Unhinged

 If I was writing on of my trademarked "TFG One Sentence Review" about Unhinged, it would read something like:

"Unhinged is what happens when William Foster from Falling Down stops taking his medication and embraces the #MAGA "fuck you" attitude as he publicly airs his grievances."

It sorta works. Sorta. 

But Unhinged is more complicated than a one-sentence review. And because of what's happening in American society these days, it deserves some attention. 

Clearly, there are comparisons to be made to Falling Down, the 1993 movie starring Michael Douglas. Both Foster (played by Douglas) and Tom Hunter (the protagonist in Unhinged, played by Russell Crowe) are professional white men who find themselves overwhelmed and powerless in society. The audience watched Foster's breakdown and felt some empathy for him. We've all been there, we understand how human beings can snap. 

With Falling Down we don't condone the escalating behavior we watched on screen, but we understand. [Spoken in my best Chris Rock voice.]

But the moment we meet Hunter we recognize he's unhinged. Obsessive, impulsive, and cruel. And we come to also understand that Hunter believes his actions are justified. Those who have wronged him deserve to be punished. 

Perhaps most disturbing is that he believes it's acceptable for him to deliver that punishment. 

That really is the scariest part of this thriller: it mirrors an emerging groupthink in American culture. How one feels about a topic or situation becomes belief. Facts are intangible and open for debate. Common disagreements become fodder for verbal and physical assault.

We now feel entitled to offer our opinions, and we feel attacked when someone disagrees with or slights us. And when someone feels attacked it's acceptable to hit back harder. 

Falling Down was a warning about what could happen when people feel spread too thin, or feel out of control. 

Unhinged is a reflection of what's happening today in the USA.