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Civic Duty

Stylishly silly stuff
By PETER KEOUGH  |  May 2, 2007
2.5 2.5 Stars
civicduty_inside
RUSSAIN ROULETTE: Not every scene is loaded.

Falling Down takes a post-9/11 turn in this psychological thriller from Canadian filmmaker Jeff Renfroe that starts out tense and stylish and ends up silly and self-betraying. At first glance, it seems Terry (Peter Krause) might be a fanatic; his eyes are dead, his expression is set. Turns out he’s just lost his job as an accountant. The timing couldn’t be worse; he and his wife had been hoping to buy a house. So like Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window, Terry idles in the apartment alone, sending out résumés, watching TV (saturated with fear-inducing news of the terrorist threat), and taking an increasing interest in the young “Middle Eastern guy” (Khaled Abol Naga) who’s moved into a basement unit in his building and is acting suspiciously. Is Terry projecting his own frustrations onto a scapegoat? Or could it be that even paranoids have enemies? Renfroe tries to please every point of view, and he does so at the expense of those who just want a satisfying flick.
Related: Haven, The Messengers, Legend of the last, More more >
  Topics: Reviews , Entertainment, Movies, Terrorism,  More more >
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ARTICLES BY PETER KEOUGH
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  •   INTERVIEW: NICOLAS CAGE  |  November 24, 2009
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 See all articles by: PETER KEOUGH

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