Falling Down — Falling Down( UHD/ Blu Ray)

[Arrow Video — 2026]★★★★★

Reviewed 22 July 2026by Roger Batty

Falling Down stands as one of the more memorable, impactful, and thought-provoking thrillers/ action films of the 1990’s. It stars buzz- cut & bespeckled Michael Douglas ( Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, The China Syndrome) as a snapped everyman ironing/ shooting out the flaws he sees in society. It’s a blend of salary-man breakdown psycho drama, societal satire, jet-back comedy, and action thriller. Here from the fine folks at Arrow Video, both in the UK & US, is a new release of the film. It’s available as either a UHD or Blu-Ray- which take in a new 4k scan, and a mix of new/ archive extras.

Falling Down appeared in the year 1993. It was shot around various locations in/ around LA, on a series of hot Californian days. The film was directed by New York-born Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, 8MM, Phone Booth). With a script by Ebbe Roe Smith (Turner & Hooch, The Big Easy).

The film focuses on William Foster/D-Fens (Douglas) a white-shirted, tie-wearing, and briefcase-carrying salary man. We first meet him on the morning commute- the sun is beating down, traffic is bad, and he suddenly snaps- he jumps out of his queue-bound car, tells other drivers who yell at him that ‘he’s going home’, before marching up the side of an embankment. This starts him on a selection of encounters- which see him berate/ threatening a selection of people/ business. These move from an overpriced Asian-run convenience store, gang members sniffy about territory, a burger bar, a gun shop running racist, and a few others.

Figuring out what’s going on/tracking him down is last-day- on-the-job cop Prendergast (Robert Duvall). And his cop friend/ temp partner, Sandra (Rachel Ticotin)

As things unfold, we find out that where he’s ‘going home to’ is his ex-family house, where his estranged wife is becoming more and more terrified for her life and their young daughter. As William carries on his on-foot journey, he picks up several weapons- going from a baseball bat, a flick knife, a bag full of guns, and a rocket launcher.

The film's mix of drama, building-tension thriller, satire, sly/ dark humour & action is very well realised. The cast, even supporting actors, are perfectly picked. Douglas ' portrayal of the steadily unfolding salaryman is done in a skilful, initially subtle way, but towards the end he becomes well and truly unfolded, which he does very believably. Duvall is great as the now desk-based cop, who well and truly gets his passion back for the job.

I still recall seeing Falling Down, when it first came out, and recall how impactful-yet- entertaining it was. Revisiting it thirty-three years later, it remains impactful in its satire - possibly even more so- and it’s still a damn great action/ thriller film too, which keeps you on the edge of your seat until it’s done.

The release takes in a new 4 K scan. This is full of clarity and depth, which really enhances the sun-baked and sweaty LA captured in the film. The mix of dialogue & score is perfectly balanced/ impactful.

On the extra side, we get a mix of new and archive extras. Man on the Edge (19:00) interview with screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith. He moves from talking about the two initial influences on the story/ script- a report in the LA Times regarding a lorry driver ramming cars for no reason, and the car culture of the city. We find out it took him a year to sell the script, and that initially he saw it more as an indie project. He talks about how having Douglas as the lead made the character more palatable. And how certain scenes varied between script and film- some of them going more OTT.

At War with the World (9.00) interview with composer James Newton Howard. He moves from talking about how he only had three weeks to write the score. He discusses the use of weird sounds, hand percussion, and guitar tones, which were inspired by his love of Jimi Hendrix.

Going Home (13.00) is a mix of visual essay & location featurette from Gillian Wallace Horvat. This is most fascinating, looking at how key locations have changed/ stayed the same, history of LA areas, etc.

On the archive side, we have the following: Commentary track with director Joel Schumacher, editor Paul Hirsch, screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith, LA Times writer Shawn Hubler, and actors Michael Douglas, Michael Paul Chan, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Frederic Forrest. Deconstructing D-Fens- interview with Michael Douglas, Original trailer, and image gallery.