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Jason Statham in Mutiny (2026)
Jason Statham in 'Mutiny' (2026)
Falling Down
(Arrow Ultra HD Blu-ray)
Michael Douglas plays a sweaty, angry man stuck in an LA freeway gridlock, unnerved by the noisy city and the overhead clop-clop of police helicopters. He abandons his car, the first in a stream of dangerous reactions to the pressure building inside him. He wants to go home to his wife and four-year old, but it’s not his home anymore. His ex has a restraining order and won’t see him. He’s determined nonetheless, and his anger rises into a mounting cascade of violence and killing.
When released in 1993, Falling Down was a magnified reflection of rising crime and Rodney King-era tensions. Douglas’ character is a white-collar Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver) with reason to think of himself as an honest, upright citizen in an amoral, decaying world that has changed beyond recognition. Bitter and frustrated by what he sees as price gauging, he lashes out at Korean convenience store owner: “You come to this country, you take my money and you don’t have the good grace to speak my language.” He defends himself against Chicano gangbangers and seizes their gym bag of assault weapons. He starts to shoot, and he’s only getting started.
Falling Down is a panorama of populist rage as Douglas’ obsolescent everyman projects his hurt disappointment at Browns and Blacks, the homeless and the elite. He draws the line at neo-Nazism, insisting that he’s American and all for freedom. After killing a Nazi army-navy store owner, he trades his tie and white shirt (with pocket protector) for the sort of paramilitary gear favored by recent generations of mass shooters. Falling Down is a well-paced if unhinged Hollywood thriller, with occasional moments of intentional humor.
Robert DuVall gives a shrewd performance as an LA detective, a decent man in a mainly bad force, on his final day before retirement. Most fellow cops think he’s old and-in-the way, but he’s the only one who puts the crime spree puzzle together. The limited-edition Blu-ray includes new audio commentary and interviews. (David Luhrssen)
Mutiny
(In Theaters Aug. 21)
After witnessing the killing of his billionaire industrialist boss, Cole Reed (Jason Statham) is framed for the man’s murder. Naturally, Reed sets out to prove his own innocence, avenge his boss’s death and finally, to expose an international conspiracy. After secretly boarding a cargo ship operated by the killer, our hero plays a lethal game of cat-mouse-with the ship’s determined, but clueless crew. It’s a clever set-up for close-quarter combat that takes full advantage of Statham’s martial arts capabilities framed by a boatload of nifty nautical nooks and crannies. Clear, bright cinematography allows audiences to appreciate heart-stopping, sometimes bloody, fight choreography. Also starring Annabelle Wallis, Jason Wong and Roland Møller, the film is directed by Jean-François Richet from a script by J.P. Davis and Lindsay Michel. All-too-brief character development does little to distract from these 95 minutes of action that sees Statham disable more baddies than we could ever count ... but who’d want to? (Lisa Miller)
