In this entry we’ll be taking a closer look at the mind of William "D-FENS" Foster from Falling Down. If you have any feedback or suggestions feel free to let me know below. Thanks for stopping by! #fallingdown #michaeldouglas #villains
This is some really good insight into D-Fens and attention to detail. The fly scenes minus the one in the car I never noticed before, no personal pics in D-Fens room and turbulent relationship with his dad and so on. I find D-Fens relatable with his anger on society. Thank you so much for this
I think the watergun represents how much damage at the end of the day that D-Fens was able to do to the society he spent the whole movie attacking. He hit it right in the head...with harmless water.
I think Bill Fosters story is the story of a lot of people. The story of people lost to the passage of time. He talks to his wife about the restaurant they used to go to and what "it is now!" He sees the city smog through his shoe likely reflecting on a time when Southern California wasn't polluted, the uptick of gangs invading suburbia, the building of the metro rail, the hobo claiming to be a vietnam vet to get money, the Korean store owner charging too much, and the poor quality of food at the whammy burger are all things he sees as the degeneration of society. He worked to defend his country by designing weapons and did his job to the best of his ability, only to be let go for likely not adapting to the times (judging by the drafting tools in his room in a time when CAD was on the rise and becoming the norm). He did what he was supposed to do to preserve what he thought was good only to see it all fade away and him become worthless. He became a lost confused soul that was frustrated beyond measure. When he took the Milsurp store owners life, he let go of those societal obligations he set forth on himself, donned his dark apparel, and decided he was going to fix things himself. He viewed his path as righteous until the realization he became the villain. His last ditch effort to do something right was to leave the insurance policy for his daughter after he gets into the "gunfight" at the end. He is a product of a society that lied to him and left him frustrated and alone. He is relatable because people like him exist and are lost to the sea of society every day.
Sorry dude but you missed the point of just who D-Fens is and what he represents. You’re not supposed to identify with him. He’s a petty, controlling jackass with anger issues. He cares only about himself and it’s not until the end that he finally sees how his actions affect those around him. He’s nostalgic for a past that never existed except in his mind and he blames everyone and everything but himself for his failures. When he claims the system lied to him, it’s meaningless. It’s the petulant whining of a man who’s angry that he didn’t get what he thought he was entitled to. He was not a good man, driven too far, he was never a good man. He was an emotionally abusive husband and father who got angry when he didn’t get things his way.
@@CharlieNoodles exactly and some of the people William targeted were innocent like Mr. Lee the Korean Mini Mart Clerk, Rick and Shellia the fast food patrons, The Golfers, The Family and the Plastic Surgeon's House and Beth and Adele William's own family. And he was going to kill his family if he couldn't be with him. Cause he had the mindset that if he can't be happy no one can
you completely missed the point, also "hobo pretending to be a vietnam vet"?? how do you even know that hes pretending? Best we can know, William is frustrated with the economical state of US by looking at this
His father probably wasn't home during much of his childhood, due to his military service. And his father probably had PTSD that further hindered a fonder connection to their relationship.
Such a great movie I watched it when I was a kid when it came out I couldn't believe how unnoticed and underrated it wasn't the time. Everyone who saw it back then thought it was so awesome but almost nobody saw it I'm glad that it got its due in the end.
This was my absolute favorite Michael Douglas movie. He was so believable and riveting in his performance that throughout the film I was rooting for him, until the end when he put his wife and daughter in peril. Then I was heartbroken by how far into madness he had fallen.
I think William’s father was disappointed that William wasn’t big and athletic. He wanted him to be a soldier and William was a nerd who worked in weapon design. Which he probably only went to in an attempt gain his father’s approval.
Wow. All these years I have never notice the fly refenrence. It is also when he has reached the point of no return we see a fly dead. One other element that disturbed Bill is the feeling that he is never at peace, never left alone, always bothered by others. He doesn't let anyone enter his room, even his mother. He doesn't get 5 minutes of peace while drinking his soda (even if he is sitting in the heart of gangland). There is a subtle refence of George Orwell 1984's Big Brother when Bill grabs a cold soda and presses it against his face, he is being watched by the store owner, next to him lies a piggy bank. The face of the pig was the symbol of Big Brother and its slogan: Big Brother is watching you. That is probably why he wants to go home to his family; he feels that it is the only place in the world he can finally be at peace.
this movie is kinda emotional on a personal level for me, for some deranged reason his character resonates with me: in my twisted self righteousness i would like to believe he did nothing wrong.
