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''Falling Down'' is a 1993 neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Ebbe Roe Smith.〔 The film stars Michael Douglas in the lead role of William Foster, a divorcé and unemployed former defense engineer. The film centers on Foster as he goes on a violent rampage across the city of Los Angeles, trying to reach the house of his estranged ex-wife in time for his daughter's birthday party. Along the way, a series of encounters, both trivial and provocative, cause him to react with violence and make sardonic observations on life, poverty, the economy, and commercialism. Robert Duvall co-stars as Martin Prendergast, an aging LAPD Sergeant on the day of his retirement, who faces his own frustrations, even as he tracks down Foster. The title of the film, referring to Foster's mental collapse, is taken from the nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down", which is a recurring motif throughout the film. ==Plot== William Foster is recently divorced, and his ex-wife Beth has a restraining order to keep him away from her and their child, Adele. In addition, he was recently laid off from his job due to the early 90s recession. He becomes frustrated when his car air conditioning fails while he is stuck in traffic. He abandons his car and walks across Los Angeles to attend Adele's birthday party. At a convenience store, Foster's frustration grows when the Korean owner refuses to give him change for a phone call unless he makes a purchase. The owner threatens Foster with a baseball bat, and Foster disarms him, scolds him for the high prices he is charging, and uses the bat to destroy merchandise before paying for a Coke and leaving with the bat. Shortly thereafter, two gang members accost him with a knife, attempting to rob him of his briefcase. Foster attacks them with the bat and takes their knife. The gang cruises the streets and finds Foster in a phone booth. They open fire in a drive-by shooting, hitting several bystanders but not Foster. The driver loses control and crashes. Foster picks up a gun, shoots the surviving gang member in the leg, and leaves with their weapons. At a Whammy Burger fast food restaurant, Foster becomes angry when they refuse to serve him from the breakfast menu because he is three minutes later than the cutoff time. Foster pulls a gun and accidentally fires into the ceiling, terrifying the staff and patrons. He becomes further annoyed when the burger he is served does not resemble its picture on the menu. He leaves to call Beth from a phone booth but shoots it after being hassled by someone who was waiting to use it. Sergeant Martin Prendergast, on duty on his last day before retirement, insists on investigating the crimes. Interviews with the witnesses at each scene lead Prendergast to realize that the same person may be responsible. Foster's vanity license plate proves to be an important lead, because Prendergast remembers being in the same traffic jam as Foster. Prendergast and his partner, Detective Torres, visit Foster's mother. They realize Foster is heading toward his former family's home in Venice, Los Angeles, and rush to intercept him. Foster passes a bank where a black man is protesting being rejected for a loan application. The man exchanges a glance with Foster and says "Don't forget me," as he is escorted away by police. Foster stops at a military surplus store to buy a new pair of shoes. The owner, a white supremacist, diverts Torres' attention when she comes in to ask questions. After she leaves, he offers Foster a rocket launcher, and congratulates him for intimidating "a bunch of niggers" at the Whammy Burger. When Foster expresses disgust for the store owner's racism and homophobia, the man pulls a gun and attempts to handcuff him and turn him over to the police, but Foster kills him. He changes into army fatigues and boots, takes the rocket launcher, and leaves. He encounters a road repair crew, who aren't working, and accuses them of doing unnecessary repairs to justify their budget. He pulls out the rocket launcher but struggles to use it until a young boy explains how it works. Foster accidentally fires the launcher, blowing up the construction site. He next cuts through a golf course, where a wealthy elderly golfer gets angry at his presence on the private course and yells at him. Foster shoots the man's golf cart, sending it into a pond on the course, and the upset golfer collapses with a heart attack, unable to reach his medication which was on the golf cart. Foster next travels through the yard of a plastic surgeon, scaring the groundskeeper and his wife and children who are illicitly using their employer's pool in his absence. The sight of the happy family causes Foster to become emotional remembering that he once had a wife and child. By the time Foster reaches Beth's house, she has already fled with Adele. He realizes that they may have gone to nearby Venice Pier, but Prendergast and Torres arrive before he can go after them. Foster shoots Torres, injuring her, and flees with Prendergast in pursuit. At the end of the pier, Foster confronts his ex-wife and daughter. His daughter is happy to see him, but his ex-wife is frightened. Prendergast arrives and acknowledges Foster's complaints about being ill-treated by society, having experienced it himself by the sudden death of his daughter, but doesn't accept that as an excuse for his rampage. Distracting Foster, Beth kicks Foster's gun away as Prendergast draws his revolver, insisting that Foster give himself up. To leave his life insurance as a final gift to his daughter, Foster claims to possess another gun and prepares to pull it out, prompting Prendergast to shoot him dead before he can see that Foster's gun is only a toy water pistol belonging to Adele. Prendergast returns to Beth's house, where Captain Yardley praises him for solving the case in front of the media, prompting Prendergast to respond "fuck you very much", as Yardley never showed respect for him. Torres is taken in by an ambulance. Prendergast sits and comforts Adele, telling her that he intends to stay a cop. The film ends with a video film of Foster's past happier days with his family, which he was watching before the showdown, continuing to play on Beth's VCR. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Falling Down」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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