Falling Down - Plot

Plot

William Foster (Douglas) is recently divorced, and his ex-wife Beth (Hershey) has a restraining order to keep him away from her and their child, Adele. In addition, he was recently laid off by the defense agency for which he worked. His frustration grows when his air conditioning fails while he is stuck in a traffic jam. He eventually abandons his car and begins walking across Los Angeles to attend Adele’s birthday party.

At a convenience store, the Korean owner (Chan) refuses to give change for a telephone call. Foster begins ranting about the high prices. The owner grabs a baseball bat and demands Foster leave. Foster takes the bat and destroys much of the merchandise before leaving. Outside, he is accosted by two gang members who threaten him with a knife and demand his briefcase. Foster attacks them with the bat and takes their knife.

The two gang members, now in a car with two friends, cruise the streets and find Foster in a phone booth. They open fire, hitting several bystanders but not Foster. The driver loses control and crashes. Foster picks up a gun, shoots the one surviving gang member in the leg, and then walks away with their bag of weapons. Foster encounters a panhandler begging for money and gives him the briefcase, which contains a sandwich and an apple.

At a fast food restaurant, Foster attempts to order breakfast, but they have switched to the lunch menu. After an argument with the manager, Foster pulls a gun and accidentally fires into the ceiling. After trying to reassure the frightened employees and customers, Foster orders lunch, but is annoyed when the burger looks nothing like the one shown on the menu. He leaves, tries to call Beth from a phone booth, then shoots the booth to pieces after being hassled by someone who was waiting to use the phone.

Sergeant Prendergast (Duvall), who is 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 “D-FENS” vanity license plate proves to be an important lead, because Prendergast remembers being in the same traffic jam as Foster earlier that day. Prendergast and his partner, Detective Torres (Ticotin), visit Foster's mother, who is surprised that he has managed to keep losing his job a secret. They realize Foster is heading toward his former family's home in Venice, California and rush to intercept him.

Foster passes a bank where a black man is holding a sign stating "not economically viable," protesting being rejected for a loan application. The man exchanges a glance with Foster, then asks him to "remember me" as he is escorted away by police. Foster stops at a military surplus store to buy a new pair of shoes. The owner (Forrest), 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 shooting "a bunch of niggers" at the Whammy Burger. When Foster expresses distaste for the store owner's racism, the man pulls a gun, but Foster shoots and kills him. He changes into army fatigues and boots, takes the rocket launcher, and leaves.

He encounters a road repair crew, who are not doing much work, 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.

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 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, but does not accept that as an excuse for his rampage. Distracting Foster, Beth kicks away the gun as Prendergast draws his revolver, insisting that Foster give himself up. Foster pulls a water gun, forcing Prendergast to shoot him dead.