The genius of the character is any even remotely decent person can’t help but relate to and understand his feeling of hopelessness and that something has been lost. By all observations, he’s an old school and decent guy who is just watching his personal life and his country actively going down the drain. He is living in a foreign world, in both his personal life and as a citizen. His family is gone. He’s a single unemployed guy that’s now living in his mother’s house. He has watched his country go from a respectful, decent, polite, and affordable society to a rude, spiteful, unimaginable hellhole, filled with hyperinflation. Not saying i would ever do any of those things he did, but on at least a few of the occurrences, I completely understand them. He is now too old to start over in another career and he will have no money to start another life with another girl, as his looks are faded from his prime and his money will go to alimony and child support. At the end of the day, when you take everything from a man, then he has nothing to lose. And the most dangerous man is the one with nothing left to lose.
The dude took things too far, but much of the aggression started with the people he stepped up to. It's all right there in the name. It's D-Fens, not Pass-I-fist.
I appreciate your efforts and dedication for this video ❤ Please make a video on What's In The Mind Of Magenta from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero 🐲, Governor Scott Buxton from RRR 💥🌊 & Rydal Keener from The Two Faces Of January 🎲
Excellent analysis and perspective. You seem like someone who knows psychology on a high level. You could be a psychologist...or a movie reviewer and critic....haha Thank you
Clyde Shelton went on a killing spree cause he felt betrayed by the legal system and his family's killer was let go. William Foster went on a violent rampage cause he was a selfish psycho who wanted the world to be perfect and everything to go his way even if it means harming innocent people. Yes most of William's targets were jerks and horrible people but it doesn't make William a redeemable person. Clyde Shelton is more sympathetic than William
2:24 1965 was when the Hart-Celler act was passed. Up until then immigration to US was largely restricted only to people of European descent. How is that working out for US today?
Great video. I have a top ten list of underrated and great villains. 1. Johnny Ringo from Tombstone 2. Eric Qualan from Cliffhanger 3. Nino Brown from New Jack City 4. Rico from Paid N Full 5. Bricktop from Snatch 6. Lil Z from City of God 7. Sgt. Waters from A Soldier's Story 8. Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore 9. God from In Too Deep 10. Edward Norton from Primal Fear Can you do one on either one of these. These are my favorite villains from my favorite films, thanks. Great content by the way
I don't feel bad for William cause i deem him to be Pure Evil. Why? Cause he's a sadistic control freak who always wanted things to go his way and lashed out whenever he didn't get what he wanted.
Oh man, I used to love that character back when I was a kid. But wasn't the whole point of the character is that he was ultimately a good guy trying to be bad? He was so terrible at playing the villain. The only times he was ever really successful was when he tried his hand at being a good guy and allying with the monks.
Great Video from a great movie. I think we can all identify with D-fens in some way. This movie is making a silent comeback w how society has really gone down hill. Mainly the Woke left is pushing cancel culture, Students taking over college buildings, and the current president trying to win re-election by using the Law against a political opponent. I could go on, but Im scared for how our society has become and where its heading. I sadly don't see it ever going back to the simpler times of the 90s and 2000s. The best thing is to be accepting and make the best of our own situation. Take accountability and vote republican.
The point of William being an hypocrite is valid, but it should be noted that so is everyone else. We are all hypocrites at base level like William, what he does not seem to do is the toxic virtue signalling that some hypocrites level up to the point of narcissism. William's mental breakdown emphasises and exposes his hypocrisy but also the hypocrisy of everyone else.
@@Charlesengelengel it was a joke. the movie is from 1993, but i was just making a joke about it being modern due to the world being fucking apeshit stupid right now.
During the flash era, we had 7 year olds fantasizing about the same things. Better times. They didn't watch any youtube professors and couldn't argue against simply being... let's say degradant. Like for real no cap truly wasn't really in these websites but like I saw 2 minutes and that made things happen
I love this film but it horrifies me how many people don’t get that William ‘D-Fens’ foster is the bad guy. There’s a very important question you need to ask, where was he going at the start of the movie and what was he going to do when he got there? Answer; he was on his way to his ex-wife’s home to kill her and his daughter and then probably himself. Prendergast calls him out on this at the end of the film. He’s rehearsed the drive but was caught out by the unexpected roadblock which ultimately set in motion the events of the film. The film is a fairly hamfisted bait and switch. You’re supposed to be sympathetic towards him in the beginning as he vents his frustrations at the petty “injustices” he experiences but by the end it’s made crystal clear that he was never a good guy. He viewed himself as such and he had fond memories of his life with his ex-wife and daughter. But then we are shown the truth. We get a sneak peak past the curtain of his own biased memory and we see an angry, controlling jerk who wanted things his way and lashed out when he didn’t get it. His life has fallen down around him and he blames everyone and everything but himself. On a deeper level he represents that part of middle class white America, nostalgic for a past that never really existed. Pining for a life that benefited them whilst remaining largely ignorant and indifferent to those less fortunate. Foster only cares about the injustice of “the system” when he’s personally affected. Sure, he gives a slight nod to the guy being arrested for carrying out his constitutional right to protest. But beyond feeling a sense of solidarity with the man, what does he do? Nothing. He does nothing. Because it’s not him being arrested. Just like he does nothing when the gay couple are being harassed by the neo-nazi. It’s not until he’s affected that he acts. He was always the villain.
