March 1, 1993 -- ``Falling Down'' is the latest ``Mad Guy With A Gun'' (MAGWAN) movie to come out of Hollywood and it currently reigns supreme at the box office.

I'd like to take credit for the MAGWAN label, but I heard it first at a local video store from a check out guy. When I checked out ``This Park is Mine,'' with Tommy Lee Jones, the guy said ``Mad guy with a gun, huh?''

MAGWAN fits a whole genre of films, the most notable examples of it are the popular ``Death Wish'' movies with Charles Bronson. Usually what happens is some guy (almost always a white guy) gets mad and starts gunning down various crooks, who are usually blacks or Hispanics.

``Falling Down'' follows the formula pretty closely except that the person doing the shooting is a little more crazy that the usual mad guy. He even shoots up a fast-food restaurant because they won't serve him breakfast two minutes after breakfast is over.

Michael Douglas, who plays the shooter, is a guy who has just lost his job in the defense industry. His ex-wife won't let him visit his daughter on her birthday. He's caught in a traffic jam and he's just plain tired of being hassled by oriental store owners.

``I did everything I was supposed to do,'' he says, ``I played by the rules,'' and things didn't go right for him. He just want's a little justice.

He goes after justice by smashing up a Korean's store because his prices are too high. He shoots up a restaurant because they won't serve him breakfast. He scares a rich arrogant golfer to death by brandishing a gun and some people in the audience actually laughed at this sick bit of humor. There are parts of the film that really are funny. Robert Duvall, who plays the cop trying to catch Douglas is as masterful as usual, but has an undemanding role and Rachel Ticotin is excellent as Duvall's partner.

Purported to be a film about white male angst in the 1990s, the film has little to say about modern America. It explores only the surface of things. If this film is a big hit, the box office will say more about this country than the film itself ever could. It is pretty high class for an white exploitation movie, but that's essentially all it is. The film rates a C.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.