman and Robin"), "Falling Down" takes a a scary look at what happens when one man (Michael Douglas) gets pushed too far by society and turns to fight back in any way he can. While Douglas's performance gets the "menacing" tone right, we generally don't get enough information about his motivations, or the motivations of the characters around him. It gets the tone of the proceedings right, but it doesn't really go into much detail, in other words. Dogulas's performance is quite good, and although we finally get slight details about his previous history of anger from his wife, the intensity that he is able to create is remarkable. As the film begins with Douglas's character on the highways of L.A., we already see his defenses begin to break down. Soon enough, he gets a few weapons in his hands. As the day goes on, his anger grows stronger as he tries to go home to a wife and child that don't want to see him again. Eventually, the police find themselves involved, more specifically a detective on his last day (Robert Duvall) who finds that the rest of the force are happy to see him leave. Duvall's character is the usual "police" character, but Duvall's outstanding acting talent makes the most of the character as written. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but there are performances and elements that are successful. The DVD VIDEO: This really isn't the best transfer I've ever seen from Warner Brothers, and I think they've even done better jobs with catalog titles recently, like "Extreme Measures". The image quality for "Falling Down", while not unwatchable, is nothing impressive. Images are clear, but slightly soft looking throughout. Detail is alright, but not great. Colors are generally alright, but then again, this isn't a terribly colorful movie anyway. Overall, it also occasionally looks a little on the washed-out side. There are some slight marks and flaws with the print, but nothing that's terribly distracting. Shimmering makes a slightly distracting appearance or two, though. OTher than that this is an acceptable disc in terms of image quality, but nothing great. SOUND: Pretty basic, with the score as the highlight. Dialogue is clear and without problems. Not really intense or agressive in any way, "Falling Down" is mainly dialogue-driven. MENUS:: Basic menus with no animation, simply using the cover art. EXTRAS: Trailer.  Film Grade The Film 70/C = (350/500 possible points) Stars: ** DVD Grades Video 82/B = (328/400 possible points) Audio: 80/B+ = (320/400 possible points) Extras: 70/C- = (210/300 possible points) Menus 70/C- = (140/200 possible points) Value: 80/B = (240/300 possible points) TOTAL POINTS:1588/2100 Average:75%/C |