Well summarized. Just like DFEN's life, our image of him should be "falling down" too as the movie progresses (in the movie's poster he is propped up like a heroic statue). Would you say that Clyde Shelton from Law Abiding Citizen deserves a similar perception?
@@inthemindofavillain Law Abiding Citizen is interesting for different reasons. Unlike D-Fens, Shelton’s attacks are all pre-meditated and targeted. He’s not lashing out indiscriminately, he’s carrying out a series of highly planned attacks. D-Fens on the other hand was more conflicted about what he was going to do, he’d rehearsed the drive to his wife’s house but beyond that he was too caught up in his own sense of righteous indignation to think much beyond his immediate surroundings. Both ultimately cross the line and both are villains in their own way. I guess the difference is that Shelton believes and trusted in the system and was angry at the people he felt betrayed that system. D-Fens felt the system should always be to his benefit and was angry that his life hadn’t worked out how he expected it too. Other than his wife he’s not angry at anyone or anything in particular, he’s just angry when he doesn’t get his way.
It’s tipped off in the first 20 minutes after the incident in the store when you see why he needed change for the pay phone. It was to call his ex, who told him he wasn’t supposed to be calling and he wasn’t allowed to come to her house. He quickly ignored that and set out on his way. This story has nothing to do with “the system.” It’s a horror movie told from the stalker’s point of view.
Holy Crap, I love what you just did! I never caught The Obvious! Exactly, why would they put what most of us thought was a throwaway line from Pendergast to just further justify taking Foster down, right? Lol no, the movie portrayed Pendergast as resourceful and experienced. Therefore because of yout comment, I know there'd be no reason to insert that line if it wasn't a reveal. You just made this movie better for me!
He’s not mentally ill and his views are not distorted. He’s an exceptionally sane person living in an insane world. I also don’t think he’s xenophobic. He was mad at the Korean guy for being greedy and unreasonable.
@@TheFoox there’s absolutely no evidence that he was ever actually abusive. All we know for sure is that he raised his voice once and that is not abuse. Also, the only time when it’s mentioned why he lost his job, he says he was fired for being “over educated and under experienced”. You just pulled all of what you said out of your ass.
It's more accurate to say he had a mental breakdown. In the not so distant past he was stable and normal enough to be able to start a family with a hot wife.
It's important to remember that the reason he lost everything, his job and his family, is because of his own actions. He had a temper and was shown in the film to be abusive to his wife and child. William Foster was always a monster.
It is crucial to clarify that I did not assert that the individual in question is a hero. Instead, I view them as someone who is grappling with the complexities of a rapidly evolving world. A substantial segment of the American population faces the risk of losing everything after encountering a mere three adverse events, such as the loss of a partner, a child, and their means of financial support. Regrettably, many individuals fail to recognize this reality. In such circumstances, the majority succumb to defeat and resignation. However, the individual known as D-Fens chose an alternative path. It is undoubtedly challenging to maintain one's sanity in a world characterized by irrationality. In fact, I would venture to question the mental well-being of anyone who chooses to reside in Los Angeles.
The wife informed the officer that the individual in question had not engaged in any abuse towards her or their child. However, she expressed a belief that he possessed the potential to do so. It's not the same thing. Some would say the potential of violence is necessary to protect one's family in a situation that may call for said violence.
I had to stop watching this video. If you live in the United States, you should be able to speak proper English. That goes for Americans too. People cannot speak anymore. I literally had to teach a friend to say aSK, instead of aXE. Immigrants who come here to work (making our workers have to compete w/ foreigners for jobs at home), but can't speak English, are nothing more than an invaders, taking from our nation. In India, I speak as little English as possible (and it's their 2nd national language). I speak Hindi. In Germany I speak German. Why is this rocket science for some?
1. A second language is harder to learn when you are an adult. English is one of the hardest languages to learn because it has a large vocabulary, consisting partly of slang, and technical and archaic terms. It also includes homonyms, which can confuse non-native speakers. 2. Immigrants don't need to speak English, because they can work in ethnic neighborhoods for their family businesses. 3. Most people don't speak Standard American English, a dialect spoken mainly in the U.S. Midwest. All languages have many dialects, with varying grammar and pronunciations. Invaders are soldiers who attack another nation. Immigrants are civilians who move in peacefully, join, and live among the natives. Do you expect tourists to learn the languages of all the countries they visit, first?
I'm confused, was rapper Lil John narrating this or something? But it is a good point about our illiteracy. Just today I was trying to translate the urban grammar on a Teams communication with some of our less educated team members at work. It's just sad. And your "axe" friend probably thinks you're a racist now.
